cbc

One question please...I went and got a count today. I went to my regular dr instead of the hema because I just wanted to know where they were.

They did it with a finger prick. Which I have never had done. How accurate is it to have a finger prick versus in the vein? I read somewhere that it coule be lower that way. How much of a difference does it make?

Shannon

My hematologist always does a finger stick in the office so you get a immediate result. The machine they use is the same as in most labs.

To all of you who know my views on finger "sticks" [slices] I promise you I will not go on about them. I will just say 2 things:
- I will never let them give me a barbaric finger "stick" [my hematologist's office went to them but the letter received said if you didn't want that you could request a blood draw - we then had to switch to an HMO so I never got to give her office my opinion of finger "sticks"]
- I don't know where it is on the old board but there was a post at one time that stated from an article or something that a finger stick is not accurate and last year I asked the phlebotomist about a finger "stick" and she said it isn't accurate because the "stick" has caused an injury and the platelets are trying to close it up [not her exact words, can't remember them].

Debbie my hematologist's office did blood draws in the office and I got the results immediately - same thing, machine the same as in labs. Now with the HMO I get the results the next day, or that night if I go in early.

Just a thought: a finger "stick" is probably cheaper to do than a blood draw - that little skin slicer is most likely less expensive than the butterfly needle & the tube that is used for a blood draw.

I understand that you feel they are not as accurate, but which way. Do they reveal them high or lower?

One other question for everyone...My count is not normal but it is 104000. I am supposed to start another pulse of DEX next week. My question is would you start a pulse with numbers like this just to get a remission, or would you just wait and see if they fall before starting another pulse?


I am not sure what to do. Will my system shut down and not work by itself if I take Dex and do not need it ir will it pull my numbers up and my body will take over. My numbers were up some from last count.
Shannon

Shannon:

How many pulses have you done?

I might be tempted to follow the protocol and go for it if the side effects are not too bad.

side effects have not been too bad. I have only done one pulse so far. They seem to be coming up on their own. Have not had dex in 3 weeks. But I think i wil go for it just to see what it does

Also, Sandi, how do you feel about the finger prick test versus the vein? Is there a difference?

Shannon

As long as you can tolerate Decadron, I think I'd keep going with the pulses (no more than 6 months though). You seem to be having a good response since your counts are not dropping quickly when you finish.

We've discussed the finger prick vs the vein so many times, but all I remember is that the finger stick is not accurate. I don't remember which way the inaccuracy fell, but I'm not sure I'd want falsely high counts or falsely low counts. We've posted some articles in the past, but they are hard to find.

Fingersticks give lower counts than venepuncture.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9365861

Wow thanks for that info. I am unable to do finger sticks becuase I have something called raynauds disease and my fingers get cold and go numb so I am unable to produce blood. But I never knew that the counts could be lower because of this. Good information.

Thanks, Ann. I was too tired to look it up!