Blood Labs

[the2ofus]

I am going to the doctor in a couple of days and wanted to know if when I have my blood work done is there one lab in the country better than another. I had heard that some of them do not do the celiac panel properly and others do a vast quantity of this test, plus the gene test.

Does anyone know where I should have my blood sent. Will a local lab draw the blood and then send it to another lab?

Thanks for the help

Robin

[jka8168]

I think you must have moved your request to another thread labeled Quest vs. Prometheus, but I'll put a copy of my reply here as well. We got caught without enough info at first, and I took my son who has type 1 diabetes in for a test without calling ahead. I asked them to use a lab recommended by a major celiac disease center, but they talked me into Quest. The results came back very quickly as negative, and I questioned them. My son reacted strongly to gluten as a baby and now is diabetic and ADHD. My husband is positive for celiac disease. I called the celiac disease center and they were definite that I should NOT use Quest. So I'm having his tests rerun right now and am waiting for the results. Although I'm getting the idea that the only results you can take seriously are the positive ones. A negative may or may not mean that you can eat gluten. I've spoken with so many people who had negative results, or even negative biopsies, and found they did so much better off gluten anyway. Research hasn't got the whole picture clear in that area.

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I called a well known Celiac Disease Program and specifically asked whether I should allow my son's dr to use Quest for his bloodwork. I received a firm negative, and Prometheus was highly recommended. This Center also lists Mayo Clinic and Specialty Labs as appropriate.

I also have spoken with a support group leader whose sister got a false negative from Quest and retested positive later.

I called Prometheus directly and spoke with customer service. They will send the transport kits to either the dr or patient, and will process the tests if specimens are returned with a dr's script and direct payment or (accepted) insurance info. They give a discount for cash forms of payment (20-25% I think). I remember that the Panel including Total IGA if needed was around $217 with cash discount.

It is important to call the dr ahead of time. He may not have an account with Prometheus, and some drs don't want to bother in that case because direct payment from the patient does not give their billing system a way to add their cut to the billed office visit amount. In that case, find a dr who has an account with Prometheus or who will work with you regarding payment options.

If you don't call ahead, your specimens will go to a lab with which the dr has an account. Once the blood is drawn, it's too late to specify.

Many regular labs may be licensed to do the test, but the results are very dependent on skilled operator procedures. Many techs haven't run enough tests yet to be that skilled. They may or may not run or read your test correctly. I got this info from a registered dietitian who works with a celiac disease program.

Prometheus Labs # is 888-423-5227.

Hope this helps,

Olive