How long have you had to wait for a venesection?

[MarkD6701]

I've been told by my consultant that I need a venesection and I'll hear from the hospital in due course. (I tend to need it done 1-2 times per year).

As I've had blood clots in the past I always get a bit anxious until I get it done which was within a couple of weeks of getting an appointment, but it seems at the moment things are getting busier at the hospital.

I just wondered what's the longest people have had to wait to get an appointment and everything sorted?

[ainslie]

The emphasis should be on how much you need it, if your Hct is over 45 for male then you need it now and you should be be persistent until your Hct is under 45

[MarkD6701 in reply to ainslie]

I thought it was 50 for men, or am I reading it incorrectly?

Mine was 46.3

[ainslie in reply to MarkD6701]

It’s 45 for us with MPN and some docs say 42/43 for female. 50 or even a bit higher is okay if no MPN

[hunter5582]

I typically can get a venesection scheduled in 2-4 days. I just call and make the appointment in my healthcare system. Ainslie is correct about needing to be persistent if your HCT is above target. Wishing you prompt success.

[Aldebaran25]

Hi, at Guy’s you can usually get a venesection within a few days. I’ve had some on same or next day occasionally. Usually it is the clinical team that arrange it.

[mark382]

Used to be within a day or so. Unfortunately the Medical Day Unit where they do it are very busy now, so often have to wait a couple of weeks.

[Andyf24]

Hi I'm in Scotland and typically get an appointment date letter in 2 to 3 days from the blood test result for hct over 0.45 and discussion with consultant. The venesection date is normally 10 to 14 days after that letter arrives.

[finlay2106]

Hi, the HCT range usually applied for men without any health issues is 0.4 - 0.5 (or 40% - 50%). For anyone with an MPN it should be below 0.45 (or 45%). If mine gets to 0.45 or higher then a venesection is required (the Drs might waver a bit if it's at 0.45 and was lower previously, it depends on the Dr).

At my hospital they used to phone me to book me in for the venesection following the clinic conversation. Since the pandemic that appears to have stopped (they didn't tell me!) and I have to phone the unit that does it to get myself booked in. They also require the last blood test to have been done no more than 2 weeks prior to the date of the venesection otherwise I have to get my bloods done again immediately before the venesection. Thus I have to be quick after the clinic discussion to get myself booked in within the following 2 weeks. It is a good idea to have the venesection asap after the clinic discussion.

I would phone your haematology dept. to find out what's happening and try to manage the situation rather than wait.

Good luck.

[LIGEBA]

I'm in the US and my dr.'s office schedules labs and venesection for every 3 weeks for 3 months at a time. When I get my labs they process them right away to determine if I need the venesection that day or not. As others have mentioned, be persistent and advocate for yourself in this matter, especially since you've had blood clots in the past.

[MarkD6701]

My consultant emailed the dept. that does the venesections so hopefully I'll get an appointment soon.

Btw, does anyone know how long it's safe to go without having a venesection done if hct levels are above 45?

I always get a bit nervous waiting for these procedures.

I'm on warfarin so hopefully that would reduce any risk from clots anyway