Going to the doctor to be tested

No, I don’t need to be tested to look for SARS-COV-2 (which is the virus which causes COVID-19). I did have to see my GP though last week. Someone asked, are you going to get tests from the doctor? It’s amusing to me when someone assumes primary health care practitioners do the testing.

Chain mail safety glove.
Chain mail safety glove.

Where is most of the diagnostic testing done and by whom?

There are many primary health care practitioners who will have a point of care (POC) set up in their practice. They can manage things like a blood sugar level (BSL) and simple urinalysis using simple biochemical reactions on a nylon strip. Some places may even be able to check a few more advanced things like an international normalised ratio (INR) if you’re on warfarin.

If POC devices aren’t used, some primary health care practitioners will collect specimens for diagnostic testing. Specimens like swabs from wounds or a throat swab or nasal swab. If the practitioner is adept at skin health, she or he may also collect tissue specimens when excising lesions or even doing punch biopsies. Some of them will even collect blood specimens. However, in this day and age, the majority of primary health care practitioners will make a clinical decision based on the clinical consultation with the patient and write referral to a specialist pathologist and send the patient to a collection centre so a trained specimen collector (usually a qualified phlebotomist) can collect all the relevant specimens and the testing can be performed in the engine room of medicine, that is, the pathology laboratory were specialist pathologists and medical laboratory scientists do all the diagnostic work (apart from the silhouette Siths, that is, radiologists (diagnostic imaging)) in medicine.

I went out for breakfast

It was a bit weird but going out for breakfast was good.

Ricardo's Eggs Benedict with bacon and avocado.
Ricardo’s Eggs Benedict with bacon and avocado.

What have I watched this week?

MasterChef Australia

The show is now down to the top ten. This group of cooks are really entertaining. I really hope Emelia Jackson, Laura Sharrad, and Tessa Boersma make the top three. I do like Reynold Poemomo and Brendan Pang too. I really don’t care much for the others. Even the favourite, Poh Ling Yeow doesn’t excite me that much.

The Sopranos

I’m into season six and and still enjoying the show. The last couple of episodes played out the story of Vito and how he was murdered. The racism in the show is done in a way that was acceptable for the time but I don’t know if it could be done like this now. Especially in June 2020.

What have I eaten and photographed this week?

Photographs

This is a gallery of photographs. Click on one image and scroll through the rest of them.

Yummy Lummy this week

Last night I made a lower carbohydrate version of tuna cakes using cauliflower rice.

Tuna cauliflower cakes with jammed eggplant, zucchini, and peas.
Tuna cauliflower cakes with jammed eggplant, zucchini, and peas.

It turned out pretty well. If you like tuna cakes and want to reduce your carbohydrate consumption, give them a go.

Final thoughts

  • Does your primary health care practitioner do any point of care tests?
  • Do you like cooking shows on TV?
  • Have you tried a lower carbohydrate version of tuna or salmon cakes?

5 Replies to “Going to the doctor to be tested”

  1. Funny, I should read this now. I just had blood taken from a pathology centre this morning and had to bring along another sample that was done…erm…at home clears throat prior to leaving for blood test. Thanks to all those clever lab peeps – a phlebotomist?? who do the icky work at the end of the cycle.

    1. One of the fascinating things about being a pathologist is you get to see almost every part of humans in the best and worst condition.

  2. I am loving Master Chef Gary, I missed it last night as was out at friend’s so the moment I arrived home I watched it on my computer; how sad Brendan has left. But guess someone has to go to get one winner!

    1. I was torn between all four. It is sad to see Brendan leave but I’d be more upset if Emelia was eliminated.

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