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My son was injured and traumatized recently at LabCorps. Would filing a lawsuit have merit in this case...

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leskavage

New member
Pennsylvania, December 2018 - present



I have been very distracted and overwhelmed lately, mainly due to my 15 y/o son who has recently become chronically ill. With all of what's been going on, it seems to be the reason I had managed to block out much of the trauma he experienced at our last visit to the LabCorp office last month. However, with our doctor's orders for new blood work to be drawn this week, those memories of what happened came rushing back with a vengeance.

Since that visit, my son has developed a sense of dread when visiting his regular doctors, let alone going to have his blood drawn. He is terribly afraid of another painful incident and has been extraordinarily reluctant, protesting, crying and vociferously stating that he won't go. A procedure that used to be considered normal or that caused a reasonable level of discomfort has become a situation that fills my son with paralyzing trepidation.

Frankly, he's scared to death. My anger over what happened has been reignited. I have never sued anybody for anything before. I also have never been treated as poorly as my son was by LabCorp's employees. I think we are due to be recompensed for the trauma he suffered that day, and that continues to impact our lives.

One would hope that any of the professional phlebotomists working with my son that day would have considered the potential impact and negative effects caused by drawing 9 adult-sized vials of blood from a sickly 80 pound boy (who had been under strict orders to fast for 12 hours prior to the donation).

As one might reasonably expect, about 3/4 o the way through the donor procedure, the color drained from my son's face and he turned ashen. He remarked that he had started feeling nauseous. As the phlebotomist began to fill another vial, my son started jabbering incoherently, and then passed out cold in the chair. Why wasn't he laying down for such a substantial donation of his blood?! Why were there no other precautions taken or suggested by LabCorp staff?

What made things even worse is that when my son began to regain consciousness, the staff refused to give the boy any kind of juice, crackers, water, or any form of sustenance that would help him to bounce back. So he passed out once again. Throughout my entire life I have either personally experienced or I have watched others showing the effects of giving blood. Every single time the nurse or phlebotomist quickly provided some form of sustenance and encouraged it to be eaten or imbibed, in order to help offset the blood loss.

I was stunned at being told it was Lab Corps policy to not provide any kind of food or beverage to patients (even when in distress!). So with my son slipping in and out of consciousness, crying, foolishly babbling and exhibiting the obvious symptoms of blood-loss, I was forced to leave him by himself. Worse, I had to leave him while he was being jostled and lightly slapped while being yelled at to WAKE UP and SIT UP! I then had to run across a busy 4-lane highway, through the morning rush hour, to go to the closest store to buy something for my son to eat and drink.

All told, it took me about 15 minutes to get back to my son's side. All the time i was gone that he was under the care of LabCorps staff (supposedly), my son was dry heaving and suffering alone, in substantial distress, while laying against the side of the toilet and disgustingly on the floor of the public bathroom. Within minutes of taking a couple of sips of orange juice he began to improve. After further stabilizing the boy an feeding him a little bit of a muffin, he was described as well-enough to finish up, and LabCorp staff filled the rest of the remaining tubules.

The topper of the day was the obnoxious and ill-timed parting advice that was given to me by LabCorp's front desk staff person as I was walking through the crowded waiting room for all to hear. I had to endure the ignominy of being told that I should have taken my son to a location where they offer the option to lay while donating. It was clearly stated as if it's common knowledge, implying I had been remiss in not thinking of that obvious precaution.

My son was nauseous and complained of feeling horrible for that day and the next, missing two full days of classes. Coupled with the trauma induced issues that have presented and persisted since the original incident, I feel that LabCorp bears some responsibility.


Was should i do?
 


Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Pennsylvania, December 2018 - present



I have been very distracted and overwhelmed lately, mainly due to my 15 y/o son who has recently become chronically ill. With all of what's been going on, it seems to be the reason I had managed to block out much of the trauma he experienced at our last visit to the LabCorp office last month. However, with our doctor's orders for new blood work to be drawn this week, those memories of what happened came rushing back with a vengeance.

Since that visit, my son has developed a sense of dread when visiting his regular doctors, let alone going to have his blood drawn. He is terribly afraid of another painful incident and has been extraordinarily reluctant, protesting, crying and vociferously stating that he won't go. A procedure that used to be considered normal or that caused a reasonable level of discomfort has become a situation that fills my son with paralyzing trepidation.

Frankly, he's scared to death. My anger over what happened has been reignited. I have never sued anybody for anything before. I also have never been treated as poorly as my son was by LabCorp's employees. I think we are due to be recompensed for the trauma he suffered that day, and that continues to impact our lives.

One would hope that any of the professional phlebotomists working with my son that day would have considered the potential impact and negative effects caused by drawing 9 adult-sized vials of blood from a sickly 80 pound boy (who had been under strict orders to fast for 12 hours prior to the donation).

As one might reasonably expect, about 3/4 o the way through the donor procedure, the color drained from my son's face and he turned ashen. He remarked that he had started feeling nauseous. As the phlebotomist began to fill another vial, my son started jabbering incoherently, and then passed out cold in the chair. Why wasn't he laying down for such a substantial donation of his blood?! Why were there no other precautions taken or suggested by LabCorp staff?

What made things even worse is that when my son began to regain consciousness, the staff refused to give the boy any kind of juice, crackers, water, or any form of sustenance that would help him to bounce back. So he passed out once again. Throughout my entire life I have either personally experienced or I have watched others showing the effects of giving blood. Every single time the nurse or phlebotomist quickly provided some form of sustenance and encouraged it to be eaten or imbibed, in order to help offset the blood loss.

I was stunned at being told it was Lab Corps policy to not provide any kind of food or beverage to patients (even when in distress!). So with my son slipping in and out of consciousness, crying, foolishly babbling and exhibiting the obvious symptoms of blood-loss, I was forced to leave him by himself. Worse, I had to leave him while he was being jostled and lightly slapped while being yelled at to WAKE UP and SIT UP! I then had to run across a busy 4-lane highway, through the morning rush hour, to go to the closest store to buy something for my son to eat and drink.

All told, it took me about 15 minutes to get back to my son's side. All the time i was gone that he was under the care of LabCorps staff (supposedly), my son was dry heaving and suffering alone, in substantial distress, while laying against the side of the toilet and disgustingly on the floor of the public bathroom. Within minutes of taking a couple of sips of orange juice he began to improve. After further stabilizing the boy an feeding him a little bit of a muffin, he was described as well-enough to finish up, and LabCorp staff filled the rest of the remaining tubules.

The topper of the day was the obnoxious and ill-timed parting advice that was given to me by LabCorp's front desk staff person as I was walking through the crowded waiting room for all to hear. I had to endure the ignominy of being told that I should have taken my son to a location where they offer the option to lay while donating. It was clearly stated as if it's common knowledge, implying I had been remiss in not thinking of that obvious precaution.

My son was nauseous and complained of feeling horrible for that day and the next, missing two full days of classes. Coupled with the trauma induced issues that have presented and persisted since the original incident, I feel that LabCorp bears some responsibility.


Was should i do?
What do you mean "What should I do?" What are the boy's damages?
 

Gail in Georgia

Senior Member
What you should do is request a blood center that would allow your son to lie down during the blood draws and make certain you bring some juice and food for this next blood draw.

It's not unusual that even adults feel lightheaded and woozy getting blood taken. This has nothing to do with the amount of blood taken for even 9 vials during these types of blood draws.

Gail
 

henbob6

Member
What you should do is request a blood center that would allow your son to lie down during the blood draws and make certain you bring some juice and food for this next blood draw.



Gail
I've reacted badly during blood donations, much like your son OP, but was fortunate to already been lying down. I've found that being well-hydrated and active prior to the blood draw helps a lot - even just going up and down a few flights of stairs. Help your son focus on how he can prepare himself for the blood draw so he feels more in control of the situation.

I'm sorry you both are going through this.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Did you miss this?
Yes. I apparently did. Thanks. :)

I am not sure there is any legal action to pursue although the Lab appears to have failed in standard patient care. A complaint to the company seems warranted.

Although you can consult with a medical malpractice attorney (initial consultations are generally free), I am not seeing harm enough to support a lawsuit or compensable damages.

I hope your son's medical condition is under control. It is difficult for parents to see their children suffer.
 

leskavage

New member
What you should do is request a blood center that would allow your son to lie down during the blood draws and make certain you bring some juice and food for this next blood draw.

It's not unusual that even adults feel lightheaded and woozy getting blood taken. This has nothing to do with the amount of blood taken for even 9 vials during these types of blood draws.

Gail
Thank you for your reply, although it appears you missed the major points of my posting. First, as I mentioned in my post, I already was made aware of requesting a blood center that will allow my son to lay down net time. Second, I thought it was unusual that the center did not provide any kind of food or drink for my ailing son. Since nearly everybody's experience has been similar to my own, it seems odd that LabCorp would not provide these things to patients. Obviously I would have brought something for him if my expectation was that nothing would be provided. Third, my son's reaction went far beyond being lightheaded and woozy. On top of that, I find your comment about the amount of blood draw would have nothing to do with a patient's reaction hard to believe. Common sense would dictate that drawing 1-3 vials would have less of an impact than 9 vials. When I contacted the doctor about this, she apologized and admitted she should have spaced out the blood draws. Nearly all the other people I've spoken to about this situation felt that 9 vials for an 80 pound boy was excessive and invited possible side-effects.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Thank you for your reply, although it appears you missed the major points of my posting. First, as I mentioned in my post, I already was made aware of requesting a blood center that will allow my son to lay down net time. Second, I thought it was unusual that the center did not provide any kind of food or drink for my ailing son. Since nearly everybody's experience has been similar to my own, it seems odd that LabCorp would not provide these things to patients. Obviously I would have brought something for him if my expectation was that nothing would be provided. Third, my son's reaction went far beyond being lightheaded and woozy. On top of that, I find your comment about the amount of blood draw would have nothing to do with a patient's reaction hard to believe. Common sense would dictate that drawing 1-3 vials would have less of an impact than 9 vials. When I contacted the doctor about this, she apologized and admitted she should have spaced out the blood draws. Nearly all the other people I've spoken to about this situation felt that 9 vials for an 80 pound boy was excessive and invited possible side-effects.
What are your boy's damages? I'm asking YOU, not drawing a conclusion. If you are unable to articulate any damages, then say so.
 

Gail in Georgia

Senior Member
"I thought it was unusual that the center did not provide any kind of food or drink for my ailing son."

You appear to be mistaking a lab that simply draws blood for tests with one that draws larger amounts for donations.

" Nearly all the other people I've spoken to about this situation felt that 9 vials for an 80 pound boy was excessive and invited possible side-effects"

I've found that most people who provide opinions typically have no idea what they are talking about in the first place.

"When I contacted the doctor about this, she apologized and admitted she should have spaced out the blood draws. "

Hopefully this will now happen with future blood draws (although, unfortunately, this means more visits to the lab for your son).

Gail
 

quincy

Senior Member
Having crackers and juice on hand for your son after blood draws, and not having him stand too soon after his blood has been drawn, should help him in the future. He might want to avoid watching as his blood is drawn, too, as that can increase the wooziness.

I wish your son the best.
 

not2cleverRed

Obvious Observer
Thank you for your reply, although it appears you missed the major points of my posting. First, as I mentioned in my post, I already was made aware of requesting a blood center that will allow my son to lay down net time. Second, I thought it was unusual that the center did not provide any kind of food or drink for my ailing son. Since nearly everybody's experience has been similar to my own, it seems odd that LabCorp would not provide these things to patients. Obviously I would have brought something for him if my expectation was that nothing would be provided. Third, my son's reaction went far beyond being lightheaded and woozy. On top of that, I find your comment about the amount of blood draw would have nothing to do with a patient's reaction hard to believe. Common sense would dictate that drawing 1-3 vials would have less of an impact than 9 vials. When I contacted the doctor about this, she apologized and admitted she should have spaced out the blood draws. Nearly all the other people I've spoken to about this situation felt that 9 vials for an 80 pound boy was excessive and invited possible side-effects.
Given that this was for testing, not a blood donation, the actual blood volume involved is negligible. There is no medical need for there to be any crackers and drinks available. We are talking less than 3 oz of blood, maybe as little as 1 oz (the size of vials vary).

Your son's reactions were psychological, not medical in nature. There was no medical damage.

Your son needs therapy for his fear, but that is not the fault of the lab.

You son is 80 lb at 15 years old. That's the bigger issue. You should have asked your sons doctor why he would order a starving patient to fast.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Given that this was for testing, not a blood donation, the actual blood volume involved is negligible. There is no medical need for there to be any crackers and drinks available. We are talking less than 3 oz of blood, maybe as little as 1 oz (the size of vials vary).

Your son's reactions were psychological, not medical in nature. There was no medical damage.

Your son needs therapy for his fear, but that is not the fault of the lab.

You son is 80 lb at 15 years old. That's the bigger issue. You should have asked your sons doctor why he would order a starving patient to fast.
The boy is chronically ill. That apparently is the reason for the testing which can require fasting (and probably explains the weight).
 

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