Blood Work and Booster Vaccine in the Same Visit?
July 20, 2015 3:19 PM Subscribe
Can I get my blood drawn and get a booster Td shot in the same doctor's visit?
I have a physical aka health maintenance exam scheduled, but forgot to ask about my tetanus booster I've been meaning to get. I will be fasting before my physical because they'll be drawing the dreaded 6+ vials of blood for testing. Can I get my Td shot after they've drawn my blood, or will I have to schedule another visit for that? I'd really prefer not to make two trips.
I have a physical aka health maintenance exam scheduled, but forgot to ask about my tetanus booster I've been meaning to get. I will be fasting before my physical because they'll be drawing the dreaded 6+ vials of blood for testing. Can I get my Td shot after they've drawn my blood, or will I have to schedule another visit for that? I'd really prefer not to make two trips.
I got a Td Booster, and started Hep A/B series during a visit to the doctor for a physical (they drew a blood sample, though much less than the 6 vials you're talking about) back in early March. My doctor did not seem to be concerned about doing them at the same time, though you should check with yours.
posted by Calloused_Foot at 3:32 PM on July 20, 2015
posted by Calloused_Foot at 3:32 PM on July 20, 2015
Best answer: Absolutely yes. There is no case I can think of in which that would be a problem.
Okay, I lied... if you had an immune deficiency and the blood work you were getting was to check the levels of tetanus immunity... then yes, the timing related to vaccines would be important. That's the only case I can think of where it would make a difference, and I'm assuming that if this applied to you, you'd know it. Routine bloodwork is unaffected by vaccines.
(I am a doctor. I am not your doctor.)
posted by pimmscup at 3:47 PM on July 20, 2015
Okay, I lied... if you had an immune deficiency and the blood work you were getting was to check the levels of tetanus immunity... then yes, the timing related to vaccines would be important. That's the only case I can think of where it would make a difference, and I'm assuming that if this applied to you, you'd know it. Routine bloodwork is unaffected by vaccines.
(I am a doctor. I am not your doctor.)
posted by pimmscup at 3:47 PM on July 20, 2015
As someone who recently got the full round of every possible booster one thing you might want to do is make sure they actually have to shots you need in stock. I have had three appointments rescheduled due to the unavailability of the shots at appointment time.
posted by srboisvert at 4:51 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by srboisvert at 4:51 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I just did exactly this last Thursday. They drew the blood before they gave me the shot. I actually hadn't mentioned until the nurse was taking my initial vitals that I needed a Tdap booster, and it was absolutely no problem. You might, as srboisvert suggests, call to make sure they're stocked up, but otherwise I wouldn't expect them to bat an eye at wanting to get all your needle-based tasks taken care of at once.
posted by superfluousm at 7:27 AM on July 21, 2015
posted by superfluousm at 7:27 AM on July 21, 2015
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Bring a granola bar to nibble on for the 20 mins they make you sit and wait to not die of a bad booster reaction. The only thing worse than being bored is being bored AND hungry.
posted by phunniemee at 3:25 PM on July 20, 2015 [1 favorite]