I've never been afraid of needles, but giving blood is no trip to Disney World.
Anytime a phlebotomist tries to sink a needle into my arm to collect blood, my plump veins roll away. Doctors stick me again and again, and I leave their offices with enough bruises on my arms to pass for a junkie.
So when I first heard about Theranos, a laboratory startup that claims to use smaller needles and require fewer samples to perform its revolutionary blood tests, I was thrilled.
But the company, which is currently valued at $10 billion, has recently come under fire for allegedly not using its secret in-house technologies for most of its blood testing. The news stories piqued my interest in Theranos even more.
A doctor recently recommended I get some routine blood work done, and I opted to visit one of Theranos' few dozen blood-drawing sites, which it calls "wellness centers."
Here's how my Theranos blood-testing journey played out.
My doctor recently recommended I get some routine lab work done — and I jumped at the chance to try Theranos.
Typically, I get my blood drawn by a phlebotomist at the on-site Quest Diagnostics lab. I wanted to try Theranos because it promised a less invasive experience.
In order to get tested at Theranos, a physician needs to fill out a form specifying the tests you require — a copy of which can be downloaded from the website. My doctor, to my surprise, had never heard of Theranos yet gladly signed off.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider