tl;dr; There are a few specific blood tests I would like to have done, but I wonder if these are things I can request from a doctor in Japan or if that is abnormal (I’ll do it anyway, just trying to get an idea of what to expect process wise!).
Hello! I’m doing some research as I’m dealing with a suspected autoimmune disease and unfortunately speak very little Japanese. I’m trying to figure out as much as I can ahead of doctors appointments coming up in the next few weeks (with an English speaking physician) to set my own expectations and understand whatever I can to grease the wheel so to speak.
The basic plan is to look for a referral to a rheumatologist familiar with the issues we’re facing and hopefully they’ll be more likely to get certain things we want scheduled scheduled. BUT, IDEALLY I’d like to get the ball rolling on a number of these tests ASAP. An example of a test I’d like to schedule is an ANA test (https://www.testing.com/tests/antinuclear-antibody-ana/), but there are a handful of others (some “simple” blood tests, some a CT scan for example).
I am also wondering if my options change if I am willing to pay fully out of pocket. These tests are very important to me right now, and if (for example), I was able to pay ¥3万 or whatever to have the test done without a bunch of red tape I might be willing to do that. Maybe there are companies or labs somebody might recommend I contact directly to just schedule the tests directly for example.
Again I will of course talk with my doctor about all of this, just looking for any first hand experience or recommendations, trying to be as proactive as possible.
Thank you very much!
by kevysaysbenice