Obtaining Biopsy Slides

If it's not one thing it's another.

My new " out of town" doctor wants me to get the actual biopsy slides from the subtotal colectomy that I had done almost three years ago!!!! Plus, I had a rectal biopsy done about six months ago and he wants me to get the slides of that too. He told me to get them a few months ago when I saw him. But he didn't say that I could get them. I just assumed my surgeon where I live would have to send them off. I let her know he wanted them and she said she would take care of it. So I went to see my out of town doctor and he said he received nothing!!!! Then he told me that I would have to get them myself because my doctor here couldn't.

I have been dealing with this since I was four years old and I have never been asked to bring in actual biopsy slides to a new doctor.

Has anybody been able to get their own biopsy slides? Was it difficult? I have heard of getting medical records, CT Scans, and X Rays, but never actual biopsies. I can't imagine hospitals would trust patients with them.

I was asked to bring my slides when I went to Mayo for my pre-surgery workup. I forgot to ask specifically for them when I got everything else (xrays, CT's, scope photos, etc.) so they weren't in the big bunch of medical stuff that I took with me. I went to my local hospital and got all my records (that's where my doc records are kept) and just spaced getting the slides. I almost wish I hadn't forgotten because I had to get a flex sig so they could get some samples for pathology. So - short answer - Yes, I could have and was supposed to get them along with all my other records that I took with me. I think that they are more of a checkout and return situation since they can't recreate the samples.