Getting a Blood Test – Tips You Should Know
by patient-advocate
Filed under Medical
Preparing For a Blood Test – Tips You Need To Know
If you’re scheduled to have blood work done, then it is important to find out from your doctor or health care professional the “rules” you should folllow before your blood is drawn.
If You are to be “fasting” for blood work, which generally means you will not have eaten for 10-12 hours prior to your test, there are some additional instructions which your doctor may tell you to follow.
Common tips are:
1. 24 Hours before your appointment to have your bloodwork drawn do not drink alcohol
2.If your appointment falls in the morning hours then the night before have your evening meal before 7pm. Avoid foods like butter, margarine, creams, gravies, salad dressings, whole milk or other fatty foods and stay away from anything fried and/or fatty meats. Diabetic patients should continue their regular diets but still avoid fatty foods.
3. For blood work in the morning, after 7pm no more food should be eaten. Diabetic patients should check with their health care providers and will continue eating their regularly scheduled snacks, but still should avoid foods with fat. Non diabetic patients who are “fasting” can have black coffee, plain water, or tea without any cream or sugar. After midnight do not eat or drink anything if your bloodwork is scheduled in the morning. In the morning drink one cup of water about 30 minutes to one hour prior to your scheduled bloodwork, then sips of water if needed.
4. Check with your doctor about taking your regular medications with water the morning of your test. Most of the time your doctor will want you to continue to take your regular medications, but make sure to double check for your specific situation.
5. Write down for your doctor all the prescription and non-prescription medications you are taking, and make sure you have discussed these in advance with your physician. Blood test results can be affected by the types of medications and/or supplements or non-prescription items that you are taking.
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Thank you for writing about how to get a blood test. Sure wish my doctor would spend more time and explain things like this. Especially since not having good preparation can mean the results are invalid.
I believe that avoiding packaged foods is the first step to lose weight. They might taste great, but ready-made foods include very little vitamins and minerals, making you take in more only to have enough strength to get over the day. If you are constantly eating these foods, transitioning to whole grains and other complex carbohydrates will let you have more power while having less. Great blog post.
These tips are amazing, very helpful for the patient. if you feel the need to consult a third world doctor, you might as well start studying medicine yourself. You as a patient without any knowledge may be able to help yourself by getting additional knowledge than the third world doctors.