How to Prepare for Blood Work
Your doctor just ordered blood work and you’re looking to get it done. Here are our professional phlebotomists in Annapolis advising you on how to prepare for blood work to ensure an easy, comfortable draw.
Avoid certain activities
Some blood tests can be compromised based on your activities. These tests can be altered by sexual activity, drinking herbal tea, smoking, undergoing dehydration, heavy exercise, or recent physical activity. Your provider may ask you to refrain from some of these activities before taking a blood test.
Discuss your medications
Some substances can alter blood tests. So, it’s recommended to stop taking them before blood work. For example, over-the-counter medications, blood thinners, vitamins, alcohol intake, recreational drugs, and prescription medications can normally change the results of a blood test, based on what the blood test is for.
Your physician can identify if what you have consumed won’t substantially alter the results of a blood test or if you should wait a day or two to have the blood work done.
Talk with your doctor
If you’re experiencing any symptoms, don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor. Also, ask if certain blood tests could help with exploring the underlying cause. You should know about the blood tests your doctor wants you to undergo. To get accurate results, certain blood tests will need special preparation.
- Tests for monitoring some medications, like tacrolimus, are ordered either post-dose (2 hours after taking the medication) or pre-dose (before the next dose). Let the lab staff know the date and time of your last dose and the frequency with which you consume the medication.
Tests have to be carried out at a specific time or day. For example, progesterone should be tested on a specific day of a woman’s menstrual cycle, while testosterone may be drawn in the morning.
- Some hormone tests like renin, aldosterone and cortisol require you to refrain from working out the day before, lie down for half an hour before the test, and refrain from eating or drinking for 60 minutes before the test.
- Initially, the OGTT (or the oral glucose tolerance test) includes a baseline fasting sample draw. You’ll then be ordered to drink something with glucose, and proceed to more blood draws over some hours. The aim is to observe at what speed your body stabilizes glucose and is usually part of a pre-diabetes examination. Make sure you’re in the lab for the entire duration.
- In certain cases, the serum lipid (cholesterol) and glucose (blood sugar) tests require fasting. However, it might not be necessary in other cases.
- Some tests require fasting. This means you can’t eat anything and can only drink plain water for at least 8 hours before. Since the calories and sugars in beverages like coffee, tea, and juice can lead to imprecise results, they should also be avoided.
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