Fasting for Blood Tests?

[silvervelvet]

So, the GI I went to today was a jerk! He said that tummy trouble was normal especially for women. He told me that I'm just a girl with constipation, but that wasnt even my main complaint. That's what he focused on because that's what he heard me say yes to when he asked. Then he went off on a tangent about it being part of being female, blah, blah, blah! I went off on the dude and told him that the prevalence of drug use across SES groups is common but no one would say its NORMAL!

So he said Ok then common is a better word. He tried to offer me Zelnorm but I asked him what my diagnoses was to justify taking a medication and he diagnosed IBS. IBS? As in "It's Bull S**t!

Since Im moving to Germany soon, I demanded a full Celiac Blood Panel stating that the reason my Flight Surgeon even referred me to his office was because he suspected celiac disease and didnt have all of the blood tests on base.

So, Im going to get the tests done tomorrow. They told me to fast. Is that correct? I would think that I would need to eat some sort of wheat product so the tests could pick it up.

I left his office at 4 and by 7pm I had eaten:

half a bag of pretzels
minestrone soup with macaroni noodles
lasagna
tirimisu

I think my blood pressure at the office was 110 over 60. Not sure really but the nurse kept saying that it was really low. Also, I only weighed 94 lbs. today. My friends have been noticing my weight loss and making comments but I eat 2X the amount.

At 11 pm I ate ramen noodles. I'm ready to puke now.

Someone let me know about that fasting stuff. I dont want to fast and throw the tests off. Plus, I dont do well if I dont eat.

Maybe I have a worm!

[pink]

Howdy, I'm an LPN & I work in a doctors' office. Our doc tells everyone basically, to fast prior to bloodwork. It's just an 'overnight' fast. Altho, we do encourage the patients to drink water & 'black coffee', if they like, just so they're not so dehydrated. Some tests don't require fasting, & frankly, I'm not sure that the celiac panel would be a 'fasting lab'. He's probably running a few additional tests that do require fasting. Unfortunately, eating all that gluten won't do a thing to your labs....except, if after eating all that gluten, you've gotten yourself so sick with throwing up & diarrhea that now you're dehydrated.....and that will show up.

I think the 'no fasting' thing, you're confusing with needing to eat gluten right up until the endoscopy. However, if the doc has ordered bloodwork, like say 2 weeks from now......yeah, eat gluten right up until the night before......But, your bloodwork is scheduled for the next a.m. so you're good to go.

Good luck
_________________
Pam

Thought for today:
"People who don't get carried away should be" Malcolm S. Forbes

[Noatak]

You definitely do not need to fast if you are just having a celiac panel done. If he ordered more tests that required fasting, he should have told you so and what tests he was ordering. If you have been eating gluten all along, you do not need to gorge yourself on it as you'll just produce higher numbers and make yourself even sicker.

Your blood pressure was not all that low so I don't know why they said that. In fact, 110/60 is pretty damn good. However, if you are losing weight and are only 94 lbs., sounds like Celiac to me....I've been there with the weight thing myself.

As far as the doctor is concerned, he sounds like a bonafide drug pushing, male chauvinsit pig! A women's problem????? Give me a break!
Someone ought to spike his coffee with Ex-lax and when he can't leave the bathroom, remind him that's a MALE problem!

Good luck with the testing and the move to Germany! What an experience for you! And luckily, Germans love potatoes!

[pink]

HA !

AMEN to that sister.........sorry Al
_________________
Pam

Thought for today:
"People who don't get carried away should be" Malcolm S. Forbes

[silvervelvet]

Noatak, you crack me up! That was too funny.

I signed papers so the results can only be released to me when I pick them up. That Dr. said they would take 2-3 weeks but the lab said 5 business days. I told my flight doctor about yesterday and he switched me to someone else. Also, I told him to not expect the results until I bring them to him and informed him that I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I'm sure he now knows who is in charge.

Isnt it funny that we tell our kids to say "No!" to drugs but yet, everyone is on something, which many have serious side effects? I'm beginning to believe that some street drugs are no more less dangerous than pharmeceutical drugs. No, Im not advocating drug use in any form just highlighting the irony and capreciousness of our society.
I teach Special Ed. and most of my kids are drugged up.

Just FYI, I dont use any drugs precariously. I had my daughter all naturally because I read it would boost her IQ. Maybe that's why I only had 1! They say that you forget the pain but its been almost 10 years and is still so vivid.

[Noatak]

I absolutely agree that pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs. Evidence is now showing in all the problems with anti-inflammatories and heart meds that people willingly take without question. I'm not saying the use is not needed for some instances but people have to remember that with newer meds, you are a guinea pig for the drug companies and no one really knows the lasting effects until about 10-15 years down the road.

My brother was put on Lipitor because he is a diabetic and had to have 2 stints put in a couple of years back. Well......turns out Lipitor is not good at all for kidney function and in some people, can really cause a problem. His kidney function went down dramatically over the time he was on it and now he is facing dialysis in about 5 years time....according to the doctor......who put him on the crap in the first place. He is not happy about that at all but at the time, just took the med because the doctor told him to. I think I would have switched to a vegetarian diet before I took any cholesterol meds.

George Carlin did a very funny comedy routine on drugs and how we teach our kids at a very young age to pop pills for everything. "It all starts with those little orange baby aspirin....!"