Wednesday, December 06, 2017

A visit to the lab - how much water should I drink?

December is a busy month as far as medical appointments go. I typically have to visit my dentist and doctor. I require blood and urine samples. On top of all these appointments, I also have an eye test.

On Tuesday, I had to visit the lab. I normally work from home after such a visit. However, I had to go into the office to make sure that my student, who was training a new contractor for the first time, was okay. She did well and I told her so. She felt good, too.

I always have a challenge when it comes to figuring out when and how much water I should consume before hitting the lab. I typically have an issue with not drinking enough water. On Tuesday, I finally got my formula down.

Roughly an hour before I visit the lab, I need to drink a bottle of water (500 mL). Half an hour before visiting the lab, I need to double that and drink a litre. I then drive to the lab, sipping on a bit of my bottled water. I get there and I am good.

I needed to have this method of madness documented somewhere as a reference.

My bloodwork is pretty straightforward. I don't look at the blood being drawn out. The nurse doing it has a gentle manner. I typically don't even feel the needle go in. We chatted. She liked my berry nail polish.

I am pretty beat, though. I am not sure if having blood drawn makes you more fatigued.

4 comments:

  1. LOL at the water documentation. usually i just glug down a heck load when i get there. wait 20 mins (which is the minimum waiting time anyway) then hit the loo. (cos i have a bladder the size of a peanut). good that you sorted out the equation. that must be a relief eh?

    i think for some blood taking does tire them out. you could just be more sensitive to it. it doesn't bother most people, but it could also be that you had to travel to and fro and had more things on your mind than usual. brain use has been known to cause fatigue too :)

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    1. It's funny, but I was pretty energetic after my bloodwork. I ended up being exhausted when I was about to blog. I managed to write this post, but I didn't have the energy to respond to any comments! I did sleep pretty well last night, though. =)

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  2. I do drink a lot more water when I'm going to have my blood drawn as it makes it easier, especially since I have small veins that roll. Happy you were able to figure out and document your formula, CB...I just drink at least 2 glasses of water before I leave home and then fill up my travel mug and drink it on the way. I agree, having your blood drawn does fatigue you. Hope everything checks out okay.

    Hugs and blessings...Cat

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    1. I am fortunate to have large veins, so it's never a huge problem finding them. My issue is I often don't drink enough water. I am so happy that I have found the right water-drinking formula that works well.

      I drank water throughout the day. I think that I was doing so much at the office that I didn't realize it until I was unwinding at home!

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