I have terribly deep veins (just like my mother). So, I have to hydrate in order for them to stick out. However, I always seem to drink too much water, so my bladder fills up while waiting and by the time I actually see my doctor, I’m in silent agony.
It’s getting to the point where I try to hustle the doctor to give me a urine test just so I don’t waste what I’ve got. I like urine tests more than blood tests for obvious reasons. I didn’t grow up with them as a kid.
I’ve got a blood draw this Monday for my high triglycerides/thyroid, and I don’t think I’m getting a urine test for that. Then, this coming Wednesday morning, I’m in a PK study which starts off with a blood draw and a urine test. They’ll send me home with a container (my first!) for that night and then I’ll bring it back Thursday morning for another blood draw and, more than likely, a final urine sample. I’m excited about this, maybe I’m perverted.
So, how much water should I drink Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning so that I’m not dreading the long wait time, but still getting plenty of vein exposure (and material in my tank)?
I have prostate cancer and the urge to urinate can come on strong with little warning. I have many times told the the receptionist i need to use the men’s room and asked if I can give a sample then before they call me in. They have always let me.
Now this is at the urologist or oncologist so they may be more used to this sort of thing, but it can’t hurt to ask.
Well, perhaps hustle is not the best choice of words. I volunteer it willingly. There’s no money that changes hands, if that’s what you’re thinking. I say something along the lines of, “Hey, I’ve got to go. Do you want it?” Of course, I try to say it in a very mature way, because I’ve done that before, had no luck, and the nurse treated me like I was a kid.
The advice I was given for making blood draws easier was to drink plenty of water, and to keep the arm warm. While the water plumps up the veins, warmth brings them to the surface. Is it possible to keep a heating pad on the arm that they’ll draw the blood from?
As for how much to drink, I’m not sure I have a clue. When I have blood drawn I try to drink around 24-32 oz before I go (which is early in the morning, as I fast 12 hours before the draw). The 32 ounces fills me up pretty well, that’s the amount the hospital tells me to drink before a transvaginal ultrasound, which needs a full bladder to start.
And if you do fill your bladder to the point of discomfort and you’re not having a urine test, can’t you ask the lab/doctor’s office to use the bathroom while you are waiting? Surely emptying your bladder won’t affect your veins. And as far as waiting in agony for the urine test, can you empty your bladder just enough to lesson the discomfort, but still leave some “in the tank”, as you say? The first time I had a the ultrasound done, my bladder ended up so full I didn’t think I could get on the exam table without peeing, so the tech sent me the bathroom with instructions to just let out a little. When I came back and she started the exam, she said she could see my bladder filling up again. So maybe that is something to consider.
Hmm… that’s a good idea. Most of my blood draws are in winter/late fall, so my arm should be warm, anyway. I’ll have to try that. I also heard that vibration and cold therapy combined helps kids by
Now, I read somewhere that a transvaginal ultrasound was supposed to be done with an empty bladder. Did you have the transabdominal first?
Well, now that you think about it, most of the time, I don’t get a urine test scheduled for me. Don’t have the symptoms of a UTI or anything like that, and modern medicine seems to prefer blood to urine testing (something about “a lot of unnecessary testing” and triggering “too many false alarms for cancer”). The thing about my doctor is, he never seems to give you the tests until after he does the physical examination. So, you never know until then.
I’ll have to take your advice about the 32 oz. On Wednesday morning, I think I’ll start off with my usual 8 oz or so of water for my medication, then a tall glass of orange juice and another tall glass of water. (This one isn’t a fasting one, but the study starts at 8 in the morning.) Same for Thursday morning.
Yes, I guess it is a transabdominal first; my doctor calls it a transvaginal when she reminds me it’s time to have one (my mother died of ovarian cancer, so I have the procedure to check my ovaries every other year). I see her orders from this last time calls for a US Pelvis - Complete. And yes, they do the TA first with a full bladder, then I empty it and they do the TV with an empty bladder.
So far, I’ve only gotten a urine test as part of my annual physical. I don’t typically drink any special amount before hand, just the coffee or tea that I would normally drink in the morning, maybe a little extra water, then I don’t use the toilet after that first time when I’ve just gotten out of bed. I always schedule my physical for the first appointment of the day, that way there’s little chance of having to wait because the doctor is running late.
I’ve had only one urine test as part of a regular physical, and that was because I was meeting a new doctor. I don’t think he’ll give it to me again (the results turned out to be normal for that).
Well, today I didn’t overload myself and they were able to draw blood out of my right arm. No heating pad needed, the venipuncturist just flicked it hard a few times. My triglycerides are down to the 270s, and my thyroid is normal!
Now, for Wednesday and the paid study. And everybody knows that paid studies are more fun.
