Having a chronic disease or serious illness usually means lots of blood work throughout the healing process. With my lab draw pokes in the double digits since my cancer diagnosis in 2017, I have some key tips to help you prepare for a large blood draw.
Tips for How-to Prepare for a Large Blood Draw
Sometimes the lab work requires less blood and sometimes it requires over a dozen vials. Seriously. When it is only 4 – 5 vials, I am always pleasantly surprised… and also double check before the draw starts that we are getting all we are supposed to get. Being poked multiple times for one draw is never fun.
Here’s some things I always do whether I am preparing for a smaller amount of vials or larger amount to be pulled from my veins:
Please note this is NOT medical advice and should not be taken as such. I am sharing my personal experience in how I deal with blood draws through the years on my cancer journey.
Below I will use the phrase “clinic staff” which can also be exchanged for “phlebotomist” (trained clinical laboratory technicians who collect blood samples for testing) or “lab company”. Check your provider’s online information for their answers to lab FAQs. The key is to KNOW the info BEFORE the day of your blood draw.
TESTING HORMONES? KNOW YOUR CYCLE DATES
- If you are a pre-menopausal female, know and track your cycle through each month.
- Know what days of your cycle are best to test on for certain hormone labs (days 18-21 for some of what I get drawn).
- Be consistent in what cycle days you go get your blood drawn through the year so you are matching apples to apples on your results each time.
FASTING
- The week before, I contact the clinic staff to ask if I am supposed to FAST or not for the particular coming draw. Fasting for blood work usually means no food of any kind and no liquids other than water (and potentially plain tea or coffee) within 8-12 hours of the draw.
- I check with the staff how long my fast is supposed to be and time my dinner the previous day accordingly, which typically isn’t an issue since I eat in the early evening.
PAUSE Specific MEDICATIONS and/or SUPPLEMENTS
- This is another question I double check with the clinic staff to prepare what supplements (like Biotin if doing a thyroid test) or medications I may need to pause in prep for the draw.
- Ask how long before the blood draw you need to pause taking the particular item and when you can resume.
DRESS APPROPRIATELY
- Be mindful of where the phlebotomist or nurse is going to poke you and dress appropriately.
- If weather appropriate, wear a short sleeve short for easy access.
- If you need to wear sleeves and layers in colder weather, try to wear attire that has sleeves you can easily pull up above your elbow without having to take off your shirt.
- If you have a port, there are several companies that sell shirts that make accessing your port easier. Wearing one of those special shirts can make life easier on those poke the port days.
KNOW if it will REQUIRE a URINE SAMPLE
- Some lab work, such as many of the Check Your Health panels through Riordan Clinic, do require a urine sample. This is helpful to know ahead of time as to not pee right before your appointment not realizing you will need to give a sample that same hour!
- Ask the staff right before the sample how many millimeters are needed for your particular sample. Typically the cups are marked with ml levels so you don’t have to worry about filling the entire cup, if that full amount isn’t needed.
- Sometimes the trick to overcoming the peeing in the cup anxiety that stunts the urine from starting – hahaha, yep I said it- is to start peeing in the toilet per usual, then quickly pause the stream and then hold your cup in the stream and start again. I am here to give you the REAL info! Someone along time ago gave me that tip and it changed the way I do urine tests and made it much easier for me.
- Do the urine sample BEFORE your blood draw. It’s easier to use your arms for this before they are poked and taped up from a blood draw.
HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE!
- Preparing for a large blood draw means needing to have good volume with plump poke-worthy veins! Hydrating well means drinking plenty of purified water before your blood work appointment.
- Start drinking water when you wake up that morning and keep going through your appointment time!
- Take that stainless steel water tumbler / plastic-free water bottle with you wherever you go that day! You can’t hydrate yourself well if you don’t have quick & easy access to the water. Take it with you!!!
- Need a little accountability, motivation, tips, and tools for drinking more water? Join the VIP waitlist for my free 5 Day Happy Hydration Challenge here coming this Spring!
BRING the LAB ORDERS
- This section is particularly if you are going to a lab that is different from your doctor’s office
- Get a printed copy of the doctor’s orders for your lab tests.
- Look over the orders to make sure you know which tests you are getting and therefore which results you will be looking for. You can also ask your clinic to add something (like a Vitamin D type test) if it’s not already on there.
- Count how many tests it is supposed to be and then when you are doing the paperwork with the outside lab, double check there how many tests they have written down for you. Cross check that info! This is to save you from having to be poked again that same week if something is missing.
- When you go back to the room to have your blood drawn, ask the phlebotomist to read off what all tests you are getting (yes, checking here again so as to not miss something and have to be poked again). If you think something is missing, say something.
BRING A SNACK
- Especially if your test requires fasting, bring a healthy snack to have after your blood draw.
- If you’re not used to fasting, you may physically feel a little weak after the blood draw and you may have a change in your blood sugar. Snacks that may help increase your blood sugar quickly: apple, orange, cutie (like a small mandarin), banana, raisins, honey packet. Snacks that help satiate hunger: packet of raw almonds, small whole foods based protein bar, apple & nut butter, balanced smoothie or hot elixir. Choose appropriately for your particular biochemistry and nutritional needs.
TELL THE POKER IF YOU WANT DISTRACTED or NEED ASSISTANCE
- If you feel a little squeamish thinking about the blood draw as it’s happening, then tell the person who is going to poke you that info before (s)he starts the poke.
- Tell the person if you would prefer to be distracted by talking about a different topic.
- Don’t watch what’s happening! Out-of-sight often means out-of-mind to a point. 😉
- If you are cold or it seems like your veins aren’t easy to find/poke right before your draw, ask if the clinic has a heating pad you could wrap around your arm to help dilate your veins and make the poke easier.
- P.S. if you faint when it comes to getting poked/blood draws, you should investigate if you have a vasovagal syncope response and talk about it with your health practitioner.
The Bottomline
The bottomline when you are preparing for a large blood draw (or any size for that matter) is to hydrate yourself well, plan ahead, and communicate with the staff you interact with for the actual blood draw.
What did I forget?
Send me a DM over on my Shrink the Mutant Instagram if I forgot something here or if you have a tip you use when you get your blood work drawn!
Medical Disclaimer: This website and resources are intended for informational purposes. This is not medical advice. No part of this website is meant to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any illness, disease, or condition. Please consult your healthcare practitioner for direct and personalized medical advice. By reading this page, you acknowledge that each person is responsible for his/her own health decisions. Do not take anything from any website or resource, including this one, and try it without proper research and medical supervision. Information in this website is the perspective of this author based on personal experience and education unless otherwise noted.
