how long should i fast before taking laboratory tests?
494601
its between 12 to 15 hrs ...better close to 15 hrs.
138542
niacin works well, but it makes you very itchy for 10-12 hours,take it the day before your test, drink at least 1 gallon of water.
157097
Generally speaking it's a good idea to watch your intake of everything for 24 hours ahead of a blood draw. Yes, I know they may say you can have food up to such and such a time but you should use your head depending on what test you're having.\n  Your particular question is about alcohol although because you don't tell us what blood test you are having\nit's hard to answer with certainty. But the ingestion of alcohol before a test for blood sugar would not be a good idea. Also, alcohol can raise your liver enzymes which are going to make you look like you may have liver problems\n(and you may!)  Another thing, alcohol can raise your triglycrides for 3 or 4 days. If you're having them checked, you shouldn't drink for several days ahead of time.\n   On the other hand it you're just having a test for iron, probably won't make any difference.
420885
If you feel you may be pregnant your best bet is to wait at least two weeks after a missed period, and see your doctor for a blood pregnancy test as this is the most accurate way of testing.
624330
there are tests out there that can read it within 4 days before your cycle begins. the standard is to wait 10 days but with new technology, they are able to make tests that can read it sooner.
159732
go on a fast. that doesnt mean to just stop eating completly. you eat fruits and vegetables for the first 2 days, then you dont eat anything for the next 3 days, and for the last 2 days you eat fish. you will also have to take vitamins the whole time you are on the fast. for the 3 days that you are not eating you should drink tomato juice. that worked pretty good for me.
1110791
If you're going to get checked to see if you have it, then eat a regular diet and do everything you would normally do the day before you go in. Then do your recommended fast for bloodwork. Otherwise they won't get an accurate reading!
838205
blood sugar values are as follows:\n       fasting ( 8-12 hours)     less than 110 mg/dl\n       2 hours pp (post prandial) less than   180\n       random (at any time other than above)  less than  150
555091
Diabetes email this page  \n\nprint this page    \n   \n \n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nWhat is it?\nThree Types\nSigns & Symptoms\nTests\nTreatment\nSources \n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n \nTests\n\nGlucose is the most important test to a diabetic.  The fasting blood glucose level is used to screen for and diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes.  It is usually done as part of a regular physical, is ordered when someone has symptoms suggesting diabetes, and is ordered routinely when a person presents to the emergency room with an acute condition.\n\nAccording to the American Diabetes Association, either a fasting glucose (about an 8 hour fast) or an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) may be used to diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes, but tests should be done at two different times to confirm the diagnosis.  The OGTT that they recommend involves a fasting glucose, followed by the patient drinking a standard amount of a glucose solution to “challenge” their system, followed by another glucose test two hours later. Gestational diabetes is diagnosed using a glucose challenge as a screen and then followed by OGTT if the screen is abnormal.\n\nSometimes random urine samples are “dipsticked” for glucose, protein, and ketones during a physical.  If glucose and/or protein or ketones are present on the dipped indicator strip, the patient has a problem that needs to be addressed.  This is a screening tool, but it is not sensitive enough for monitoring.\n\nDiabetics must monitor their own blood glucose levels, often several times a day, to determine how far above or below normal their glucose is and, based on their doctor’s instructions, what modifications they should make to their medications.  This is usually done by placing a drop of blood (obtained by pricking your skin with a small lancet device), onto a glucose strip and then inserting the strip into a glucose meter, a small machine that provides a digital readout of the blood glucose level.\n\nA1c (also called hemoglobin A1c or glycohemoglobin) is a test that is ordered several times a year to monitor patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It is a measure of the average amount of glucose present in the blood over the last 2 to 3 months and helps the doctor to determine how well a treatment plan is working to control the patient’s blood glucose levels over time.\n\nMicroalbumin, often ordered as a microalbumin/creatinine ratio, is a test that measures very small amounts of protein in the urine (microalbuminuria). This is a symptom of the very early stages of kidney disease. Microalbumin is usually measured annually. \n\nUrine and/or serum ketone tests may be ordered to monitor patients who present at the emergency room with symptoms suggesting acute hyperglycemia and to monitor patients who are being treated for ketosis. A build-up of ketones can occur whenever there is an increase in glucose levels and/or a decrease in the amount or effectiveness of insulin in the body. \n\nSeveral other laboratory tests may be used to monitor diabetes, evaluate organ function, and detect emerging complications. These include:\n\nTo monitor kidney function:\nCreatinine Clearance, GFR, EGFR, CMP, BUN, Creatinine, Cystatin C\n\nTo monitor cholesterol and other lipids:\nCholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, Triglycerides, Lipid profile\n\nTo monitor insulin production:\nInsulin, C-Peptide
940307
A couple of hours tops.  They do not do urine tests at that time.  They will send you to a seperate place for that.  Try not to go at busy time.  First thing in the morning or at night.  2 or 3 in the afternoon is a good time.
565882
It depends on how frequent a smoker you are.  It could be a few days to a month or longer.  THC lingers in your fat cells, so it also depends on your body composition.  I'd say,  start drinking water hours before a test, and make sure you pee 4 -5 times before you go in.  As long as your urine is clear (not yellow)during the test, you should not pop on the test if you're only a social smoker.  I've seen people pass many times with the "water technique" when they had smoked the weekend earlier.  (Of course they only smoke 1-2 times per month.)
551715
If your test ask for fasting, then yes, you may have eaten something before 6 pm, you can still do your test, but the result will vary, depending of how your body works, and what did you ate, and also, what kind of test your having.  I think, that you better consult it with the person who is going to make thje test...they must know for sure.
49823
* i would not wait until your period (if you'll get it or not). \n* you can buy a pregnancy test (for example ept pregnancy test).\n* you can get a blood test done at a docters office, they can tell you in accuracy within 24hours, then you know for sure.
330687
Fasting labs are to get a sense of how your blood sugar is doing, without the variable influence of having eaten.  It's with this baseline that the doctor gets a sense of how your diabetes is doing.  \n\nA cellular blood count (CBC) checks the quantities of the various types of blood cells.  White blood cells are what your body uses to fight off infection, so a high white count could be a sign of flu or other infection.  (In extreme cases, it could be a sign of leukemia; but I wouldn't worry in your case.)\n\nYou only mentioned two of the four, but since you have a history of congestive heart failure, I bet one of them is a "lipid panel" (usually fasting) to check on your cholesterol levels.  If you're on anticholesterol medication such as Zocor, they may be doing liver function tests (LFTs) to make sure your liver isn't being affected by the medication.\n\nYour primary should have enough time to explain to you all the tests and what they're about.  Go ahead and ask him, that's what he's there for.
498771
Study! (obviously). :)\n\nGet sleep the night before your test. Eat breakfast. Give yourself 10 minutes or so "meditation time" before the actual test, where you're not studying, but you're relaxing. Do whatever you can to avoid talking to classmates before the test. Don't worry about who finishes first or last or in the middle. Just study, relax, and do the best you can at your own pace.
711519
you should see results anywhere from 4-6 weeks if not sooner based on diet.
1013096
Should we take WHAT before lunch? \n(just kidding).