fasting bloodwork

[anniemae]

If you had to fast 10-12 hours for bloodwork and you will get to the lab about 8:00-8:15 in the morning, do you eat dinner at regular time (around 6:30 pm) then have a snack around 8pm? That way the last thing you would have eaten when you get to the blood lab would have been 12 hours ago.

 

[sam_gordon]

If you had to fast 10-12 hours for bloodwork and you will get to the lab about 8:00-8:15 in the morning, do you eat dinner at regular time (around 6:30 pm) then have a snack around 8pm? That way the last thing you would have eaten when you get to the blood lab would have been 12 hours ago.

Probably. Don't know why it makes a difference as long as you're done eating by the fasting "time".

If it was me, I'd go by the "10 hour" fast, and not eat anything after 10p.

 

[NannyBeBe]

Whenever I have to do fasting bloodwork, I make the appointment for early morning and do not eat anything after dinner. Then I go have a nice breakfast after the blookwork.

 

[davidsonmark]

That’s how I usually handle it—eat dinner around 6:30, then I’ll have something light like a handful of almonds or a banana around 8. It makes the fasting window manageable without waking up feeling totally drained the next morning. By the time I get to the lab, it’s been 12 hours since that last snack, and I’m good to go.

 

[mom2rtk]

I just eat dinner at the normal time and plan on stopping to get something to eat on the way home.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Generally fasting bloodwork is based on 8-10 hours not 12.
I eat dinner as usual and have my normal bedtime snack and then just don't eat breakfast until after the bloodwork.
I am sure to stay hydrated with my usual bottle of water when I wake up.

 

[goofyernmost]

I do everything at my normal time. I just get to the blood draw early morning and don't have any breakfast until I have had the draw. That means that I can have anything I want up until 8pm the day before. If you ever have to have a colonoscopy you have to go a full day without anything but clear liquids. That's an easy 24 hours and much more if the procedure is scheduled later in the day.

 

[mjkacmom]

I do everything at my normal time. I just get to the blood draw early morning and don't have any breakfast until I have had the draw. That means that I can have anything I want up until 8pm the day before. If you ever have to have a colonoscopy you have to go a full day without anything but clear liquids. That's an easy 24 hours and much more if the procedure is scheduled later in the day.

I find fasting for blood work easy, I rarely eat after dinner and eat breakfast around 11. The colonoscopy fasting is tougher, fir my last one I forgot to eat dinner the night before I had to fast all day.

 

[tvguy]

Generally fasting bloodwork is based on 8-10 hours not 12.
I eat dinner as usual and have my normal bedtime snack and then just don't eat breakfast until after the bloodwork.
I am sure to stay hydrated with my usual bottle of water when I wake up.

Best thing to do is check with the Doctor ordering the test and the lab you will be using. I say that because the lab here has the words "minimum of 10 hours" next to the information on fasting.
Slightly off topic, but my daughter lives in Germany and had to do blood work to get health insurance there and fasted and they tossed all her results because she had fasted. The phlebotomist said she had never heard of any blood tests that require fasting. One of the tests flagged my daughter as being "malnuirished", which was blamed on her fasting.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Best thing to do is check with the Doctor ordering the test and the lab you will be using. I say that because the lab here has the words "minimum of 10 hours" next to the information on fasting.
Slightly off topic, but my daughter lives in Germany and had to do blood work to get health insurance there and fasted and they tossed all her results because she had fasted. The phlebotomist said she had never heard of any blood tests that require fasting. One of the tests flagged my daughter as being "malnuirished", which was blamed on her fasting.

Yes the logical side of me always thinks fasting is BS and is not showing your results on a normal every day lifestyle.

 

[Imzadi]

Best thing to do is check with the Doctor ordering the test and the lab you will be using. I say that because the lab here has the words "minimum of 10 hours" next to the information on fasting.
Slightly off topic, but my daughter lives in Germany and had to do blood work to get health insurance there and fasted and they tossed all her results because she had fasted. The phlebotomist said she had never heard of any blood tests that require fasting. One of the tests flagged my daughter as being "malnuirished", which was blamed on her fasting.

Yes the logical side of me always thinks fasting is BS and is not showing your results on a normal every day lifestyle.

I was told I can have black coffee in the morning. As long as there is no cream or sugar it is fine. They always asked when I had it and I tell them it was a couple hours ago. They say that's fine.

This last time, a few months ago, I was told I no longer have to do fasting anymore to check my glucose level for diabetes. They go by my A1C levels now. Since I lost a little weight, my levels are down a little.

 

[EACarlson]

I was told I can have black coffee in the morning. As long as there is no cream or sugar it is fine. They always asked when I had it and I tell them it was a couple hours ago. They say that's fine.

This last time, a few months ago, I was told I no longer have to do fasting anymore to check my glucose level for diabetes. They go by my A1C levels now. Since I lost a little weight, my levels are down a little.

The only time they even check my blood glucose anymore is the annual visit where I have to be fasting anyway for the cholesterol testing. A1c should be done with not having eaten in the last two hours, anything sooner than that can raise the level a bit.

 

[sam_gordon]

The only time they even check my blood glucose anymore is the annual visit where I have to be fasting anyway for the cholesterol testing. A1c should be done with not having eaten in the last two hours, anything sooner than that can raise the level a bit.

The A1c is an average over the last 60-90 days. Unless you are downing a ton of sugar within two hours of the test, I don't see how eating beforehand affects it at all.

 

[Skywalker3]

I just fast after midnight....my yearly bloodwork is coming up later this week, so need to remember!!
Big issue for me is coffee.....I've started doing a little bit of black coffee, and always have a thermos with some regular coffee (cream/sugar) handy for right after the bloodwork. I hate missing my coffee!! I get mixed responses when I ask if it's ok to have the black coffee

 

[_19disnA]

I would ask your doctor for clarification if perhaps it means some very specific for the type of blood test you are taking. None of us know what the intent was.

 

[Imzadi]

The only time they even check my blood glucose anymore is the annual visit where I have to be fasting anyway for the cholesterol testing. A1c should be done with not having eaten in the last two hours, anything sooner than that can raise the level a bit.

Wait, we have to fast before a cholesterol test? I was never told that. My Dr. thought something was funny that my cholesterol jumped up 100 points in one year. And it has remained super high. If I'm not doing a glucose test in the morning, I usually don't fast before bloodwork. (It's usually for my thyroid.) I just Googled, the NIH said I also shouldn't have coffee beforehand either. My cholesterol numbers could have been skewed and incorrect all this time.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

While I'm not a big breakfast person and don't usually notice if I haven't eaten before 11am-noon, I will have a pre-fast snack of something like a hardboiled egg or some nuts if I'm having fasting bloodwork being done. Things like that tend to be better at keeping you full longer.

 

[focusondisney]

The hospital I worked at & my private physicians have always ordered an 8 hour fast for glucose & 12 hours for triglycerides. No fasting for any other normal blood work, including cholesterol levels. But normally plain water is OK, especially if you’re also giving a urine sample.

 

[tvguy]

The A1c is an average over the last 60-90 days. Unless you are downing a ton of sugar within two hours of the test, I don't see how eating beforehand affects it at all.

I get frequent blood glucose and A1C blood tests and fasting is never a requirement. Only the Lipid panel requires fasting.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Back when my husband's prior insurance company required blood work for the reduced rate they requested you fast ahead of time. IIRC it was 12 hours but I honestly couldn't tell you for sure. It was more brutal the one year we did it at his work and the only times available was after 5pm, they did a finger prick there. But every other time we would just go to a nearby Quest Diagnostics facility doing it first thing in the morning and with vials of blood which was actually less painful especially because they would use pediatric needles which I have found is the key to not ending up with a bruised vein. When fasting I just ate dinner as normal without snacking later on. Morning of could have some water. After the test food.

This test would do your triglycerides and cholesterol level, I don't remember if it did glucose. They would do the normal blood pressure with height and weight as well.