When we have blood tests, it allows us to find out information we need about your body that can help us determine what’s going on inside your body. Weather you want to check your cholesterol levels, manage an existing health condition, learn how to live a healthy lifestyle or get clear blood test insights to make lasting health changes. Swinton Pharmacy can help you make those changes.
Blood tests are usually done in order to check how your body is coping or responding to the medication needed to treat an illness, injury, or infection. If a blood test comes back to us as abnormal, this will provide us with an indication of how we are going to treat you or prevent any future problems from occurring.
At Swinton Pharmacy we have a Blood test service where you are able to book an appointment with us. However, what are we going to be looking for once we’ve conducted your test and what will happen during your appointment? Well during this blog, both of those questions will be answered.
Why get blood tests?
Your blood can be tested for many different things, including checking your cholesterol and blood glucose levels. These help to monitor your risk of heart and circulatory diseases including diabetes. More importantly, we are able to see how your condition is being managed.
We can test for different chemicals and proteins which can help us indicate how your liver or kidneys are working. For instance, a test for troponin can help us discover whether you are prone to a heart attack. Overall, our blood tests can uncover the risk of developing health problems that would otherwise go unnoticed. Our blood tests are crucial for preventing disease or stopping it in its tracks.
If you are feeling low, irritable, or finding it hard to concentrate. These can be indicators are often linked to a nutrient deficiency or a hormonal imbalance. They might also increase your risk of developing a mental health condition, like anxiety or depression.
If you are also having sleeping problems, like trouble falling to sleep or waking up more often, they are often linked to a nutrient deficiency, such as liver health, or certain health conditions. Poor sleep can also result in inflammation in your body. You are able to confirm this with a CPR test.
The reason we should all book in to have our blood tests when we begin seeing noticeable changes, whether that be with our sleeping patterns, our mood or energy it’s important to get these sudden changes checked as soon as possible. We can’t always tell what’s going on inside our bodies, but blood tests can.
What will happen during your appointment?
- A blood test involves taking a blood sample from a blood vessel in your arm
- A tight band (tourniquet) is usually put around your upper arm. This squeezes the arm, temporarily slowing down the blood flow, resulting in the vein to swell.
- The health care provider conducting the blood test will clean the area before inserting the needle. You may feel a slight pinch as the needle goes in. It’s important to notify the person doing the test if you are afraid of needles.
- After the blood test has been taken, the tourniquet will be released and the needle will be removed.
- After your test the following day you might have a small bruise where the needle was inserted, this should go away in a few days
Preparing for your blood test?
Not all blood tests will require a special preparation. Most standard blood tests like a CBC (complete blood count) won’t need a strict preparation. You are able to take these blood tests without starving yourself for a period of time or avoiding specific activities. Depending on the blood test you are having, each one will have different requirements that you need to follow. This will ensure your blood tests are successful.
If you are having a specific blood test done then your consultant with advice you of any specific instructions to follow for that blood test. For instance it can involve fasting or avoiding specific liquids and foods. It’s important you follow any instructions given to you before your blood test to receive accurate results.
In order to find out more about our blood test service, we have a blood test service available to answer any questions you might have.