Blood Tests

If you have a needle phobia let us know and we can arrange for a joint appointment with one of our senior medics and our hypnotherapist. We will use a special cream that will numb the area and hopefully put you into a nice relaxed state during the procedure. Please note additional charges apply.

Many people wish to have reassurance blood tests in confidence which may include standard tests such as:

• Diabetes check
• Cholesterol
• Blood count
• Iron levels
• Thyroid
• Liver function
• Hormone tests (men and women)
• Kidney function

Other people want checks for infectious diseases or possible sexually transmitted tests away from their usual surgery.

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhoea
• HIV
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Genital Chlamydia
• Genital Herpes
• Syphilis

You can eat and drink as normal before some blood tests. In other cases you will be instructed not to eat or drink (other than water) before your test. This is known as a fasting blood test.  If you do eat or drink something  prior to a fasting  blood test being done you may be asked to return another time as the results can be inaccurate.

Do not eat or drink anything except water for 8 to 10 hours before a fasting blood glucose test. These are used to diagnose diabetes, a condition caused by too much glucose (sugar) in the blood.

Iron blood tests are usually taken in the morning before you eat anything. You should also avoid taking iron pills or tablets for 24 hours before your test. Your body absorbs iron very quickly from food or pills, so this can raise your iron levels and affect the test results.

Iron blood tests help diagnose conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia (lack of red blood cells caused by low iron levels).

Do not eat anything and only drink water for 10 to 12 hours before having blood cholesterol tests (lipid profile).

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that can build up in your arteries and increase your risk of conditions such as heart disease. There are several different cholesterol tests. When these are done together it’s called a lipid profile. A lipid profile tests the levels of:

• “good” (HDL) cholesterol
• “bad” (LDL) cholesterol
• total cholesterol
• triglycerides (other fatty substances)

If you’re just having a triglycerides test, do not drink alcohol for 24 hours before the test (you’ll also need to fast as explained above).

A GGT test is used to help diagnose liver disease. Your GGT levels may be affected if you drink alcohol in the 24 hours before the test. Smoking can also affect the test results. We will advise you about not drinking and smoking before the test and how long for.

In some cases you can carry on taking your medicine before having a blood test, and in some cases you can’t. If you’re not sure or you have any questions about your blood test, just ask us for advice.

Some medicines can affect the results of a blood test, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to stop taking your medicine.

For example, oral corticosteroids can increase your cholesterol levels in a blood cholesterol test. However, the healthcare professional who arranged the test can take this into account when interpreting your test results, so you won’t need to stop taking your medicine.

If you’re unsure, carry on taking your medicine as prescribed and just call us and ask.

You should never stop taking prescribed medication unless you’re advised to do so by us or the healthcare professional responsible for your care. However, in some cases you may need to stop taking a medicine before a blood test.

For example if you having a amylase test for pancreatic enzyme deficiency, some medication may cause your levels of amylase to rise, such as corticosteroids, indomethacin, and opiates (such as morphine and codeine).

If you’re having a blood test to check whether your medication is working, then in most cases you should carry on taking your medicine. For example, if you’re taking medicine to lower your cholesterol level, you should keep taking it before your cholesterol blood test as the result will show whether the medicine is working.