Ca 15.3

Blood tests play a crucial role in preventive healthcare. From diagnosing a disease or treating an illness, a blood test gives an insight into how your organs and entire body system is working.

It is important to drink plenty of water before your pathology testing. Another common requirement is fasting, which means not eating or drinking anything except water for up to several hours or overnight before the test. You should also avoid specific foods, drinks and certain medicines.

It depends on the kind of blood test and the type of medication you take. Inform the phlebotomist if you are on cardiac, renal, diabetic, hypertensive, or antibacterial medication, along with dosage and time of the medication.

In general, a blood sample is taken by inserting a needle into a vein, usually in your arm. After inserting the needle, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. The whole process takes less than five minutes.

Well, that depends on the type of test you are going for. Most tests are usually ready within around 72 hours. For some tests, the wait time is a few days or more.

You can collect the report from the testing centre or you can also view it online.

The test may cause some bruising at the spot from where the needle was inserted. However, most symptoms go away quickly.