Guest guest Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 Try CAyenne pepper right before you go in. one capsule. Blood Draw problem Do others have problems with blood testing as I do? I've had CFS for 17 years but only last year started having a problem. During my " annual checkup " my doctor took 5 vials of blood. In past years there's been less blood drawn. But it took me 5 months to recover from that. This year I refused any blood testing but in a brief hospital stay they did 4 small blood draws about (probably about 25-30cc total) to check heart enzymes and again I crashed and after 2 months I am still down. One problem is that my doctor won't write my needed clonazepam for sleep prescriptions unless I get the blood testing. She says its necessary for records. I think that even pediatric blood draws still take the same volume of blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 cfs patients have low blood volume sometimes. i think there are meds you can take to increase blood volume? From: " seabluedolphin16@... " <seabluedolphin16@...> Sent: Monday, August 8, 2011 1:02:23 PM Subject: Re: Blood Draw problem  Try CAyenne pepper right before you go in. one capsule. Blood Draw problem Do others have problems with blood testing as I do? I've had CFS for 17 years but only last year started having a problem. During my " annual checkup " my doctor took 5 vials of blood. In past years there's been less blood drawn. But it took me 5 months to recover from that. This year I refused any blood testing but in a brief hospital stay they did 4 small blood draws about (probably about 25-30cc total) to check heart enzymes and again I crashed and after 2 months I am still down. One problem is that my doctor won't write my needed clonazepam for sleep prescriptions unless I get the blood testing. She says its necessary for records. I think that even pediatric blood draws still take the same volume of blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hi , I do not crash after a blood draw. But in the early days, my blood was very thick and not much could be drawn out. What could be drawn out took a long time. You don't mention the thickness or length of time so I am thinking it is more a factor of low blood volume. Perhaps you are at a critically low level and any removal triggers a crash. I do not crash (that I am aware of - just the normal crash from the exertion of making it to the doctor's office.) I would suggest the following: saline IV's the day before you get the blood drawn (your doctor would prescribe this) or if not, then increase your salt intake a few days before as well as your water. I would aim for 3,000mg of natural sea salt (not Morton's) and 3 liters of water as your upper limit. I would add electrolytes to that = either Pedialyte or Emergen C or last choice - sport drinks. You can google Dr. Cheney's Gookinaid drink that you can make yourself. I think that's what he called it. Or you can search our archives for Dr. Cheney & electrolyte drink. One of the medication used to increase blood volume is Florinef. Not a nice drug but it seems to be effective. You have to check your Potassium regularly (which would be a blood draw) so that is a good option for you, although, I never get my potassium checked as I am only on 0.1 mg. Low blood volume is a part of ME/CFIDS and also a part of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachychardia Syndrome) which goes hand in hand with ME/CFIDS. Do you have trouble standing up without moving for more than a few minutes? Research Licorice root - I think that also increases blood volume (or blood pressure). I am heading out the door or I would look that up for you. HTH, Marti > > Do others have problems with blood testing as I do? I've had CFS for 17 years but only last year started having a problem. During my " annual checkup " my doctor took 5 vials of blood. In past years there's been less blood drawn. But it took me 5 months to recover from that. This year I refused any blood testing but in a brief hospital stay they did 4 small blood draws about (probably about 25-30cc total) to check heart enzymes and again I crashed and after 2 months I am still down. One problem is that my doctor won't write my needed clonazepam for sleep prescriptions unless I get the blood testing. She says its necessary for records. > > > I think that even pediatric blood draws still take the same volume of blood. > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 Marti-Licorice Root RAISES blood pressure. :-) > > Hi , > I do not crash after a blood draw. But in the early days, my blood was very thick and not much could be drawn out. What could be drawn out took a long time. > > You don't mention the thickness or length of time so I am thinking it is more a factor of low blood volume. Perhaps you are at a critically low level and any removal triggers a crash. I do not crash (that I am aware of - just the normal crash from the exertion of making it to the doctor's office.) > > I would suggest the following: saline IV's the day before you get the blood drawn (your doctor would prescribe this) or if not, then increase your salt intake a few days before as well as your water. I would aim for 3,000mg of natural sea salt (not Morton's) and 3 liters of water as your upper limit. I would add electrolytes to that = either Pedialyte or Emergen C or last choice - sport drinks. You can google Dr. Cheney's Gookinaid drink that you can make yourself. I think that's what he called it. Or you can search our archives for Dr. Cheney & electrolyte drink. > > One of the medication used to increase blood volume is Florinef. Not a nice drug but it seems to be effective. You have to check your Potassium regularly (which would be a blood draw) so that is a good option for you, although, I never get my potassium checked as I am only on 0.1 mg. > > Low blood volume is a part of ME/CFIDS and also a part of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachychardia Syndrome) which goes hand in hand with ME/CFIDS. Do you have trouble standing up without moving for more than a few minutes? > > Research Licorice root - I think that also increases blood volume (or blood pressure). I am heading out the door or I would look that up for you. > > HTH, > Marti > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 george6210@... wrote: > Do others have problems with blood testing as I do? Nope, I never have problems with blood draws, regardless of how much is taken. I just had four tubes drawn a couple weeks ago. I've had as many as seven drawn at one time. I've had CFIDS for 22 years. Jeri <teewinot13@...> @>--->---->-------------------<----<---<@ Dr. Pall's NO/ONOO- Theory/Treatment Discussion Group: TenthParadigmSociety @>----------<---------->-----------------------<----------<----------<@ The Tenth Paradigm - Dr. Pall's Website for CFS/MCS/FM/ETC.: http://www.thetenthparadigm.org @>----------<---------->-----------------------<----------<----------<@ MCS-Florida - For All Chemically Sensitive Floridians MCS-Florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 ________________________________ hi george - yes, it's also a big problem for me - but i can handle a 40 to 50 cc draw...a few months ago w participated in a study at stanford that drew 90cc... i knew it would be tough...prepaied with all kinds of salt/ electrolytes - was still a huge crash.. finaly saw my doc a couple of months later and got an order for saline...i used to be a nurse and have big happy veins so infusing isn't generally a problem  (if you've got decent veins you could also learn)....am now doing 500cc of saline a week, lots of chicken broth - i add extra salt! - hadn't heard of cayenne...i've been telling my docs for years that i'm low volume...my blood pressure goes up when my volume is low, down when it rises - probably as the vessels don't have to work as hard...am set up to see a cardiologist who does cheney type echo testing later this month in santa rosa....my nagalase is high, thick blood according to berg's testing, high prothrombin fragment...hopefuly will be able to try mcguff (oops, i know that's not what it is called) - takes 25 or so weekly injections to get the macrophages perked up if they are perkable!... god luck, deb  Do others have problems with blood testing as I do? I've had CFS for 17 years but only last year started having a problem. During my " annual checkup " my doctor took 5 vials of blood. In past years there's been less blood drawn. But it took me 5 months to recover from that. This year I refused any blood testing but in a brief hospital stay they did 4 small blood draws about (probably about 25-30cc total) to check heart enzymes and again I crashed and after 2 months I am still down. One problem is that my doctor won't write my needed clonazepam for sleep prescriptions unless I get the blood testing. She says its necessary for records. I think that even pediatric blood draws still take the same volume of blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Thanks for responses. Yes, I do have POTS. I can stand 1-2 minutes or walk about 30 ft -- sometimes more sometimes less. My blood seems to flow easily during blood draws except the fifth vial filled very slowly. And an EKG which i had immediately following the blood draw started out abnormally. The doctor said " your heart is not getting enough blood. " But it normalized soon after. I'll have to pay more attention to pushing blood volume. I like emergenC or homemade Gookinaid. I've seen NUUN sold also. I had a saline IV about a month following my blood draw but it didn't help much and cost me $200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 , I used to be exactly the same way, to the point I almost never was able to get tests done. I'm not less sick now, but the illness has changed. I definitely find that saline IVs before blood draws help, but so does drinking a lot of water with salt and potassium added to it to temporarily increase the blood volume. I also only have blood drawn while I'm lying down, often with my legs elevated. At this point I only have blood drawn at home, but when I had to lie down in the past in labs, I just explained that I pass out if I'm upright (which did happen during one blood draw) and then they quickly take me into some room where I can lie down. This definitely helps. Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 This information is SO important to me------I walk out of labs with 4 or more bandaids due to poor veins. Thanks for this discussion!! God Bless, Sara > > > , > > I used to be exactly the same way, to the point I almost never was able to get tests done. > > I'm not less sick now, but the illness has changed. I definitely find that saline IVs before blood draws help, but so does drinking a lot of water with salt and potassium added to it to temporarily increase the blood volume. I also only have blood drawn while I'm lying down, often with my legs elevated. At this point I only have blood drawn at home, but when I had to lie down in the past in labs, I just explained that I pass out if I'm upright (which did happen during one blood draw) and then they quickly take me into some room where I can lie down. This definitely helps. > > Peggy > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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