My thoughts on fasting and a sample of my travel info on meds and dosing - Topper

[Guest guest]

Hi gang.

I was just 'talking' with someone off list on this subject. Just to kind of clear things up I thought I'd state what MY understanding of 'fasting labs' is.. and what I've always read it, and been told by docs, is the definition.

Fasting means to not take in any food or liquids that introduce nutrients or chemicals that will alter the chemistry of the blood... so no food, snacks, coffee, tea, soda.... nothing with calories or stimulants.... nothing with artificial ingredients... so a sparkling water with aspartame (nutri-sweet) is not considered to be a 'fasting' type thing to take in. Just plain ole water for ya... to keep up blood volume so that they have an easy time doing the draw.

Fasting as far as meds. MOST, not all meds, have to be taken consistently to be able to alter the blood chemistry. Things like BP meds, blood thinners, cholesterol meds, all that kind of stuff need to be taken consistently. If you are ever unsure always ask... be it here, or your doc, or your insurance company's triage line. When in doubt ask, if there is no one to ask it's best not to skip... it's far easier, and safer to make another appointment than it is to spend time in the intensive care unit of your hospital.

Thyroid meds.... I'm on the side of the fence that feels I want to know what my body is doing with the dose I've been taking for the two months previous, ties in with that lag time the body goes through with the adjustments of hormone levels.... I'm not that concerned with what it's doing right after taking a dose cuz it's not showing my bodies acclimazation to the dosing regime.. just my opinion there.

Many labs that are testing for things are testing for the levels of the medication that is in the blood from the current dosing... so those have to be taken....

Exceptions to that are those meds that have to be taken with food. If you are on a med that specifically has to be taken with food or milk or something like that, and the doc says that you are to be fasting at the time of the draw, remind him/her of what you are taking and be sure that you are clear on what you are supposed to do. Is the doc keeping in mind that you are on such a med and if you are fasting you will not be able to take it?

Our thyroid meds, are not actually a medication, by definition, they are a hormone replacement, they aren't altering anything, they are used as a replacement for what our bodies no longer are able to produce in sufficient quantities to allow us to be healthy. Here, again, is my interpretation of the definition.

I was a caregiver for several years. I learned early on to keep lists of meds and dosing (times and amounts) and these were set up as charts to be kept on the front of the refrigerator and were taken in for ALL doc visits.

It was on the front of the fridge to be handy in case of emergency. It became soooo handy, convenient and well known that when emergency ambulance showed up here they knew to grab that list off the front of the fridge as the stretcher was shot through the kitchen and out the door.

With that list the doc can see at a glance what is being taken, in what amount, in what frequency, and when the last dose was.... along with when the last meal was. No trying to track anyone down, and it can often save wasting time in running labs to determine what is being taken when the person is unconscious and their advocate is not there to fill in the answers.

My suggestion, for all of us, is to keep a list of everything we take, and how we take it... something with just a few columns on it.... name of med, how much taken, when taken and then a simple check mark if it is taken with food....

This list saves HUGE amounts of time and misery when scheduling labs, and is invaluable in the case of an emergency. I actually carry a list of what I take in the pill box that I use when I leave the house. (So does my family when they go on vacation. I print up a new one every year, it's carried in their fanny paks along with their daily pill boxes.) For mine, it has a really really small-print mini page on the pills that I take showing brand and dosage. And another itty bitty print sheet with the dosages of pill chips I take and what time of day, with a notation that I take my glandulars (thyroid and adrenal) sublingually..... The pill box is carried in my shirt pocket... a 'first place to look' thing in case of emergency.

Here's a pic to show you what one looked like a while back, I don't have a pic of the current one, but you'll get the idea....

(if the you read the posts online the pic won't come through, you can email me and I'll send you a copy if you are curious to see topper2@...)

You can just barely see on the right edge of the box lid that there is another piece of paper tucked behind.. that is the list of pills with brands and dosage sizes. The one that you can see shows the compartment number, the time it's taken, the dose of what it is - using the name that matches up on the other list with the brand and dose of the whole pill... and then if it's taken sublingually or with food. In the bottom half of the box, on the right side you can just make out another strip of paper.. it has my emergency contact info on it.. who to call, their relationship to me, and contact phone numbers. And, yes, that is my hand... the, only part of my body that will EVER get it's pic online! hehehehehe

If you are curious what my collection of custom pill boxes look like, I have a web page at the site... but I see that I never included a copy of the open travel pak box on that page... I guess it's another page that needs updating.... www.thyrophoenix.com/thyrogeek's_pill_paks.htm

It all boils down to common sense.. and if the brain fog/fart is impeding your common sense and you are unsure of stuff... ask.... find out the answers.. afterall .. that's what this group is here for... to let us know that we are not alone, to let us know that it's a learning stage that we are in, to let us know that asking questions is a good way to learn.... and to learn to not be afraid to ask questions.

All of us together, in my humble opinion, are a priceless resource to tap.

Topper ()