For LIW - Having blood drawn

I just wanted to pass on on observation from my castle stay.

I ended up with a big complication (clot in my lungs) which meant more than 2-3 times daily blood tests to begin with.

Hospital staff had trouble getting the blood to keep flowing once they got into the vein. It finally dawned on me that I was not keeping up with my fluids enough. (Swelly belly was concerning me and I was not drinking a lot.)

I asked and kept track of when I was due for another blood test. I decided to make sure I drank a glass or two of something 1/2-1 hour before they would be drawing blood again. This did seem to help with the blood flowing once they got into the vein.

This may not apply to all or many princesses, but maybe keep it in the back of your head if they are having trouble getting blood. Fluid volume can help some.

Susan
a.k.a. Greybraids

Greybraids, I think you are very much on track. I remember when I had a colonoscopy, my blood pressure was low enough that the doc didn't want to give me much sedation so they pushed fluids to see if they could get it up.

Two things my doctor really harped on in her post-op instructions: keep hydrated and no lifting. Certainly would help to have more volume flowing through those veins.

Also, we learned this at the beginning of our school year (I teach middle school): the functioning of our brains is very much effected by dehydration. All those electric transmissions that result in thought and memory are carried out in a solution with in and between cells. And our bodies don't signal us with thirst until we are already short on water.

A child gets about 2% dehydrated before he/she gets thirst; a middle aged person - 4%; an elderly person can be up to 6% dehydrated before thirst is felt; at 10% dehydration - we pass out!! So for those of us feeling from anesthesia post-op, general post-op stress, general stress of life, being 50...all those things that get to us...we can help ourselves by staying hydrated!! My biggest problem? I forget to drink water during the work day!!