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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

No-TV Tuesday: the 2-hour blood draw

No-TV Tuesday was all about blood this week.

Long story short:
For decades, my digestive system has been very unhappy when I eat. I've gone to doctors, had tests, tried potions. Nothing helps. I've been diagnosed with IBS - which basically means nothing.

I was researching last week when I discovered the ALCAT test for food sensitivities. At Saturday's race expo, there was a booth for ALCAT testing - with a significant discount for purchasing at the expo. OK - let's try it!
So I went downtown yesterday afternoon to give over four vials of my precious blood to be sent away for testing. Brad went with me for moral support (and I'm so thankful that he did!). I wish he had taken some pics, but the whole experience was really stressful for both of us, and we didn't think about it until it was too late.

It's always hard to get blood from my tiny veins. The first person always tries and fails. Then they bring in someone else. (Knowing the importance of donating, I attempted to give blood once. I was told not to come back!)

The first woman tried several times with different techniques and different equipment. Nothing.

She was the only one in the Portland office, so she called Vancouver and had them send down a more experienced phlebotomist.

We wandered around in the rain for a while until she arrived. She poked me several more times before finally getting some flow from the back of my hand. We were all so excited, but then it only measured three vials. :(

A quick call told us that three should be enough. Fingers crossed.

Two hours later, we were on our way. They stuck me five or six times, digging around for blood flow. Luckily, I'm not too bruised, but the sites are really sore.

Brad and I were surprised at how stressful it was, both physically and emotionally, for both of us!

I should get the results in about two weeks. And while I'm not convinced that this will be the magic thing that fixes me, I'm hopeful.

:)

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