Lab Testing

Do you need a blood test? We provide all necessary lab services through our lab provider. All blood draws and results will be handled in our offices.

Lab services can offer a lot of answers and insights into your health, and are a typical service of routine health care. We want you to feel empowered to make healthy life decisions. Standard blood work can give you insights into possibly developing situations with your health that need to be addressed.

Membership in Essential Health gets you unlimited access to our practice, and you can come in for regular and routine check-ups, screenings, and more, at your convenience. We offer several different membership options including corporate memberships and individual and family memberships.

We draw labs at our office at a remarkably low-cost, often lower than the average insurance co-pay charges. Often patients will go to a hospital for services and be presented one price, only to be sent several follow up bills later. Pricing is clear and transparent with Essential Health in Davenport. Our annual labs, recommended for all individuals, check a complete blood count, complete metabolic panel, cholesterol, diabetes, thyroid, and vitamin D levels and typically cost under $50.

Getting Your Lab Results

Lab results are typically available within 24-48 hours, but more extensive testing can take up to 1 week. Once your results are in, we will explain everything found and discuss any preventative or treatment options if needed.

What is a blood test?

Blood tests are used to quantify or investigate various cells, molecules, proteins, and other compounds that can be found in the blood. An annual blood test is one of the most critical things you can do to protect yourself from numerous preventable diseases.

A blood test can detect potential health concerns before they fully emerge with symptoms by offering a snapshot of your present health. This allows the problems to be addressed more efficiently before they become more severe.

Blood tests are quite easy to perform and can be completed in a short amount of time. In addition, they offer a plethora of knowledge that might be useful to you in various ways. Having your blood tested consistently is one of the most effective ways to monitor your overall physical health and wellness.

Getting checked at regular intervals will assist you in understanding how the changes occur in your body over time and enable you to make informed decisions regarding your health.

What happens during blood testing?

There are a variety of blood tests, most of which require no special preparation and take a few minutes each. Most blood tests need the patient to fast from meals and drinks for eight to twelve hours before the test. Generally we advise you not to eat after midnight on the day before you get your blood drawn.

In order to make it simpler to locate the vein that runs within your elbow, a tourniquet (a rubber strap) will be put tightly around your upper arm. This will assist with bringing the vein to the surface and making it easier to locate.

A sterile alcohol wipe is used to clean the area of skin that surrounds the vein. After inserting a thin needle into the vein, a little blood collection vial is used to collect the blood sample for testing.

Blood will flow into the bottle, and after it (or they, as we often take two small vials) is/are full, the site will be covered with gauze and pressure to prevent further bleeding. After as little as a few seconds to a few minutes the blood flow will stop and we wrap the area with gauze.

If you are taking any medication that thins your blood, it may take a few minutes longer for the bleeding to stop from a vein, although it normally ends quite fast. Please be sure to inform us of all medicines you are currently taking and if you have any clotting issues.

What happens after a blood test?

You shouldn’t feel any significant unpleasant after-effects as a result of the procedure because only a very small amount of blood was drawn from you. However, some individuals, both during and after the blood test, experience feelings of lightheadedness.

If this has happened to you before, inform the medical professional administering the test so they can assist you and make you feel more comfortable during the procedure.

After the test, you might notice a slight bruise at the site where the needle was inserted. Bruises can be painful, but they are not harmful and will go away over the following several days. Getting a bruise after testing is pretty common.

Following the collection of your blood, the specialist will place it in blood bottles that contain trace amounts of a chemical that prevents your blood from clotting while it is being tested in the laboratory.

The bottles will have labels that include your name, date of birth, and the site where your blood was drawn. After that, they are brought to the local laboratory to be tested in high-tech testing machines.

What will be examined for in my blood?

Your medical provider can determine how well certain organs in your body are working based on blood test results. The thyroid, the liver, and the kidneys are all organs whose dysfunctions can (usually) be seen in a blood test if the blood is tested.

Your doctor can also use blood tests to look for illness and health condition indicators, such as chronic heart diseases, anemia, diabetes, and cancers. However not all illnesses can be detected from a blood test, and not all things are tested (there are over 10,000 diseases in the world, and not all of them can be tested for).

Are you scared of taking a blood test? Here’s what you should do!

Being terrified and uncomfortable before taking a blood test is a common sentiment, and it is nothing to be embarrassed of. Inform the person conducting your blood test; this will allow them to better care for you. Here at the Quad Cities’ Essential Health our priority is putting our patient’s comfort first.

You can invite someone to accompany you to the exam and serve as a distraction. Some individuals also find breathing to be relaxing. Others choose to scroll on their phones or read a book to distract them. The cause of lightheadedness at the sight of blood can be from a drop in blood pressure; you can learn strategies to prevent this from occurring.

How quickly do blood test results become available?

It relies in part on the urgency of the test. Most tests performed at your general practitioner’s office in Davenport are a part of a regular check-up meaning there is no urgency unless needed.

Thus it may take a few days to receive the results. If the lab specialist notices anything concerning in your blood test results, they will call your doctor or nurse, alerting the clinic.

It is also important to understand that while blood testing can be an essential source of information about your health, the information it provides regarding your condition is not always sufficient. Even if you’ve already had blood work done, your healthcare professional may want to administer more tests before diagnosing.

Blood testing results can provide a useful overview of your general health, and we recommend annual testing.

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