Epic Life: Pre Blood Draw Preparation Guide
Epic Life blood testing is designed to give you comprehensive, early insight into your health so you can make informed decisions about how you feel today and how you age in the future. This guide is designed to provide you with information about your forthcoming blood test, what it involves,, and what you should do before and after your appointment.
A subsequent guide explains how to prepare for your blood test results.
We partner with inuvi, a fully accredited health services provider, to manage the blood draw and testing process.
About your blood test appointment
How is my appointment booked?
One of our Health Practitioners will contact you to arrange a convenient date, time and location (typically your home), for your appointment. We will send you a text confirmation and appointment reminders.
What do I do if I need to rearrange my appointment?
If you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment, please let us know at least 48 hours before your appointment either by contacting the Health Practitioner who arranged your appointment or by contacting our Customer Service at support@epiclife.co.
Please Note: you may incur a cancellation charge for short notice cancellations or not attending your appointment, so please give us at least 48 hours notice if you need to cancel your appointment.
What happens during my appointment?
At your appointment, our Health Practitioner will draw blood from a vein, usually from the arm or back of the hand, into one or more blood vials. The number of vials needed will depend on the type of tests you need to have. All equipment is sterile and used only once.
How long does the appointment take?
The appointment will usually last between 10 to 15 minutes although you can discuss appointment length when you are contacted to arrange your appointment.
Will I need to get undressed at my appointment?
You won’t need to undress at your appointment although you may need to remove or loosen clothing to allow our Health Practitioner to take your blood sample.
Can I bring someone with me to my appointment?
Yes, you can bring an informal chaperone (for example, a friend or relative) with you to your appointment.
A polite notice about pets
If your health assessment is taking place at your home and you have pets, we respectfully ask you to keep them in another room during your appointment. In our experience it’s the best way of ensuring they don’t become distressed or inquisitive during your appointment.
Preparing for your appointment
Do I need to fast before giving a blood sample?
Make sure you fast for 12 hours before the appointment to ensure accurate results. You can and should drink water to keep hydrated but avoid anything else to eat or drink.
What’s the best way to prepare for my appointment?
Try to be as relaxed as possible prior to your appointment.
Continue regular medications unless your doctor has advised otherwise.
Continue taking any supplements you are using so you can get a more accurate picture of your current levels under your current supplementation programme.
Drink plenty of water to improve hydration and enable a smoother blood draw. We suggest drinking at least a pint of water an hour before your appointment.
Gently exercising your arms and / soaking your hands in warm water just before your appointment can also help with a smoother blood draw, especially if you’ve experienced difficulties providing blood samples in the past.
Go easy on red meat and protein powders for 1–2 days before.
Avoid heavy workouts for 24 hours before your test.
Avoid drinking caffeine and alcohol and smoking immediately before your appointment, as these substances are known to raise blood pressure.
Is there anything I need to tell the HealthPractitioner before my blood test?
You should let our Health Practitioner if you:
Have experienced problems in the past giving blood, for example, fainting or nausea, difficulties in locating veins, or difficulties providing a smooth blood draw,
Have difficulty clotting or bruise easily,
Are currently taking Warfarin or long-term Aspirin.
What should I do after my blood sample has been taken?
It’s important that you take good care of yourself after giving a blood sample. Our Health Practitioner will take your blood with the utmost of care, however sometimes a lump and/or bruising can appear, even if this hasn’t happened previously. Please don’t worry, these side effects are usually harmless and will go away in time.
To ease any discomfort and reduce the likelihood of any side effects we suggest the following 4 steps:
Step 1 - keep the dressing/plaster on your arm or hand clean, dry and in place for 3 to 6 hours.
Step 2 -avoid straining and lifting any heavy items with your arm or hand (e.g. exercise, sports, digging, ironing, and carrying heavy bags) during this time.
Step 3 – if bleeding occurs, apply firm pressure with your fingers, preferably using a clean cloth, directly over the puncture site and elevate your arm or hand until the bleeding stops.
Step 4 - if you experience any bruising, pain, discomfort, or swelling in your arm or hand, elevate it and place an ice pack (or a few ice cubes wrapped in a towel) over the area for 10 minutes.
You should seek medical advice if you experience:
increasing or severe pain, inflammation, or bruising,
swelling that’s not improving,
pins and needles or a feeling of numbness in your arm, hand, or fingers,
coldness or paleness in your hand/arm.
