What to Expect During a Blood Sugar Screening

Your blood glucose is the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. It isn’t necessary to eat sugary foods like doughnuts, caramel lattes, or cookies in order to increase one’s blood glucose. It’s actually affected by any food with carbohydrates, including bread and rice. Your doctor may recommend a routine blood sugar screening as part of aphysical exam. You may also have this test if you have any possible symptoms of diabetes or if you already have diabetes.

Preparing for a Blood Sugar Screening

Many factors other than food can temporarily affect your blood glucose. It’s important to tell the doctor about all medications you’re taking, including over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. A few of the drugs that may interfere with the results of the test include:

• Birth control pills
• Hormone therapy
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Aspirin
• Corticosteroids

Severe physical stress can alsoaffect your blood glucose levels. Your doctor may ask you whether you have recently experienced any sort of trauma. Surgery, heart attack, and stroke can affect your test results.

Fasting Before a Blood Sugar Screening

There are different types of blood sugar screenings. If you’re having a random test, you won’t need to fast beforehand. These can be less accurate, however. Fasting tests are more accurate, but you’ll have to schedule this test beforehand so you’ll have time to prepare. Your doctor will instruct you to avoid eating for eight hours before your screening. You’ll also have to avoid drinking anything other than water.

Undergoing a Blood Sugar Screening

In some cases, pricking the finger to obtain a small drop of blood is all that’s needed. But if you’re also having other lab tests run, your doctor may request a larger sample of blood taken from a vein. The provider will sterilize the skin and tie an elastic band around the arm. Keep your arm relaxed to minimize discomfort during the blood draw.

Paramount Urgent Care is committed to being your partner in health. If you have diabetes and live near Orlando, Clermont, or Oviedo, you can count on our urgent care providers. For more information about the services available at our walk-in clinics, please visitwww.paramounturgentcare.com.

Signs of Dehydration

Dehydration is a dangerous side effect of many conditions, ranging from the flu to uncontrolled diabetes. If you think you could be dehydrated, visit an urgent care center to determine how severe your condition is and if you need intravenous fluids to recover.

Increased thirst is a clear indicator of dehydration, but it’s important to pay attention to other symptoms as well. Decreased urine output, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, rapid heart rate, and dry mouth can all also indicate dehydration. For babies, having fewer than normal wet diapers is a clear indicator of dehydration. Simply increasing your fluid intake can often reverse mild dehydration, but moderate to severe dehydration can be serious. Seek treatment at an urgent care center if you are experiencing any dehydration symptoms.

With four convenient walk-in clinic locations, Paramount Urgent Care can respond quickly to your medical concerns, with fast health care when you need it most. We provide the service of IV fluid administration for dehydration. You can learn more about ourOrlando-area urgent care clinics by visitingwww.paramounturgentcare.com.

Signs You Should Have a TSH Test

TSH tests are used to evaluate your levels of thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH) in order to diagnose thyroid disease. When you have increased levels of TSH, it usually means that your thyroid is underactive and your body is releasing additional TSH to stimulate it. Low TSH can mean that your thyroid is overactive and your body is withholding TSH to try to slow it down. TSH tests are sometimes included in the blood work completed during physicals, but if you are experiencing any of these symptoms of thyroid disease, consider asking your physician if you should be screened.

Weight Fluctuations

Your thyroid is responsible for regulating the rate of your metabolism. If it is underactive, meaning that it is not producing enough T3 and T4 hormones, then your metabolism may slow down and you may gain weight, even though your appetite may be decreased. An overactive thyroid can over-stimulate your metabolism and lead to weight loss with an increased appetite. If your weight has changed without notable changes in diet or activity level, ask your doctor if your thyroid could be to blame.

Hot and Cold Intolerance

The revved-up feeling that accompanies an overactive thyroid can lead to increased sweating and feelings of warmth, which makes people increasingly intolerant to hot temperatures. They may also complain about being hot when other people are comfortable. An underactive thyroid alternatively makes people sensitive to the cold. With an underactive thyroid gland, people often feel cold even when the temperatures are warm.

Mental Fogginess

People with both overactive and underactive thyroid glands often complain of persistent brain fog. This fogginess can contribute to reduced ability to concentrate and memory lapses. Both conditions can also cause fatigue that further exacerbates the fogginess.

In addition to urgent care services, Paramount Urgent Care offers family medicine and walk-in physicals in Orlando, withonsite lab screenings. If you’re concerned about your thyroid hormone levels or need other healthcare services, pay a visit to one of our four area locations or head towww.paramounturgentcare.com for more information.