I was so nervous ahead of my appointments today so thought it might be helpful to write down how both of these went incase anyone else is experiencing similar anxieties.
I am a total wimp when it comes to anything to do with injections/blood tests etc so definitely went in to this preparing for the worst. My veins are pretty pathetic so blood tests are always a trial!
One of the hardest things was going in for the Glucose Tolerance Test fasted. I made sure I had a big roast dinner last night which did tide me through, but if possible I'd book the GTT for first thing in the morning so you don't have to suffer the morning in hanger.
The first blood draw took two attempts which by my standards is pretty good! The sweet drink I was given tasted like flat Sprite. It wasn't disgusting, nor did it taste overly sweet. It was a large drink (300mls) and had to down it in one, I managed it in two! The drink did not make me feel nauseous or faint.
Exactly an hour later I had my blood pressure taken (v.low 88/44) and more bloods were taken. This took three attempts and they had to go into my hand as the veins in my arms collapsed. I was also quite dehydrated as it wasn't made clear to me that drinking water in the morning before this test is OK. This meant one of the veins they tried didn't give up any blood at all...
Finally an hour after that came the last blood test where I was turned into a human pin cushion! Veins still not giving any blood and it took three attempts into my hand to get enough.
After all of that, the Anti-D injection didn't seem that bad! I had read that the needle is big so I purposely didn't look. It went into my left shoulder, quite close to the BCG site. It felt like my brother had given me a dead arm but that sensation only lasted for a few minutes.
Husband came and picked me up from the clinic and I had some lunch and a nap. Have no plans for the rest of the day so going to recuperate and chill. Results from the GTT should be here in 5 days