# When you take the blood for the HbA1C...



## Kei (Jan 15, 2010)

... what do you usually do?

Our nurse sent us home from clinic 3 months ago with a little tube of liquid, a tiny capillary tube about an inch long and a path. lab envelope.  Since it was 3 months ago, by the time we got to doing the bloods yesterday for it, I was a bit hazy about what I was supposed to do!  We washed F's hands, pricked her finger and got a good blob out, used the capillary tube to draw it up, which it did well, with no bubbles.  When the tube was full, we put it into the little test-tube thingy of liquid and sealed the whole thing into the envelope and dropped it off at the surgery for delivery to the path. lab.  We couldn't remember though whether it was OK if the blood leaked out into the liquid in the test tube, or whether it was meant to stay in the capillary tube?    I guess it's meant to mix with the clear liquid?....


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## Adrienne (Jan 15, 2010)

This is such an old fashioned way of doing it now, its not great.   Most clinics (for children) have the machines actually in clinic so that when you go, you do a normal finger test and they only need one drop of blood and they pop it in the machine and it takes 6 minutes for a reading.   There are very few who do it like you have been asked.    

Some take lots of blood at clinic and you need to then ring for a reading 3 days later which is also ridiculous.   I think you have done it just fine.


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## Kei (Jan 15, 2010)

Thanks Adrienne!


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