About Blood Gases
Blood Gases, also refered to as an ABG, is an arterial blood gas. I am a respiratory therapist, and draw and analyze many of these. A blood gas is drawn from your artery vs a vein, which is the usual site to draw blood from. There are 2 common areas which they draw from and that is in your wrist, where u feel your pulse at or they will draw it brachially, which is where you bend your arm at.
The blood gas will show your pH levels, oxygen, and CO2 levels. The biggest reason it is drawn is so that the doctors/hospital can have a "baseline" normal reading for u. that way they know what is normal if u begin to have problems. Many people have COPD, chronic bronchitis, asthma, or emphazima (spelled wrong), and for most of us "morbidly obese " people, we have sleep apnea. So our blood gases may not be text book normal.
This is the simplest way to explain it. If anyone would like more indepth information on it, or anything else that pertains to respiratory questions, please feel free to ask. I might be able to give an answer, or an opinion for sure. LOL.
Unfortunately, there are complications and risk involved with this surgury. But that is the same as with any surgury. So keep that in mind, and also keep that in perspective. If the doctor told u that a hysterectomy or gall bladder needed to be removed, we would do that without blinking an eye. this surgury, while some may consider it elective, is also live saving for most.
Happy holidays
Kristi
Thanks,
Mary hi Mary,
I personally have never had one done on me, but some people say yes they are painful, and i have had others like u that were very scared because they had heard bad things about them, and when i was all finished they said "that wasn't so bad" . I think alot depends on the skill of the person doing it. Keeping it in perspective with the rest of what we have gone through being obese, and the upcoming surgury, a blood gas is a pretty little thing. Good luck, I'm sure all will go well. Let me know how it goes.
Kristi
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