Well, B1 is good...

Last thing I was worried about for surgery was the fact that my B1 (Thiamin) was low. They have had me taking a double dose of B Complex for the last 3 or so weeks to get it up. Well, Susan just called from the bariatric center, told me to go ahead and STOP taking it for a few days, then go back to a normal dose for the last week before surgery. Seems now it is actually HIGH. I sort of wonder now though if it was all that low to begin with. When I had the blood draw the first time to check it, the gal just pulled a vial of blood like a normal draw and set it on the counter. When I had it done the second time (at a different hospital), the lady said something to another nurse about having to keep it in the dark for that test. In fact, she started to put tape all around the tube, but it didn't fit in the needle/fill tube they use. So she just got a black plastic tube, drew that vial and IMMEDIATELY put it in the dark tube and put a lid on. So now I am thinking this must be sensitive to light and I wonder how long the first draw sat in the light and how much it affected the outcome of the test. Oh well, as long as it is good, I am good to go for the 9th. Getting more excited every day. I can't wait to jump in and start letting you guys know about my FART's and loss!!

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Even the toughest criminals become remarkably docile 
 once separated from society by six feet of soil. 

When my blood was drawn for my 3 month lab tests I ran into the same sort of thing. The tech knew that she was supposed to keep the blood in the dark but didn't have any dark blood vials. A fellow tech said "We don't use those anymore". So she used a regular vial and put it in a fairly light tight container and then taped the top to keep out most of the light. And I was having my blood drawn at the actual lab that was going to be analyzing my blood - a national chain of blood labs. Must be hard to find good help. (Of course, I wouldn't want that job, so perhaps it is hard to find people.) Joe Bear