It usually means no water except for that needed to take your regular meds.

It depends on the tests, most allow for water only, in fact being well hydrated helps make the blood drawing much easier. I have to do fasting blood work every few weeks, I can have as much water as I want but nothing else after midnight.

Like ravencajun, I also do fasting blood work every few weeks. I am encouraged to drink as much water as I'd like. It keeps the veins nicely plumped up and easier to do the blood draw.

H

Whenever we have fasting blood work, we cannot eat or drink after midnight--except water. The phlebotomist has actually told DH to drink water in the morning, because it is very hard to get blood from him, and the hydration helps with blood drawing (as raven said).

Yes you can drink plain water. You need to stay hydrated. If you get dehydrated it can be harder to draw the blood. Also dehydration can skew the results of your triglyceride count making it high. Not being well hydrated can also give you a false positive in regards to diabetes.

Thanks for all the quick replies. I'm weird.....if I know that I can't have water, or if I forget to take my stainless bottle with me when I go anywhere, I get so thirsty!!!

Drinking now. :D

This link might help.
Now if fasting for a surgery that is different in that case no or extremely small amounts of water are allowed, they told me each time to drink only as much as I need to swallow my regular meds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fasting

I know what you mean. I have Sjogrens syndrome which means I carry a bottle of water with me every where, you will not see me with out one of my many water containers. I now have started collecting them.
When I have to fast for surgery it is awful.
The more you can't the more you want!!

I always used to think that meant no water, too. And then the tech would have a terrible time drawing my blood. Once my SIL (who is a vampire--I mean blood tech) told me to drink a lot of water, it made the process SO much easier.

Nothing after midnight, but you can have a few sips of water.

Thanks guys. The clinic opens at 7 and I was part of the line-up outside. They opened the doors early and we all took a number and registered. At 7 they started calling names and we got our blood drawn.

I told the nurse that I asked my online friends last nite and they said that water makes it easier to draw the blood. She agreed that water is fine to drink.

I was home at 7:25

I am surprised with all the "nothing after midnight" comments.

All my blood draws are 12 hour fasts.
I have nothing after dinner.

i thnk it depends on the test?