PCOS Study Baseline Testing

I had to get up bright and early Tuesday morning in order to be at the hospital at 6:30 am to start the baseline testing for the study I'm going to be a part of.  Of course, I used the restroom right before I got there.  The first thing they tell me when I arrive, "we need you to provide a urine sample".  Shit.  I had to guzzle water in order to give them some.  And of course it was for a pregnancy test. Which was negative.  No surprise there. 

Then I got to lie down in the hospital bed for 30 minutes.  The first test they were going to do was to see what my metabolic rate is.  You have to be completely still for 30 minutes before the test.  Hence the bed.  I turned on the tv and entertained myself with TLC and their obsession with baby shows.  In the past I couldn't really watch those, but I'm really beyond that now.  After the 30 minutes was up, the nurse came in to start the test.  It involves measuring  your carbon dioxide output for 30 minutes and from that they can calculate your metabolic rate.  They measured it by putting a plastic bubble over my head.  I looked like an astronaut.  It was kind of weird.  But in a cool way.  Of course I took a picture.

I posted it on facebook and got all sorts of interesting comments. 

After that test, it was time for the fasting glucose test.  You know, the one where you drink the nasty sugary drink?  They were going to draw blood every thirty minutes so the nurse tried to start an IV in my arm so that they wouldn't have to stick me over and over.  She tried the first time, got it in, and then the blood stopped flowing.  Tried it a second time on the same arm, just a bit higher and the same thing happened.  She was digging around in my vein quite a bit and it was starting to hurt.  I think the nurse was just inept, as I have good veins for drawing blood.  This is the first time anyone has had a problem.  Luckily, after the second time, she said she wasn't going to try again and called the expert blood person.  This one did the line in my wrist and got it right away. 

So then I drank the sugar stuff which was like super sweet Sunkist without carbonation.  I had five minutes to drink it.  Then they drew my blood every thirty minutes for three hours.  All while I laid in the bed watching bad daytime tv. 

By the time we were done it was 10:40 am.  I had been up since 4:30 and was starving.  Much to my surprise a nurse came in with a tray of food.  I thought I would have to fend for myself after I was done.  The tray had so much freaking food on it.  This is what I got:

banana

blueberry muffin

strawberry yogurt

grits
scrambled eggs

2 pieces of bacon

1 sausage patty

2 pancakes

coffee

orange juice

apple juice

milk



I guess they weren't sure what I would want and they were covering their bases.  Or that's just the deluxe breakfast that hospital patients get.  No wonder we're a country of fatties if that's what we're getting to eat in the hospital where they're supposed to be taking care of you!  I took the banana and muffin and put them in my purse and then kind of ate the other stuff. 

Then I was done and was off to work the rest of the day. 

Now I have to log my food for seven days for a nutritionist to review.  I also have to provide a 24 hour urine sample.  That should be fun having that container in my fridge.  I go back next Tuesday to have more tests done.  Woohoo!  The official diet starts next Thursday, a week from today.