At FirstMed, our in-house lab is at the core of our clinic, providing accurate and reliable medical exams. We offer a wide range of lab tests for children and adults, conveniently located right where your doctor’s office is. Our dedicated lab staff ensures you get precise diagnostics to support your health journey confidently. We invite you to contact us for any tests that are on your mind.
Specific laboratory tests processed at our lab
To make things convenient for our patients, our lab offers a range of tests. Some tests are processed in-house, while others are sent to our external partners. This means that when your FirstMed doctor orders a lab test, you won’t need to go anywhere else for sample collection and analysis. You’ll have your sample taken at our clinic, and your results will be sent to you confidentially via email or can be picked up in person at our clinic’s reception. After receiving your results, you can discuss them with your FirstMed doctor to decide on any necessary next steps.
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Extensive Blood Tests
From complete blood counts to complex biomarkers, blood tests are helpful to provide a window into overall health and detect a wide array of conditions
- Blood Glucose and Lipid Profiles are important health markers. Fasting Blood Glucose tests screen for diabetes and help determine how the body processes sugar, while Lipid Profile tests are essential for assessing cardiovascular health, providing insights into cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel: Provide an in-depth overview of the body's metabolism function. Measures glucose levels, kidney and liver function, and electrolyte and fluid balance.
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Urinalysis and Microscopic Examinations
These essential exams support our physicians in diagnosing urinary tract infections, kidney diseases, and other conditions affecting the urinary system or metabolism. With microscopic examination, we can identify any abnormal cells or substances in the urine that might impact overall health.
Result turnaround typically takes a few minutes to a couple of days, depending on the test. We encourage you to contact us to take care of any tests that are weighing on your mind.
Exams and screenings supported by lab tests
- Allergy tests: Are you allergic, or was it just a sneeze? These tests identify specific allergens that may cause an immune response in the body.
- Arthritis diagnosis: Aim to detect and manage arthritis early. Our orthopedists use these blood tests to diagnose and monitor autoimmune and inflammatory forms of arthritis, so they can craft a personalized treatment plan.
- Colon cancer screening: Fecal occult blood test to check stool (solid waste) for blood that can only be seen with a microscope.
- COVID testing and flu diagnosis: Support our General Practitioners and Pediatricians in fast and accurate detection of these upper-respiratiory infections.
- Immunological tests help us to understand how the body's defense system is working. From detecting autoimmune diseases to identifying specific immune responses, they provide crucial insights into the health.
- Genetic tests: These unique tests can uncover genetic diseases, alterations, or susceptibility to potential health conditions. Often instrumental in defining prevention and intervention strategies.
- STD/STI Tests: Discreet and efficient testing for for a range of sexually transmitted infections/diseases, aimed at promoting prevention, early detection, and treatment.
- Urinalysis and drug testing: Critical insights into the health of kidneys and urinary tract, it is also an essential part of pre/re-employment checkups, ensuring workplace safety.
How to prepare for your lab tests?
Some lab tests require specific preparations. To ensure you receive accurate and reliable results, we’ve carefully outlined the essential preparation instructions below. Let’s work together for the best outcomes!
Fasting fab tests
What is a fasting lab test, and what is it used for?
A fasting lab test is a medical evaluation that requires a patient to refrain from eating or drinking anything except water for a specified period, usually 8 to 12 hours, prior to the test. During this fasting period, the body enters a state that can provide clearer and more accurate measurements of certain substances in the blood.
These tests are commonly used to assess various health markers, such as
- blood glucose (sugar) levels,
- cholesterol levels, and
- triglycerides.
For instance, a fasting blood glucose test helps in diagnosing diabetes or prediabetes, while a lipid panel measures cholesterol and triglyceride levels to evaluate cardiovascular risk.
If you eat or drink within the specified time before the test, it can significantly affect the levels of the tested substances in your blood, potentially leading to misleading results. Therefore, following fasting instructions is crucial for accurate test results and receiving proper medical advice based on those results.
For convenience, it is best to schedule your medical checkup appointment that requires fasting lab tests in the early morning hours.
However, not all blood tests require fasting. To be sure, your doctor will tell you if you need to.
What lab tests require fasting?
Some common lab exams that typically require fasting:
- Fasting blood glucose
- Lipid profile
- Basic or comprehensive metabolic panel is often part of a routine physical. The tests check your blood sugar, electrolyte and fluid balance, and kidney function. The comprehensive test checks your liver function, too.
- Renal function panel
- Vitamin B12 test
- Iron tests
- Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)
- TSH : A TSH test is done to find out if your thyroid gland is working properly. It’s best to do this in the morning as your TSH levels can fluctuate throughout the day.
Instructions for patients for proper fasting lab tests
When fasting is required before a lab test, it’s crucial to follow the instructions below. This is because certain test results, such as blood sugar levels, can be affected by eating. Before you go to the laboratory to have your blood taken, please take a look at the following information.
Fasting instructions
Do not eat or drink anything except water (not juice, tea, or coffee) for at least:
- 8 hours for a fasting glucose/GTT or
- 12 hours for lipid assessment test
Do not smoke, chew gum (not even sugarless), or exercise. These activities may stimulate the digestive system and alter test results.
But do continue to take your medications, unless your doctor tells you not to.
If it is convenient for you to stop eating and drinking after 8:00 p.m., you can schedule your appointment for the laboratory test at our clinic early the next morning.
After the specimen is collected for the lab test, you may continue your regular diet and activities.
Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)
What is a Fecal Occult Blood Test?
A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) looks at a sample of the stool (feces) to check for blood that is not visible to the naked eye. This is a crucial screening test that may help find colorectal cancer early, when treatment is most effective. Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths and one of the most common cancers in both men and women.
Blood in the stool could indicate bleeding in the digestive tract. It can result from various conditions, including:
- Polyps
- Hemorrhoids
- Diverticulosis
- Ulcers
- Colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease.
Blood in the stool may also indicate colorectal cancer, a type of cancer that begins in the colon or rectum.
How to collect stool sample?
The following collection instructions are provided to help you properly gather the specimen your physician has requested. First, read the instructions carefully, make sure you’re prepared, and then follow each step to ensure correct collection.
How to collect a stool sample?
- Place something in the toilet to catch the stool, such as a potty or an empty plastic food container, or spread clean paper or plastic wrap over the rim of the toilet
- Make sure the sample doesn’t touch the inside of the toilet
- Use the spoon or spatula that comes with the container to place the sample in a clean screw-top container and screw the lid shut
- If you’ve been given a container, aim to fill around half of it.
- Put anything you used to collect the sample in a plastic bag, tie it up, and put it in the bin
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water
How to take sample for a Fecal Occult Blood Test?
You need to collect samples of your stool for three consecutive days, in the provided three plastic containers. This increases the chance of finding blood, since the bleeding may not happen every day. If you don’t have a bowel movement on one of the three days, it is not a problem. You can collect the necessary amount over a longer period of time.
Collect a small amount of fecal matter from used toilet paper, the size of a large pea is enough, in the container and close the lid firmly. Do not overfill the collection vial.
You can store the samples for 3-5 days from the date of your first collection. Room temperature (preferred) or refrigerated.
Deliver the samples to FirstMed when all of the containers are filled.
How to store the stool sample(s)?
How to store the stool sample?
Stool samples should be handed in as soon as possible, as some can’t be analysed if they’ve been refrigerated – your doctor will tell you if this is the case.
If you can’t hand the stool sample in immediately, you should store it in a fridge, but for no longer than 24 hours. Place the container in a sealed plastic bag first.
Stool samples must be fresh – if they aren’t, the bacteria in them can multiply. This means the levels of bacteria in the stool sample won’t be the same as the levels of bacteria in your digestive system. If the levels of bacteria don’t match, the test results may not be accurate.
When should you bring your sample to our lab?
In some instances, samples, like fecal or urine samples, can be collected at home and brought to our lab for processing and evaluation. At FirstMed, we can take the samples on workdays before 10 am. When you prepare your stool sample to bring to FirstMed, label the container with your name, date of birth, and the date.
For the blood tests, our lab staff performs blood draws, ensuring minimal discomfort.
Meet our lab staff
Our lab staff is here to professionally collect, process, or evaluate your samples for lab testing.
Adrienn Maczonkai
Biologist, Laboratory Coordinator
