The concept of feeling sick encompasses all kinds of symptoms and conditions, and that can make it really hard to figure out what is causing your illness on your own. Thankfully, we have a wide variety of tools at our disposal to offer you the most accurate diagnosis as possible.
One thing that makes our center a great choice for your medical care is that we have a full lab on site to help us run tests and process results. Our samples and swabs stay right in our facility instead of being shipped off to be tested, which means we can get you your results and a diagnosis faster!
Our AFC Urgent Care Farragut team explains more about our lab services and how we can diagnose you from a single blood draw below.
What Can a Blood Draw Diagnose?
Getting your blood drawn may not be your favorite activity, but it is actually a really useful tool for our providers. Your blood can tell so much about you and your current state based on the different levels of your red and white blood cells, your platelet count and more.
One of the most common labs that we run is called a complete blood count, or CBC. This simple test takes a sample of your blood and counts the blood cells in your body. Since your body is supposed to have a certain range of blood cells, this test can easily tell us if something is amiss or a count is low.
Possible Diagnoses From a CBC Test
- Anemia
- A variety of infections
- Immune system disorders
- Blood diseases
What Causes Anemia?
Anemia is one of the more common diagnoses we see and process after getting the results of a patient’s CBC. It’s actually the most common blood condition across the world. Anemia occurs when your body doesn’t produce the proper number of red blood cells that it needs to function smoothly.
This is often caused by low iron levels in your body, and it often produces symptoms like dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue and a rapid heartbeat. A simple CBC can be run relatively quickly, and we can discuss different ways to bring your iron levels back up.
Tips for Managing Anemia
- Eat iron-rich foods like lean meat, fish, eggs and dried beans.
- Consume more folic acid from dark, leafy green vegetables.
- Increase your vitamin D intake.
- Take an iron supplement if recommended.
Have you been feeling faint or lightheaded? Come see us for a quick CBC test at AFC Urgent Care Farragut.
