Your physician has asked you to provide a 24-hour urine specimen. Important tests will be done
with your specimen and you can help ensure the accuracy of these tests by following these
instructions.

1. Stop by the laboratory Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 AM and 5 PM to
   pick up the specimen container. Bring the test requisition(s) with you so we will be able
   to tell exactly what you need in the way of special preservatives. Different tests have
   different requirements.
2. Make sure the specimen container is labeled with your full name. If it was not done for
   you, please do it yourself before submitting it to the laboratory.
3. The specimen container you have been given may contain a preservative. Do not dispose
   of the preservative and be sure to keep the container out of reach of children. If some
   preservative should spill on you or your clothing, rinse with large amounts of cold water.
4. Avoid alcoholic beverages, vitamins, and other medication (check with your physician
   first) for at least 24 hours before you start collecting the specimen and during the
   collection period.
5. The 24-hour collection period begins when you get up in the morning and empty your
   bladder. DO NOT COLLECT THIS URINE. But do record the time and date of this
   voiding on the specimen container.
6. Be sure to collect ALL urine (day and night) for the next 24 hours. Make your final
   collection when you empty your bladder the next morning; approximately 24 hours from
   the time you marked on your specimen container.
7. Keep specimen in a cool place; refrigerate if possible.
8. Return the completed specimen collection as soon as possible to the laboratory. We will
   accept 24-hour urine specimens during off-hours, but it’s best to call ahead to be sure we
   are open.
9. If you are collecting urine for 5HIAA, please avoid: walnuts, pecans, butternut squash,
   tomatoes, avocados, eggplant, plums, bananas, coffee, tea, and cigarettes. Some
   medications may interfere with the test and it is important to talk to your doctor prior to
   making any changes. These are: Atenolol, Inderal, Lopressor, Elavil, anti-depressants,
   and MAO Inhibitors.

1. Obtain from your doctor the proper requisition(s) for the tests you need to have
   performed.
2. Your doctor may be able to provide you with the proper collection cups. If not, stop by the
   MVH laboratory Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 AM and 5 PM.
   We will provide you with what you need. Bring the requisitions with you so we will be able to
   tell exactly what kind of collection cups are required. (The orange cup is for stool culture, the
   pink and gray cups are for Ova and Parasites and Giardia Antigen. A plain stool specimen is
   required for C. Diff.)
3. You may also be asked to collect specimen for a fecal occult blood test. Use the
   collection kit given to you by the laboratory or doctor’s office and follow the instructions.
   The fecal occult blood test can be mailed back to the laboratory using the mailer
   included in the kit.
4. The cups and cards must be labeled, with your full name, date, and time collected. It's
   a good idea to label cups before collecting your samples.
5. We suggest first collecting specimen in the yellow wide mouth container or the toilet
   seat collector. From this, you can use the spoon attached to the lids to add the specimen to
   the proper cup until the level meets the red line.
6. Your samples are now well preserved. Store your specimens in the refrigerator until
   you have completed all collections. You can then bring them to the MVH laboratory
   between the hours of 7 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday and Saturday/Sunday 9
   AM to 11:00 AM.
7. Please return all the collection cups you were provided with, even the yellow
   container. This is important. Some tests require a plain stool specimen in a clean cup.
8. Be sure to bring the requisitions with you when you come.