My bad experience with an I.V.

I have only had to have one IV that I remember and I actually threatened the nurse if she didn't leave the room because she hurt me so bad she made me come up off the bed. And she didn't listen to me when I told her not to draw where she was doing it anyway. I have good veins but you can't go by site on me as my veins are a bit hidden but you are supposed to go by feel anyway. When I was going to school to be a medical assistant, before my ex made me quit, the interns were practicing drawing blood. And the instructor checked me and was we have a good one and I was like uh no we don't you're not touching me with a needle unless I have to be touched. Well anyway when the nurse went to draw my blood she said she had to use an IV which she didn't but since there was a chance I might need shots and I hate needles I agreed to the one stick as opposed to two or three. Well that was a bad idea. She couldn't find the vein and was rooting under my arm with an IV needle and when I told her to stop she didn't. And I actually lost my temper and threatened her if she didn't leave my room, my husband at the time talked me into letting her try one time on the other arm. And this time she drew the blood were I told her too and got it the first try. But then she wouldn't get me a pillow to rest my arm on when my arm started going numb. Since she dangled it over a side rail and told me not to move it. And now if I have to go to the hospital and she is one of the nurse's there I refuse to allow her to treat me. But then again when I broke my ankle I had another bad experience with her. As I asked her repeately what meds was in a shot and she never would tell me what it was she just kept saying it was for pain and swelling so I will not allow her to be my nurse.

I've had more than my fair share of bad experiences with blood tests.

I have terrible veins. I'm large, so they are quite deep, but they're also very thin too and using anything but the very thinnest of needles will rupture the vein.

Some years ago when I had to have a series of blood tests I went to the lab in the same building as my doctor's office.

The guy called my number. I told him that I sometimes tend to faint when giving blood so I need to lay down.

Between my both arms and hands be poked me 12 times!!! And then he wanted to start in on my feet!

I ran out of there screaming that he was an incompetent idiot and that if he ever came near me again with a needle that he better produce a certificate showing that he's qualified to be a phlebotomist! He called the next number and no one moved!

I went back to my doctor's office and asked how badly he needed the blood sample. He said it was pretty urgent.

I went back to the lab a couple of days later at a different time so that I would hopefully miss that twit! Guess who called my number?!

I refused to let him touch me and told everyone in the room that if they didn't want to get stabbed a dozen times, to wait for someone else.

I asked the receptionist if there was anyone else. She said no. So I asked her if she drew blood. She said that she still had her license but hadn't drawn blood in about 4 or 5 years. I still took her over that creep! She managed to get the blood sample on the very first try.

When I was in the hospital in 2004 I was in such horrid pain that I was getting IV morphine. The initial IV that they had put in didn't last very long, and they were having a hard time getting another one in, so they opted to switch me to Percocet pills for the pain. I was in so much pain. Between the pneumonia, the pleurisy and the searing pain from a potential lung blood clot, I was bawling my eyes out.

The Percocet didn't do a thing to touch the pain. I begged them to get an IV in me. I didn't even care how many times they had to poke me to do it. One girl tried a few times, then someone else came and tried once or twice. Then another girl came and tried. I could tell that she was just poking for the sake of poking and wasn't really trying.

My feet have excellent veins on the top. Very visible, and yet she was blowing one after another after another.

I don't like to tell people how to do their job, but like I said, she seemed to be just poking for the sake of poking and not even trying.

If I wasn't in so much pain and could have reached my foot I would have inserted my own IV that's how desperate I was for pain relief. However, since I couldn't, I did the next best thing. I told her what to do in order to get the needle into my vein. Amazingly enough she got it right in

When I was taken up to a room they had a PICC line put into my arm. it's basically a really, long IV that is put in your arm in or around the inner elbow and the catheter inside the vein goes up your arm and past your shoulder, so that it's near your heart


http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Linesports/PICCline

Once in, it can be used for medications, blood tests or giving IV fluids.

My veins if you are a good nurse are good but they tend to move on you and my skin is pretty tough as the last person who merely gave me a tb test found out. Well when I have blood drawn its really best to use a small needle or if at all possible a butterfly. And I told this nurse this. And I showed her were the best vein is in my arm well she didn't listen to me. And she kept missing the vein. Which once I am in pain from a needle I sometimes get a bit loopy anyway and I was actually out of it when she was trying to draw the iv once she had gotten started. It was that bad. And it made matters worse that she would not listen to me. I don't like to tell someone how to do their job. But I know my body and I have a fear of needles anyway so when I tell you what works best on me I am trying to save both me and the nurse problems. They were trying to draw blood on me once and the nurse there kept missing and when she started rooting around under my skin for the vein I made her stop and she went and she got the nurse practioner and she couldn't get it either at first. Because I had already tensed up. We used to have a really good lab guy there and he was awesome he got them the first time nearly every time. When I would go to him I would simply hold my arm out and turn my head and let him do his job.

I am also quite big but my veins nine out of ten are easy to draw blood..

How ever once in hospital with a swollen ovary i needed a blood test and the actual doctor came to do it , 1 try , nothing , 2 try nothing 3 try nothing , then she tried 3 times on the other arm , she still couldnt do.. By then i was ready to scream so she got a nurse to do it , first try the nurse got it , and she said that nurses were usually better then doctors at drawing blood because they do it more often lol! but i have had a bad nurse or two ..

Hope you never actually have a iv again but if you do good luck lol!

The guy that put my IV in the other day had better luck at it, but did mention that I have tough skin too. For some reason all the RNs that usually start IVs prep my veins differently, and they always have problems finding a vein they can use.
My problems with IVs are from, small veins, veins that don't have the greatest return, sensitive veins, easily blown veins, and phlebitis before. It usually takes two RNs because the first always looks at my veins and calls for someone else. I think that's saved me from repeated poking and fishing - or maybe they know I don't have the patience to sit there while being repeatedly poked.

I always get blood drawn from the arm, not IV, there's never problems hitting a vein there. It depends on who draws blood, how many times, and what arm as to how badly I'll bruise.

In my experience the absolute best place to get an IV is in the emergency room triage area! The nurses there do IV's all day long so they're able to hit even the worst veins and they're super gentle! The last time I had to go to the ER for colitis & food poisioning the nurse there was so good- she hit me on the first try and it didn't hurt at all.

Now as far as doctors offices and outpatient clinics go- they're the WORST about blood/iv's! They never hit me, except on very rare occassions.... and I once had one idiot poke me 8 times before I finally cussed her out and told her to never touch me again! (I normally would never cuss at anyone, but I was about ready to rip that idiot's head off- I was furious!) I worked as a vet tech at the time and at that point I told the doctor, look, I can hit my veins better than any of your staff can, and he let me go for it....of course I got it on the first try! (If I can hit a basset hound's crooked veins, I can hit my own ) That was my worst experience though - 8 times is just unacceptable. When I go for my visits there now, my doctor lets me hit my own vein at his office because I won't let his staff touch me.

There is a really good blood nurse though at my OBGYN's office though that always is able to hit my veins on the first try, very gently. I know her by name and love her to pieces! I don't mind having my blood taken by her at all because she is so gentle.

I am sorry you have such a bad time. Imo, the nurse has no right to refuse you when you ask her to stop, and she must tell you what med she's about to give to you..that gal needs reporting. Plain and simple.

I have 1 vein. I tell them where it is, palpate it for them and I won't allow anyone to go searching elsewhere anymore..I've learned there is no point.


The last time I needed a same day procedure, they couldn't find a good vein to try for an iv, I did let the anesthesiologist who was great, go for a very tiny one on my wrist..without lidocaine...I think my husband had numb fingers by the time he was done...and every time I was conscious, I was checking to see that it was running okay, as I knew it could be positional..I didn't want it to infiltrate and I didn't want another iv being initiated!

UGH....I hate needles! It was very hard for me to learn to draw blood, give shots and begin iv's when I was in nursing school

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

The last time I needed a same day procedure, they couldn't find a good vein to try for an iv, I did let the anesthesiologist who was great, go for a very tiny one on my wrist..without lidocaine...I think my husband had numb fingers by the time he was done...and every time I was conscious, I was checking to see that it was running okay, as I knew it could be positional..I didn't want it to infiltrate and I didn't want another iv being initiated!

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The one in the side of your wrist? If so - that hurts, but not enough to numb the area first (I didn't even know what was an option...).

Originally Posted by strange_wings

The one in the side of your wrist? If so

- that hurts, but not enough to numb the area first (I didn't even know what was an option...).

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No, not on the side of the wrist, on the underside - place your palm up - look down at your wrist, dead center, you will see a small vein there...much more positional than the side because simply bending your wrist can stop the iv from infusing properly.

Yep...patients and especially wimpy retired nurse patients, can ask for lidocaine first before an iv...doesn't mean you'll get it, but you can ask

^Probably better I don't, locals can be problematic for me. Besides, it's the fluids that I get that really hurt - burning in my vein + a vice like feeling in my arm.

I'm not getting which vein you're referring to. On my left there's a fairly large one that Vs with a small one next to it - but they're not straight or long enough for an IV unless you go further up my arm. The right wrist has a weird spider web of veins. RNs usually make the face at my wrists and move on.