Calling all medical people...any suggestions?

A nurse at the children's hospital once started an IV on me while I was having a seizure in the back of my hand, so she must have been pretty good at it!!! Maybe you guys could find her and ask her to do it, if she could do that I imagine she can get blood out of a rock.

The nurses always try to draw from my left arm because I'm right handed. They never find a vein so I alway ask them to just start with the right arm or I know they'll stick me about 5 times before giving up. I know, not really good advise, but I guess I'm suggesting they try another location.

I'm another person who has a hard time getting blood drawn. If they don't used the right vein and do it just right, they have to fish around and I usually end up with a grapefruit-sized painful bruise.

I've never actually drawn blood, but I used to write quality assurance studies for the medical field so I know something about the process. I was going to recommend the same things Pat & Alix recommended...make sure you're hydrated, learn which of your veins work and don't work (and don't be afraid to tell them about it), and ask them to use a butterfly needle if it looks like things aren't going to go well.

Glad to know I'm not alone........they have to draw more blood next Friday, so I'm hoping for someone who knows what they're doing this time!

Originally Posted by sherral46

ButterflyDreame- I've had blood taken from an artery for a blood gas test and it HURTS. I actually yelped in pain when they stuck that thing in my wrist. Yikes!

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I had it drawn this way 1 time,I cried it hurt so much,and I was 30! It felt like they were going for oil,1000 feet into the ground!![/quote]


Yes it does hurt, I should have mentioned that. Arteries are surrrounded by lots and lots of nerves to protect them....and it hurts really a whole lot to draw the blood.....and funny thing I was a respiratory therapist/pulmonary tech in the Air force and I would always tell my patients before hand that it would hurt. Never did I realize just how much till last year.....I got sick with a really severe case of bronchitis.

One of my co-workers drew a blood gas on me and Yeee Owww...


Now, big thing with arterial blood gases...it can require a bit of fishing. If you are willing (and I was as a patient) to let a student do it, be prepared for them to miss. It is even fairly common for an experianced RT to miss the draw for an ABG. Just cause you base where you go off the pulse.

Bit disturbing I guess but I would close my eyes before I drew to visualize where the artery was based off the pulse and nearly never missed.

I had been on a roll of over 50 patients and hitting it first go.

But like I said, some are tough draws....weak pulses.....ect.

I have small veins, and I bruise SO easy.... and I'm a slow healer...

So when I have to have blood taken, it has to be from someone who knows what they're doing, otherwise I'll end up a pin cushion. I usually start with the ?'s, "I'm really afraid of needles, you don't miss do you?" , and I tell them that I bruise very easily, and heal slow. By this point they are usually calling for the best nurse in the bldg cause they don't wanna be responsible for me!

And even with the best nurse I still get a giant bruise, and it takes 1-2 weeks to heal!

I gotta tell you guys, some of these posts are making me very naseous....

You guys are making me hurt just READING this!! OWEEEE!! This fist and last time I ever had blood drawn I got a newbie and he didn't know what he was doing. I was freezing and my veins are hard to see and find anyway. They would schedule me to get blood tests done and I would skip them. The next time I go I need to get me blood sugar tested since diabetes runs in my family and I am tired a lot and bruise easily and take a while to heal me. Could be just iron though..

I went for bloodwork this morning before work, and I'm happy to say that the girl got me in the chair, jabbed me, got three viles, and I was on my way within 5 minutes! It was wonderful. I guess some people are just better at finding veins than others.......I told him I'm coming back to her next time I need it drawn!

Yay! Now that is a bit of good news

I have nice veins, but they are rollers
Those with more experience at it have no trouble with them.
Those with less experience opt for a butterfly to the back of my hand.
Much more painful, but they ususally get it first try.

Luckily I have a very high threshold for pain, I just don't like coming out looking like the victim of a mugging or a beating

Everybody has great trouble getting blood from me - or did until a few years ago. They would all look at the vein on the inside of my elbow and remark how "good" it look for drawing blood. They would insert the needle and it would sit there looking extremely promising but going "uh-uh you're not getting any blood out of me". I must have the meanest veins around, they could honestly only squeeze a teeny bit out in the bottom of the container.

When daughter was born, they wouldn't let me out of hospital until my blood had been drawn, after three attempts the Sister came in the end and re-opened a site they had used only a couple of days before and managed half a syringe full.

Then....a couple of years ago when I went for my 6 monthly cholesterol test, I explained to the nurse and she commented how she thought my veins were "fibrous".

She asked if I would mind if she tried to get blood from the artery instead - wow! what a difference - I gave the blood needed in no time. For me it doesn't hurt any more than trying to get blood from a stubborn vein. It just requires more care afterwards to make sure there is no further bleeding.

Now, I just tell them to take the blood from the artery and explain that however promising the vein looks it really isn't worth trying.