I was told yesterday that I need to get some blood drawn for some tests.
Yipee. I have small, deep, jumpy veins. The last time someone succesfully drew blood from me, I was 12. They tried to get a vial of blood out of me a couple of years ago, and the conclusion they came to was that I didn’t need the test that badly.
Yesterday, both of the techs on duty examined my arms and hands. One of them stuck me, without being able to hit a vein. The other one told me I wasn’t hydrated enough, so drink lots of water and come back tomorrow.
Today, so hydradated that my kidneys were about to float out to sea, I reported to the lab. Three techs. Five sticks. A small amount of blood, which was later determined to be of insufficient quantity to do any of the four tests my doctor ordered.
sigh
As soon as my arms heal, I need to go to the hospital and have them try it there.
Would slashing my wrists open with a dagger and collecting the blood in a ceremonial bowl be an option? I think it’d be preferable to these fishing expeditions. I am not blaming the techs, by the way–they were all great. Very smooth, very apologetic, very careful not to let me go shocky. Nonetheless, my arms hurt. You can’t have three people stick you with needles, even if they’re very very good at it, and not have it hurt. And I’ m woozy besides.
At the hospital, I think I’m going to ask for the most sadistic brute they have. Hopefully, they have people who have been in situations where if they don’t get the blood drawn, or the IV started, or whatever, the patient will suffer, so if I’m lucky they’ve learned to be rutheless. I don’t care what they do to me–just get the damn blood out so I can get on with things!
Anybody know anything (besides keeping hydrated) I could do to make the little buggers pop up?
I’ve got crappy veins, but not quite as bad as yours. One time I needed an IV started and it took 2 people 5 tries to get it set. Lately, they seem to have the best luck on the sides of my arms.
Hydration is good. I’ll send some good blood vibes your way.
When you go to the hospital, ask if you can have someone from the Pediatric Floor draw your blood.
I have small veins too, and it’s always been quite a struggle to have blood drawn. I’ve always had the best results with with the nurses/techs etc. that are used to dealing with the tiny veins of little kids. Nothing surprises those people. Depending on how small you are, it may also help if they use pediatric equiptment (smaller diameter).
Mine aren’t quite that impossible, but it does take a good tech to get blood from me without hurting me. One time in the Navy, I had a corpsman try 4 or 5 times and finally explode one of the veins before she asked someone else to help. I was not real happy. Another time, a nurse decided to use a butterfly and take it out of the back of my hand. OW.
I have a similar problem, with me they generally forgo the normal stick the needle in the crease of the elbow, and instead go for somewhere on my upper arm.
Clenching and unclenching your fist generally makes the veins stand out, so that might be worth trying. And asking if someone from pediatrics to take the blood is a good idea - they seem to be good at it!
The one that actually paid off a little was on the outside of my right forearm. Hurts like a sonuvabitch, too, because I keep bumping it (wheras the ones inside my elbow only hurt if I do something foolish, like bend my arm) but I’ll take the pain if it means they get the blood and I don’t have to worry about it any more. Never had them try my upper arm, though.
Thanks for the suggestions, folks. I’ll ask when I go to the hospital. I have to go to the bathroom, now. Yay, hydration.
When I was working at the clinic and we couldn’t get any blood from a patients arm, we’d jab 'em in the neck. That always worked. Of course it was a veterinary clinic, so it may not help you all that much.
-Rue. (trying to help, really)
My veins make nurses and techs squeal with glee. They are large, full-bodied, easily hit, and I bleed like a champ. I have let people go ahead of me at the Bloodmobile, then I do the 50 questions after they start, and I finish up first. I’m a speed bleeder. Even with my amazing superpowers, I have had Navy Corpsmen run out of targets on my forearms (both) while trying to get a hit. Scary.
I have to draw a lot of blood in my job as a home health nurse. Last week, I went to see an older gentleman and needed to get some of his blood. He growled at me, “It always takes 6 or 7 sticks for them to find my vein”, and I thought “oh shit”. But I had him drink a big glass of water, and talked with him for awhile so he was a bit more relaxed. One stick, hit my target and got my little tube of blood. I do think hydration is imperative. And you can’t go by sight whatsoever, IMHO you have to feel the vein first. I cut off the tip of my glove’s index finger, so I can palpate easier. Maybe I am breaking all the rules of universal precautions, but the patients don’t seem to mind and I never get bled upon.
I get blood transfusions about once a month, and have developed one great trick after having a nurse stick me five times before she found my vein. Try heating up the area around your vein. If it’s your elbow, see if you can get a washcloth, dunk it in hot water then keep it over the site for about a minute; it helps with me.
I spent the morning doing blood draws in Labor and Delivery and if you’re getting your blood work done at a hospital, get a neonatal ICU nurse to do the stick. Ask whoever is trying to do your draw if they palpate veins or just visualize them. Have them use a blood pressue cuff instead of a latex tourniquet to help your veins plump up. Drink lots of non-caffeinated fluid tonight!
I’ve got a similar problem, except that my veins collapse whenever any kind of needle comes in contact with them. Only once did I not have any sort of bruise…sigh.
I’m generally hydrated to the hilt. I also exercise. when I make a fist, though, it’s as though my veins are deeply embedded within – you can see 'em, but you can’t actually feel 'em unless you probe until next year…
My doc says that I have extremely small veins…[confused]
I’ll back up the heating suggestion. Hot weather and hot showers make my veins puff up.
Then again, I’m a rather vein(y) man. I don’t gush blood when I’m donating (slow heart I guess), but my veins are very prominent even when it’s cold. When it’s hot, or after exercise they even pop out on my legs (ick!).
My profound sympathies. I have very small, deep and mobile veins myself. My personal best is nine tries before they got any blood. Heat and a little movement seem to help. A butterfly in the back of the hand usually always works but I prefer not to go that route because the little suckers hurt quite a bit. The only I.V. I’ve ever had was in the hand.
If if helps, we’ve got quite a few hard sticks at the VA hospital where I work. Many times the phlebotomist has had to go to the ankles or feet. A phlebo friend of mine even told me of one instance where the doctor went for, um…, a valued portion of a male’s anatomy to get the blood.
