So yesterday, I went for a routine platelet donation, but someting went wrong with the needle stick. Holy mother of @#^&$(@# it hurt! And not a sting either, if felt like a rabid hamster bit by arm! I almost had the nurse abort the process because “Something is very wrong!” and I’m no wimp to pain.
But equally baffling, it was all textbook correct process. The needle was secure, the blood draw went smoothly, so did each return, there were no signs that the needle went all interstitial (i.e. missed the vein). The disinfectant on my arm was totally dry (if it’s not, it can sting), everything else about the process went perfectly smoothly. There was nothing wrong with the needle placement. The nurses had no idea why it was hurting and it was double checked by two senior nurses.
On the way home, I got occasional twinges of “Ow-ow-ow-F#%^%$^%-ow!” hamster bite pain. I’m still getting the twinges, but fewer and farther in between. So nurses and I are guessing:
- defective needle that either had a little barb or wasn’t sharp (it didn’t feel like the usual poke, it felt like a tear)
- somehow the needle stick lined up perfectly with scar tissue from a previous donation
- the vein got slightly scratched (the pain didn’t feel venal actually, it felt like it was my skin)
- a rabid hamster bit me while no one was looking
- my arm is going to imminently turn black and fall off
I’m supposed to keep an eye on it and call their 1-800 number if anything looks unusual about the site over the next few days. So far it looks as fine and healthy as usual.
But what would cause that hamster-chomp feeling? (Feel free to entertain with blood donation horror stories, those are always awesome!)
Hi. I do phlebotomy all the time and this sounds to me like they might’ve nicked a nerve in your arm. I’ve hit a couple of people’s nerves and they look like they’ve just been electrocuted. If it is a nerve, it should clear up on it’s own.
The nurse who inserted the needle pondered the same thing, but she said I should be feeling the pain shooting down my arm. It only feels like a hamster bite right in the crook of my arm. Would that still be the nerve just hurting in the one spot? It didn’t feel… uh… “zappy” the way I’ve experience “nerve pain” in the past. It really did feel burny-bitey.
The site looks fine, I jut wanna know what went snafu so I can avoid it next time. OW!
Hmm…maybe the alcohol on your arm wasn’t dry, and the needle pushed it into your arm? That’s all I’ve got.
Alcohol evaporates pretty fast. That should only last for a few seconds.
For platelets donations here they have a timer thing. They have to scrub your arm with this scrubby alcohol thing first until the timer goes Ding! Then they use some other disinfectant swab* or iodine also waiting until the timer goes Ding! to be sure it’s dry.
I’m quite sure the iodine was totally dry, so was the nurse, but we could be mistaken if there was a glob that we didn’t notice. Does iodine sting like a super-bitch? Is there anything that could have gone wrong with the needle stick? Like if she twisted it a little on entry or anything?
- I don’t remember the name of the disinfectant swab stuff. I was told they use it a lot in hospitals for surgeries, but apparently, a lot of blood and platelet donors have been calling in to report getting a rash, much to the surprise of Blood Services. I was one of them, but I only got a very mild rash. Iodine has never bothered me.