Nurse unable to draw blood - tips for tiny veins?

Don't worry. The Hospital will probably get bloods without much trouble as they are more experienced. If they fail to then they will use your hand where the veins are more prominent.

Dehydration makes the veins shrink so make sure you drink plenty before having the bloods taken (provided they haven't told you not to drink beforehand).

It has always been difficult getting blood out of me. I find it helps to drink LOTS of water during the 24 hourts before going for the test, and also to make sure I'm good and warm..... walk to surgery as briskly as possible. Also helps to shake your hands vigorously a few times just before attempting to take blood.
I find nurses' abilities vary considerably... there is probably one at your surgery who is better at it than the rest... if you can find out who it is and ask to have him/her draw your blood, it would be a good idea. I used to warn the nurses that I am a difficult case, but nowadays I just keep quiet....the less nervous they are, the better!
If you have to go to the hospital (and I have had to a few times) they will almost certainly be successful.... they are extremely experienced. I gather its a bit of an art, and the really good phlebotomists tend to end up working in the hospital department. They have always managed to get blood out of me with very few attempts.
So take heart!

Yes, one phlebotomist told me I was de-hydrated which is why she had a problem drawing blood. I would also make sure I'm warm e.g. don't get straight out of the car on a cold day; wait a while in the waiting area. One nurse found a vein for me on the outside of the upper arm and another, for my wife, used her wrist area.

Always have problems getting my blood, they usually get it from the side of my elbow. Once tried to give blood as a blood donor, my arm swelled to the size of my fist. Never again.

Another trick is to make sure you are warm .

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Hello
I really relate to this. I have just spent 9 days in hospital (non diabetes related) and I am black and blue from them trying to put in canula's and from lines tissuing after a few hours.
My tip is try to keep warm, hydrated (I was unable to drink hence the lines) and relax. They found that the lines used on babies work well for me to take blood but didn't hit the spot for any Iv's required. I have been rubbing anti inflammatory gel on the bruises which has help slot.

Good luck and relax!


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I have the same problem in my arms have had for many years and I am fit and healthy etc, however when they try to get blood out of my arm they fail almost every time (hurts like hell) and they have to use a butterfly needle on the back of my hand. Initially they do not like this, but when they look at my vanes in the arms they do it via the back of the hand. The hospital is OK with this, it's the nurse at the surgery that does not like this as they do not have the supplies, e.g. butterfly needle and they look at me oddly when I mention this. (I have no idea why my vanes in my arms are like this at all).

Fallgal, trying to find your post about you trying to get to grips with finger pricking for blood sample. Here is my observation :- If you lancs at the bottom of what would be your finger print and about 5mm above your finger joint crease, it is completely painless. Infact, I sometime don't feel anything and think the lance didn't fire.

Hiya I had this yesterday and the nurse got the gp to take out of my hand. I was told I was to cold as well.

I always had trouble when I was a blood donor....they always take from your left arm if you are right handed, and for many many years I had to suffer the doctor poking and prodding and huge great yellow and purple bruises afterwards...then someone asked if anyone had tried the other arm....and that turned out to be fine and no problem. The problem seemed to be that the vein my left arm ran at a funny angle and no one could find it!

Being warm helps too....the blood always flowed quicker in the summer than in the winter.

I have the same problem and used to end up feeling like a pin cushion. I got a tip from a phlebotomy nurse to make a fist with your thumb inside your fingers and open and close tightly several times. Really works for me.

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Fallgal said:

Has this happened to anyone before and are there any other tips/tricks to get my veins to pop out a bit more?

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The phlebotomists at the hospital do it all day so they have more practice. 90% of the time they have to have a few goes with me. Once they had to take it from my finger, just next to the finger nail. They apologised beforehand because they said it was painful, but with an arm already like a pin cushion, it didn't feel much different. Very occasionally, everything is OK and they get it first time. On a couple of occasions, the phlebotomist had to get someone more experienced.

This always happens to me... and having tattoos covering the area doesn't help either because of the pain. I always ask them to use the back of my hand now, much easier and no pain at all...

Hi Fallagal & everyone else. I'm a bit late replying to this but I thought I should share for the benefit of anyone else as well . I work in a hospital and also take blood and pop cannulas in, even for hospital staff it can be difficult, but there are more tools and different types of needles and tactics that we can use to be able to obtain the sample. Obviously dehydration or low blood pressure can make vein puncture extremly difficult, especially if someone is usually difficult in the first place. In general you need to keep warm, try wearing a glove/pair of gloves, you could even wear them for the procedure as the phlebotomist or blood taker will mostly go in the upper arm, but the glove will help to keep ur arm warm. Also with a tourniquet on lower ur arm down beside you and off the chair for a minute and open and close ur fist/hand repeatedly which will hopefully (usually works) bring the veins up to the surface, at this time the phleb or blood taker can search for the vein to reduce the amount of time the tourniquet stays on (as this can cause bruising). Feel around the centre crevess part of your arm for that bouncy vein, it may even feel like a pimple size (which I have found with some people, that's its just a small spot area where a very small part of the vein has come to the surface), the way to test its a vein and not a tendon or anything else is to keep ur finger on that part and release the tourniquet, if it goes down (the vein, deflating feeling) then it's a vein! Other things are filling up a rubber glove or bag with warm water and applying to the area for 5mins and trying again. Also ask if the blood taker has a butterfly needle preferably 23G size, they have a smaller thin needle and with a extension tube (flexible) connected to it that goes to a thing called a vacutainer which u apply the blood taking bottles to. It's great for control of the needle and delicate as can possibly be for ur vein.
I hope this becomes help to any of you out there as I am only trying to help and give the best advice I can from my experience. I don't ever comment on these forums usually.

I am a Registered Nurse and have a lot of experience drawing blood. Dehydration is a huge factor for missed sticks... Some people even when hydrated are still just naturally difficult sticks. They either have tiny tiny veins, very deep veins, or are edematous which gives added difficulty. I consider myself an expert at blood drawing and will recommend getting an illumivein vein finder to anyone who is a hard stick. It's $25 and well worth the small price.... You can ask anyone drawing your blood to use it to help them locate the best vein. Honestly I use it when ever I can't find a good vein and it is successful every single time.

The wife has this problem,they take it from the side of her wrist just above the base of her thumb .. to the back of her hand !

I have tiny veins they also have trouble getting blood out of me normally if 1 cannot do it they get somebody else they eventually get blood out of me do not worry