grum
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 48
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Noise, Clutter, Shopping, Gardening.
I found the hospitals r worse xxDon'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.
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.
I do every time ,but I am overweight this doesn't help .iam trying to lose weight as I am diabetic and I too drink water before I go for test .I dnt think it helped much .still cudnt get it ,but in the end she did xx phew xxHiya. I went to the GP on Friday and the nurse was to draw 4 vials of blood. She was unable to find a vein. She tried all her tricks to get a vein to appear. She asked me if I had drank any water while fasting and I replied that I hadn't. I have another appointment tomorrow. She said to drink a glass of water before coming to the appointment.
Has this happened to anyone before and are there any other tips/tricks to get my veins to pop out a bit more?
Also, she said if she was unable to draw blood tomorrow, that I could go to the hospital to have it done. What would they do differently there?
Lastly, when the GP told me I was going to have blood work done, she listed several things they would be testing. I think she said blood glucose, liver, kidney - maybe something else? Thyroid? Does anyone know what is standard for these tests?
Thank you!
I tell the nurse a butterfly is best ,but they don't always take any notice and keep jabbing away .one time I nearly past out and started shaking,after about 6 times in different places and she still had to use a butterfly.xxHi 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 had one in my underarm .I nearly went through the roof .never again xxThe 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 !
asking for that with the N.H.S in U.K is like asking for gold .can u buy it privatelyI 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.
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