Blood Donation (elusive veins!)

Went to give blood this morning - have done it once before on my right arm (tried once on the left and they had to abandon it because I started to bruise). The nurse couldn't get the needle in the vein and said the best thing to do would be to come back in a couple of years...apparently it's quite common in young girls to, I don't know, become veinier (?!) over time.
Has anyone else experienced this?

Reply 1

iceman_jondoe

i dunno really my hands are pretty veiny im a guy incidently..but whn im stressed you can see loads of veins in my hands when im relaxed almost nothing
weird...

Reply 2

Samsara

That's strange, I've never heard of that before. What if you need a blood sample taken to be tested?

Reply 3

Muse

Come back in a couple of years? Was this nurse dressed in a uniform bought from Ann Summers?!

Reply 4

Lady Narcissus

Miles

Come back in a couple of years? Was this nurse dressed in a uniform bought from Ann Summers?!

LOL

Reply 5

Fluffy

Miles

Was this nurse dressed in a uniform bought from Ann Summers?!

If so it was probably a BL medic on their way home from the Union :wink:

Reply 6

Felicity9

Miles

Come back in a couple of years? Was this nurse dressed in a uniform bought from Ann Summers?!

Lol, no, she just said that I shouldn't keep putting myself through it - 3 times I've been and only one successful donation and it was flipping painful today, stabbing round for a vein! Just have to go away and vein up a bit!

Good point, I don't know what would would happen if I needed a blood test...

Reply 7

Embojembo

The same happened to me, I went to give blood in the summer and about four people tried in both arms and not one of them could get the needle in. They told me to come back another time. ah well!

Reply 8

Fire Point

nope. i am pretty veiny already.

Reply 9

Poica

Mine are supposed to be very small veins - they have trouble taking blood when I go too. Don't put yourself through it, leave it like she says.

Reply 10

Lady Narcissus

yer and its really great that you tried. I fainted last time at a needle prick. :smile:

Its a wonderful thing to try to do for some one giving blood :smile:

Reply 11

Profesh

I never was especially vascular. Suffice it to say, my own nurse having not been vested with quite the same faculties of perception, there's likely some poor sod whose heart will right now be working double-time to circulate four or five litres of bone-marrow.

Reply 12

Twaffy

They spend ages trying to find veins on me when I'm at the hospital it's annoying after a while :cool:

Reply 13

Ferrus

I have large veins but quite thick wrists and arms which of course makes it slightly more difficult.

Reply 14

Lady Narcissus

Twaffy

They spend ages trying to find veins on me when I'm at the hospital it's annoying after a while :cool:

Its awful when u faint at blood too :frown:

Reply 15

claireyfairy

i went the other week for a blood test and they tried 10 times!!!! to find blood it took 4 nurses :O i ended up fainting! and huge bruises on my arms so i have the same problem it is not a nice experience wen they cant find the vains haha!

Reply 16

icedsilhouette

I've never given blood before but they've found it tricky a coupla times when I was having blood tests to find a vein... they had to switch arms and were getting annoyed because none were visibly coming up... on the plus side, it's be bloody hard for you to inject heroin... not that you would...!

Reply 17

Juno

I was worried when I went to give blood, as when I've had blood tests they've found finding veins hard, but it was fine!

Reply 18

tritogeneia1

I used to have a lot of problems with vein-finding when I went for blood tests - they'd often try both arms and sometimes end up in the hand, but it hasn't been as much of a problem recently; I've given blood 4 times now and it was fine except for some rather large and impressive bruises. There must be good veins in my right arm; I used to use my left but since I got bad tendinitis I've refused to use the left arm for any blood-taking (I generally have no problem with needles but since my left elbow is painful anyway the idea of someone sticking a needle in it is fairly offputting :wink:

). But they manage fine with just the right, and it has got easier lately so might be worth trying again after a bit - sympathy for the lack of success though, is horrible when it goes wrong!

Reply 19

Jingaling

Eeek that sounds scary, all that stabbing around in your arm for a vein! I hope you're ok!

...It's odd telling you to come back in a few years though, do your veins become more "veinier" as you get older :s-smilie: