Phlebotomist messed up my veins! [Don't come in if you don't like needles]

Ok, so maybe I'm being dramatic... :rolleyes:

At the hospital today I was having just basic bloods taking for my pre-admission stuff, and the guy doing it used my left arm... but he was taking ages and it was hurting, turns out he bruised me, so he went for the right arm. Then he did it again! At which point I started to faint.

Another guy came along and carried me off to a bed, then he did my blood in a different vein in the left arm, and left me fine (finally).

My arms have been kinda shaky and tired all day, and I feel bruised. Heh, don't worry, I'm not being like "What have they done to me?! :eek:

". Just annoyed.

Come, share your woes :smile:

*NB: This is not a complete anti-NHS thread. I'm very grateful for all the treatment I've had on the NHS!

Reply 1

Helenia

20

And THIS thread is going to be great for everyone with needle phobias :rolleyes:

Reply 2

nnkuk

*notes the severe lack of a medical response* It will be fine, just relax, I have had thousands of blood samples taken and occasionaly get bruises, but like all bruises they will heal. Its your head you should be worried about :P

Reply 3

FoeGeddaBowDeet

maybe the needle was blunt, what with all that reuse.

Reply 4

xjes7obax

OP

nnkuk

*notes the severe lack of a medical response* It will be fine, just relax, I have had thousands of blood samples taken and occasionaly get bruises, but like all bruises they will heal. Its your head you should be worried about :P

Lol ta, I'm not worried, I get a lot of blood tests too, this is just the first time they've bruised me and I've fainted! My left arm's kinda red+blue (obv. not the whole arm...).

Oh well!

Reply 5

Helenia

20

nnkuk

*notes the severe lack of a medical response* It will be fine, just relax, I have had thousands of blood samples taken and occasionaly get bruises, but like all bruises they will heal. Its your head you should be worried about :P

I wasn't aware a medical response was required. Though quite obviously you will be fine and the bruise will go away (though they're a pain in the ass for a while). Some people faint if it's a difficult job and it hurts, but it's not because you're in any danger or anything.

HenvY - reuse? :rolleyes:

Reply 6

Juno

20

I had this huge bruise on my arm from blood tests (well, it was really red, and had like laods of smaller bruises) and my sister thought it was from drugs

Reply 7

rosetinted

2

HenvY

maybe the needle was blunt, what with all that reuse.

Yeah I'm sure her arm blunted the needle :rolleyes:

Reply 8

*pink_sapphires*

1

aww, sorry you didn't have a good experience. i have had loads of blood tests lately - they're not much fun. i got a bruise from one which really hurt but it went away quite quickly. did they give you a special plaster to make up for it? the nurses at my local hospital always insist on giving me the kids plasters to 'cheer me up' after having a blood test. i hope they don't think im really ill or something!

Reply 9

Helenia

20

rosetinted

Yeah I'm sure her arm blunted the needle :rolleyes:

They'd use new ones anyway. As I'd hope most people would realise!

Reply 10

xjes7obax

OP

HenvY

maybe the needle was blunt, what with all that reuse.

Well, I do go to hospital in Hackney...

Reply 11

xjes7obax

OP

Juno

I had this huge bruise on my arm from blood tests (well, it was really red, and had like laods of smaller bruises) and my sister thought it was from drugs

Ha, aww. My friend's been telling me to try and convince people they're track marks.

Reply 12

xjes7obax

OP

Charlotte7290

aww, sorry you didn't have a good experience. i have had loads of blood tests lately - they're not much fun. i got a bruise from one which really hurt but it went away quite quickly. did they give you a special plaster to make up for it? the nurses at my local hospital always insist on giving me the kids plasters to 'cheer me up' after having a blood test. i hope they don't think im really ill or something!

Lol, unfortunately not. Jokes old geez in an electric wheelchair did shout Happy New Year to all of us in the blood clinic tho which quite made my day :smile:

Reply 13

Spiffy

11

Never in my life have I been afraid of having an injection until I had my first blood test last year. The nurse couldnt get any blood out of me because I have really bad circulation apparently, she kept going in and in on my left arm trying to get blood out and accidentaly managed to get a small amount of air in my vein. Well I sat there and told her that I was starting to feel funny, really lightheaded and sick so I lay down. She managed to get about 1ml of my blood out and then asked if she could have a poke at my other arm. I told her that I just wasnt up to it. So I lay there for a while until I felt better and then on the way home from the doctors I nearly fainted in my grandads car. It would have been better if I had fainted to be honest because it was such a bad experience; everything went black but there were spots flicking in my eyes and I was well aware of my surroundings, I was hyperventilating and very nearly threw up so we went straight back to the doctors surgery and I was lying down in the doctors office for half an hour.

After this my grandads diabetes got worse and he had to start taking insulin injections. The first time I saw him do it that exact same feeling came back from when I nearly fainted and it was terrible. I forced myself to watch him inject himself after that and to my suprise I was okay the second time. I havent had an injection for anything since but when the time comes, even sitting here thinking about it right now I feel sick and feel really hot.

I cant believe ive developed this silly phobia just because of some incompetent woman :frown:

Reply 14

loser88

12

ninstro

Lol, unfortunately not. Jokes old geez in an electric wheelchair did shout Happy New Year to all of us in the blood clinic tho which quite made my day :smile:

That's a bit sad!! :p:

I hate injections and if that happened to me I think I would quite whack said 'nurse' around the head with something rather heavy and anvil-shaped... :rolleyes:

Reply 15

RetiredAccount89

18

Helenia

They'd use new ones anyway. As I'd hope most people would realise!

don't count on it.... :frown:

Reply 16

bubu

I never had blood test only needle i had other then normal injections and tattoos is to put me to sleep :frown:

hope your hands get better :smile:

Reply 17

Profesh

20

Helenia

I wasn't aware a medical response was required. Though quite obviously you will be fine and the bruise will go away (though they're a pain in the ass for a while). Some people faint if it's a difficult job and it hurts, but it's not because you're in any danger or anything.

HenvY - reuse? :rolleyes:

A mere ruse, I suspect; and a blunt one, at that.

Reply 18

Nosmo_King

you said you've had lots of blood tests so i assume it's usually fine.

i'm the same.... sometimes the blood just doesn't wana come out and they have to poke around in the vein until they find the right spot. but moreover it very rarely happens with a competent phlebotomist who takes blood 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. doctors on the other hand, who are medically trained to take blood, but rarely do so, have left me with some nasty bruises.

Reply 19

scribble_girl

14

First time I gave blood I had the most horrrrible bruise on my arm. People thought I'd been in a fight :rolleyes:

Am I the ONLY person thinking 'sympathy vote'?? :biggrin:

Phlebotomist messed up my veins! [Don't come in if you don't like needles]

Related discussions

Articles for you