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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Bizarre conversation with phlebotomist

89 replies

carabos · 30/01/2013 11:27

I've just been for a blood test. The phlebotomist took several vials of blood in the normal way, put a cotton ball over the needle prick and immediately said "Are you on aspirin or Warfarin because this bleeding isn't stopping?"

I said no, she checked the bleeding again and said "you must be because this isn't stopping - are you sure?" - at this point only about 30 secs to a minute has gone by since she took the needle out .

I said "well I'm sure it will stop in a minute".
She said "I don't have time for this, I'm going to check your records".

Then she looked again and lo and behold it had stopped. .

AIBU to think she was over-reacting, especially as I had told her I wasn't on any medication, there wasn't a queue for her clinic and it was only a bit of blood from a pin-prick?

OP posts:

GetOrf · 30/01/2013 20:18

That's probably a good idea that you don't tell people you;re learning, I think it would make people nervous.

I have never heard of these butterlfly things.

denialandpanic · 30/01/2013 20:22

I'm a nightmare to get blood out of.before my shoulder surgery I was 1.5 hours in pre open where they couldn't get anything into me and after ruining both arms (one ended up tissued), no luck with knuckles, wrists, toes, they went in through my neck.it was horrific.awful anaesthetist asked if I had ever been a I've drug user .thing is I warned the reg who chatted to her before the opening! next day when she came to check on me I said I told you so and she at least had the grace to admit that "everyone says that so we don't listen". the only good thing was they pain from the tissued atm outweighed the pain from the bloody operated arm

denialandpanic · 30/01/2013 20:24

going to have to stop posting on my phone sorry that was so garbled

VivaLeBeaver · 30/01/2013 20:25

I remember taking blood for the first time as a student. We'd been taught the theory in uni, but not practised on a fake arm or even an orange.

My first day with a community midwife and she knew I'd not taken blood before. Some unsuspecting woman has an appt and the midwife inspected her veins and then told me to take the blood and she went back to doing notes and didn't even watch what I was doing! I was terrified. I guess she didn't want to let on I didn't know what I was doing! I got the blood though.

crazynanna · 30/01/2013 20:35

Viva and Getorf...yes I too, find it sooooo satisfying to see the blood flow into the vacutainer tube.

A butterfly has a long thin plastic tube attached to it, which the blood has to travel through to get to the tube, so it sort of reduces the pull from the vacuum of the tube. Doing so, it reduces the vein collapsing. And,the butterfly needle is tiny in bore and in actual size, so is perfect for veins that resemble single hairs!

crazynanna · 30/01/2013 20:37

Sparkling and hazey...

Sparklingbrook · 30/01/2013 20:40

hazey your poor DS. So hard to watch them do these things even though they are essential.

propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 30/01/2013 20:44

She sounds like a wanker who is shit at her job. She'll probably get sacked so don't sweat it.

NorthernLurker · 30/01/2013 20:48

I order butterflies for our staff at work as well as much bigger needles. Anybody squeamish should look away when dialysis needles and fistulas come up in conversation

BrittaPerry · 30/01/2013 20:49

I know it isn't blood going out, but when I had to have some put in after I had DD1, the nurse or whatever actually had the manual open on my bed!

Apparently, she used the wrong type of needle, as the third bag somehow blocked, and a no nonsense older midwife had to kind of wrap the tube round a pen and push the blood into my arm until the blockage went. I still feel sick now at the cold feeling as the blood ran into my arm all of a sudden. Urgh.

BrittaPerry · 30/01/2013 20:51

You can trace the veins on my hands with the little line of white dots where I have had childbirth related cannulas :-D. I only have two kids, I must just be weird...

plantsitter · 30/01/2013 20:51

I'm finding the idea of a phlebotomist who is so busy she doesn't have time to wait for blood to clot quite hilarious actually.

hazeyjane · 30/01/2013 20:51

I know, I always have to say to them that no amount of distraction is going to stop ds freaking out, they need to be confident and quick, it seems brutal, but ds doesn't like people he doesn't know looking and talking to him, so having people trying to distract, just makes it worse. I always really feel for the drs and people when they take the blood, because it must be very difficult when the child is in such distress. (Although I didn't feel very sorry for the dr who dropped a thin glass tube of blood on the floor, after it had taken her 20 minutes to get it!)

Sparkling, you made me laugh with the paracetamol up the bum, suppositories are the future - so much easier than trying to get Calpol in!

NorthernLurker · 30/01/2013 20:52

Actually one of my sweetest work memories involves watching somebody getting blood out. We had a sweet, lovely patient who had had years of debilitating illness and treatment. As a consequence he had world class crap veins. Junior Dr bloke (who looked about 15) came along to get blood and got it first shot, Unfortunately he did it in our reception area which you are NOT supposed to do and he was rather bollocked (rightly) for it by our senior nurse. When he came back to the patient after the bollocking (she waited till the sample was secured btw) he was looking a bit chastened and the sweet patient saw that I think and praised his technique. Told him exactly how many people had missed in that past. Wee lad blushed to the tops of his ears. I hope he remembers that too.

Loislane78 · 30/01/2013 20:53

I've taken several courses of blood thinners including warfarin. At the phlebotomist will know, you have your blood checked regularly when you're on warfarin so makes no difference even if you were! They don't use different size needles or anything .

Sparklingbrook · 30/01/2013 20:54

Yes hazey DSs are 13 and 11 now, and when they are moaning about being poorly but refuse to take anything 'because of the taste' I often suggest a Paracetamol up the bum. They haven't agreed to it weirdly.

apostropheuse · 30/01/2013 20:56

I had blood taken from my earlobe the other day, to check blood gas levels as part of a lung function test. It wasn't that painful as they put "magic cream" on the earlobe first. Yep they really do. It saves them having to take it from an artery in your wrist.

I now have a rather impressive bruise on my ear though - last time it was painful during the procedure, but no bruise afterwards. I guess you don't get away Scot-free.

Sparklingbrook · 30/01/2013 20:58

I think they used to do something with your earlobe when you give blood, but now it's your finger.

Liking the sound of magic cream apostroph

apostropheuse · 30/01/2013 21:02

sparklingbrook when my son broke his arm in a couple of places he had to go to theatre to have it repaired, so he couldn't be given painkillers orally and he too had to have suppositories for pain relief. The thing is, every time the poor nurse tried to go near him he couldn't stop giggling, then she was giggling, then everyone else was too. It took several attempts to get them in. The wee soul, he was about 8 or 9 at the time.

JollyRedGiant · 30/01/2013 21:13

I like to watch the needle while they take blood. It really freaks out the inexperienced.

I watched when I got my contraceptive implant in too, but nearly passed out watching the removal so I looked away the second time I had one put in.

libelulle · 30/01/2013 21:14

Those who got lines into the veins of my son born at 2lb4oz are the ones who really deserve a medal. I still have no idea how they manage to find the veins in a baby that size - his wrists were not much fatter than an adult finger. The many scars on his hands and feet suggest it wasn't easy, certainly:( But now the trauma is a few years old I do also marvel at the mechanics of it.

Fakebook · 30/01/2013 21:24

Sparkling, you've just reminded me of when DS was born. He was underweight and his temperature was too high with every check so they suspected he might have an infection. He was rushed to the nicu and they tried three times on each hand to fit a cannula and finally got a vein in the right hand after an hour. Because of my needle phobia, I was absolutely terrified and a complete wreck, but had to stand there trying to console ds as he was screaming the place down. I hate needles. Really hate them.

Lostonthemoors · 30/01/2013 21:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 30/01/2013 21:30

People taking blood hate me, I wont let anyone take any from anywhere but my hand or wrist. I've been shouted at many times for it.

Doesn't help that I have a vein on my wrist that likes to fool people, it pops way up, is massive and bouncy but doesn't like people bothering it and will really only perform when being attacked with a needle and syringe (according to one of my GPs who figured this out it's something to do with the pressure in the vein?) however no one ever listens to me when I say this, they go for that one before any others and refuse to use a syringe so use a butterfly and it never works and I always end up repeatedly stabbed and they always do that horrid lifting the needle up and wiggling it which is fucking agony.

I used to always have mines taken by the phlebotemist at the GP surgery before she left, she was brilliant and I miss her.

Sparklingbrook · 30/01/2013 21:34

Fakebook sorry I have made you remember.

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