To ask if anyone else gets really drained by blood tests?

[user1477282676]

I had one this morning at 11.00am (I'm in Oz) and since then, I've been totally wiped out....I do get very squeamish and used to always faint during blood tests but now I'm a bit tougher I know how to concentrate so I just feel a bit ill but tend not to pass out any longer.

However...since I had it done, I've felt "delicate' all day. Had a few light headed moments, am knackered and a pin prick rash has appeared all over my inner forearm. Nurse only used ordinary cotton wadding and a bit of that dressing tape....nowhere near where the rash is.

The nurse was very good at taking blood...she was fast and it hardly hurt...I just wondered if feeling so tired and unwell was normal?

I've had to come to bed and it's only half eight!

I think everyone is giving you a hard time op.
If you have a phobia you have a phobia!

No need to belittle her for a manual health issue with eye rolls or unnecessarily rude "get a hold of yourself" and "quit indulging yourself" and "I eat freezing cold poison before I get up and our dad makes us lick the road" comments.

If you're allergic to latex, and the adhesive on the bandages, that can illicit an histamine response like as if you have been stung by a swarm of bees.

Op, can you discuss these issues with the nurse before your next appointment. Make sure she doesn't wear latex gloves, use a latex based adhesive on the bandages and that you could have a numbing cream in the needle site. An earlier appointment would be better as the dust from latex circulates throughout the surgery, so if your in early and she uses plastic gloves, the latex dust won't have become airborne.

I hope you feel better soon.

Sorry, that should read, a possible mental health issue

Similar to a pp, I've had one experience a bit like this, due to repeated attempts to get blood out of me and failing. After ruining the veins in my elbow, the tourniquet was put round my elbow and blood taken from my thumb. I was very shaky right after and felt sick. I'm never squeamish!
I had awful bruising and I did feel very drained by it.
Don't worry too much op. I know a number of people who react "badly". My brother passes out very suddenly at the sight of his own blood and takes a while to recover. A friend of mine at school passed out at every vaccination we had.

I react really badly to injections of any sort. My blood pressure drops and I feel faint. An anaesthetic told me it's a vasovagal reaction. It's a reflex so you can't just pull yourself together. My dad is the same. Ex marine and ex policeman who has been in war zones but faints when having travel jabs.

I've given blood several times but told it's not worth me fainting for less than a pint. The first time in my life I fainted was after I gave blood for the first time. I collapsed into my tea and biscuits.

If you're squeamish, it must be a reaction to the stress as the amount taken is tiny.

I always feel a bit wan when I donate blood, but I think I can't spare that much.

I always tell the nurse or doctor if they need to take blood that i have a phobia. It once took 45 minutes and 2 applications of numbing gel to get a cannula in plus child sized needles. Getting the cannula out was another story again.

Some of these responses are awful

it's a rare condition, but I have PoTS and cannot function after the smallest amount of blood is taken it's bloody awful. I have to drink litres of fluid a day to literally keep on my feet, and even with very patient, kind and experienced nurses it takes about six attempts to get into the vein.

Cannulas which I've had to have a number of times are extremely painful coming out it's like my body grips hold of the bloody thing.

Drayton, agony removing as had been left in too long and l had an allergic reaction to the drugs being pumped in me.

I did not have a choice nor did i want to refuse to have the thing put in as was very ill. Just needle phobic.

Penguins that sounds awful! I don't have PoTS but I do often feel faint on standing quickly and I have very low blood pressure too.

I agree..some posts are ridiculous in their sniggeriness! It hurt like hell when she took the blood but that's not what bothers me....it's just that feeling like you might faint thing. And it lasted all bloody day this time! Not something I can control.

I say it hurt like hell when she took the blood....but the needle going in was nothing...no pain really. There was this ache whilst the blood went.

Frances, knew the water one but not the tissue tip so many thanks for that.

. When I was younger I had to have blood taken lying down as I hate needles and feel faint.
On more than one occasion I'd get outside and then almost pass out at the bus stop afterwards. It was a delayed reaction.

I get regular blood tests due to having cancer a few years ago and can sit up now for blood tests. But even after all the testing and operations etc.that I've had I am still terrified of needles !
I sometimes feel a bit sicky and shaky afterwards but think it's due to the amount of blood they take.