To refuse this blood test?

[BlairWaldorfsHeadband]

My hospital want to do a group and save. I’m a needle phobe, but hadnit done and it was a very upsetting experience.

The hospital then mislabelled the blood. So want me to repeat it.

Here’s the thing - they have my blood group on record. And blood groups don’t change. I know my blood group.

I’ve been treated quite ignorantly about my needle phobia by them and so, I don’t want to redo the test. It’s their fault they put the wrong label on it and they already have the info.

Aibu to just say no?

But that is the factual approach. There’s not really any other way to go about it. It’s not going to harm you but you could end up being responsible for losing your life and possibly your twins lives by trying to ignore blood tests that could save your life or find problems with your body coping whilst pregnant.

It’s not uncommon to end up needing a blood transfusion during or after pregnancy so you’re going to have to get over it.

I had a group and save during my 3rd pregnancy and they found I had developed an antibody to a very unusual protein that attaches itself to your red blood cells. Luckily it was picked up early and I was very closely monitored but despite this my DD was still in NICU for a week and came very close to needing a blood transfusion of her own.

Talk to your midwife, perhaps see if your area offers a specialist mental health midwife and suggest compromises you would be able to make. Ultimately the NHS doesn't really care whether you have it done it's about the health of you and your baby.

They don’t tell me anything though. Its just “you need this.” They never explain it.

I’m not ignoring blood tests and I’ve had about eight so far. I was asking why they need this one when they have the results, and if they do, why it can’t be done by someone else.

Someone explained why but that it can be done by the phlebotomy department so I’m going to try that

You can’t have it done at the GPs because the results need to go to the right place.
They will have procedures in place so that the blood is correctly delivered.
I would speak to your midwife about your ‘disability’ and see if she can arrange a person trained in helping those with a needle phobia.
I think you need to have a look at the bigger picture.
You have had it explained to you multiple times but you seem to have made you decision so I’m not sure what else can be said.
Have you considered that you will need a cannula during birth maybe in a rush which is a highly possible. You will clearly not be able to go to the two ladies at the GP then.
Take some very good advice from some people here, and maybe get some help for the phobia

Also I don’t understand why the phlebotomy department will be any different to those in antenatal.

The thing about the GPs seems bizarre. In the age of digital technology, two HCPs cannot send blood results to each other. What a farce.

The phlebotomy department is better because I know the person in there and she has taken my blood before, and is fairly understanding. I would rather have her than someone else, and she’s also good at letting me lie down.

My other suggestion is make sure you’ve had plenty of water, so you’re hydrated and are warm so you’re veins are easily accessible

Needle pad is like an inch or so square of blunt needles (usually hard rubber) they press lightly into the skin beforehand. The skin doesn’t actually have pain nerve endings that often in many parts (some areas they are close together and some not) so it can ‘fool’ your brain by confusing it. It’s more used for actual jabs rather than draws but always worth mentioning to needlephobes!

You can also have emla cream or a plaster from the pharmacy a little while before to numb the area, you’d need to sort that yourself.

If you tell whoever is taking it ‘I’m nervous and I often faint’ they WILL recline you because no one wants a passed out patient.

The clexane jabs after are really tiny thin needles.

It sounds like this is a situational anxiety so some breathing excercises could maybe help?

Do you have a support plan in place for when the baby arrives op?
Just asking because your life sounds incredibly restrictive and from experience it's very common for the arrival of a baby to exacerbate MH and anxiety issues or even create new problems.
How are you going to try and avoid passing these problems of yours into your child?

It's a sad way to live by the sounds of it.

It’s got nothing to do with digital technology.
It’s been explained to you that it’s the time from when you’re bloods are taken to when they reach the lab which isn’t always possible from a GPS as they probably have one pick up a day.

Secondly not all tests are done in the same lab or even hospital.
It is possible that in your area blood requests are done elsewhere like blood centre and possibly the bloods from your GP are not delivered there.

Generally blood transfusion requests are not done at the GPs

You’ve had many people explain things to you but you don’t seem to want to understand

Perhaps you’re better off going private

Your blood antibodies very definitely can change and if this isn't identified can cause a significant delay in appropriate blood being available (in some cases with blood needing to be shipped in from other hospitals). You can exsanguinate from a gravid uterus in minutes and a delay can make a big difference to outcome.

Your GP practice may not send their bloods to the same lab as the hospital you're delivering in in which case the sample would be totally useless.

A group and save is valid for 6-7 days, after which time it would need repeating if blood is required (because in that time your antibodies can change). Cross matching blood is not just as simple as looking on a computer report to see what blood group you were a while back - there's a bit more to it than that.

Slightly aside from the physiology of blood transfusions, this is probably a good time to try and make progress with overcoming the phobia. Although hopefully you'll have an easy-peasy, no intervention delivery, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that this won't happen and that you may need IV access/epidural/spinal peri-delivery. I'd talk to your midwife about how you're going to get through that experience before you're due and it's an emergency. Good luck.

bowl

Thank you. I’m going to ask for the needle pad!

Last time they told me I had to sit down which I thought was strange, as surely it’s better for everyone if I don’t faint.

Tak

I’m quite lucky and didn’t get postnatal depression last time, although people thought I would! I was alright after having DC1, my anxiety wasn’t any worse. The main restriction I have is I hate going anywhere without DP, usually if he’s with me I can make myself go to places I would find intimidating.

chips

If my GPs were saying they can’t do the test then I would agree. Except they aren’t and they did it last time. So...I don’t see why the hospital won’t accept it.

I fully sympathise with you OP, my ds is absolutely terrified of blood tests. He had to have one last week and got into nurses room and freaked out, had shakes,felt sick, dizzy, was crying. He’s a strapping 6ft rugby playing 15 year old and takes on the biggest tackles on the pitch but cannot do blood tests. He was referred to children’s dept as he wouldn’t let nurse do it. Today was the day and he was hysterical just trying to leave the house this morning, had the same reaction in children’s ward but the two nurses we had were great and so patient, they got a very small amount and he was anxious and panicked the whole time whilst crying. They let him stay led on bed for a good 30 mins afterwards but he still says he’s not having it done again. The fact that it takes less than a few minutes and doesn’t really hurt is if no consequence to him, in his head he just can’t do it. Good luck OP, ignore the people telling you be brave, it’s no help, when you’re head tells you something different.

walking thank you, that is very informative.

Spinals and such don’t upset me like blood tests do, nor do other medical procedures. It’s literally just these!

Mytimenow

You sound like a very good parent and I hope your DS is okay. Thank you for understanding - it’s a very real fear and no amount of “it doesn’t hurt!” helps.

I hope he’s having a nice afternoon taking it easy!

I agree with you tbh. I was in hospital

Posted too soon.

I was in hospital literally having a hammorhage and they took a blood sample to double check my blood group even though it’s definitely on their system as I’ve had it tested numerous times and have even had a transfusion before. They had to wait for those results before giving me a transfusion . I was literally saying I’m A positive but that’s not good enough apparently.

Problem is, there’s LOTS of needles involved in pregnancy and birth, it can’t really be avoided I’m afraid ...

You can say no OP but you would be putting you and your baby at risk.

They should let you lie down, no one wants someone to faint on them.

I have a needle phobia, in particular blood tests and cannulation and tbh it is a case of suck it up and get on with it. I can do it, i dont think i can but i can. Someone once said to me "its nothing you cant cope with" and thats true, i think i cant cope but i absolutely can. You have had it done before and can have it done again, you cruelly can cope with it as much as it feels like you cant. I often faint and panic and have to be held down and it's generally awful but I've always managed it when I needed to.

I have had very good care most of the time when I have had blood tests. I always say "I'm really scared, so I'm going to panic but please just keep going" I always make sure I'm really hydrated, have a Lucozade before hand and keep glucose tabs on me in case I faint. I always say "can I lie down I'm a fainter" only once did someone not let me lie down. She was so unsympathetic it was really horrible. Everyone else let's me lie down, I have something to squeeze and they just get on with it and I am fine, but she was so unpleasant about the fuss I made that it was a 1000x worse and really upset me. I know I'm being a bit pathetic but I can't help it, I will do it but I just want them to understand that I am going to make a fuss and panic.

For me it's nothing to do with the pain, it doesnt really hurt. Its the fear of fainting I think, the loss of control. I'm not sure, I had a really bad experience once. I wasn't scared before but afterwards I was really scared, but it's nothing to do with the pain it's really irrational. Something to with loss of control and the unknown?

I don’t understand why some people are afraid of dogs, water or dirt, but I accept that they are because I understand that those things exist even if I don’t personally experience them...
With the above things there may be an objective danger. a medical needle wil not harm you.

*TheDishRanAwayWithTheSpoon

For me it's nothing to do with the pain, it doesnt really hurt. Its the fear of fainting I think, the loss of control. I'm not sure, I had a really bad experience once. I wasn't scared before but afterwards I was really scared, but it's nothing to do with the pain it's really irrational. Something to with loss of control and the unknown?*
This is exactly what it is for me. The pain isn’t the problem.

With the above things there may be an objective danger. a medical needle wil not harm you.

Plenty of phobias aren’t about objective danger though.

@Pinkvoid and OP I was told by a hospital midwife, as I was pissed off by all the blood tests I had to have in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, that even though they give you your blood group and rhesus status if you need a blood transfusion they have to check again to prevent them getting it wrong.

I suspect they tell you what your ABO blood group is in the same way as the blood transfusion service do - simply for information purposes.

In my case the tests my GP ordered where on the hospital system because I use the hospital phlebotomy department for them, yet a lot of them were repeated at my booking appointment due to the way they package blood tests.

Your blood can develop different anti bodies. You must have it done before every transfusion operation or birth. Wrongly matched bloods can be fatal so you would not want them to use details from an old sample.