To be surprised people find cannulas painful

[User4647]

I’ve had Loads and they had one be painful. I’m surprised that most other people find them painful.

What a weird thing to boast about 🤣

I've had around 18, I found all to be quite painful while being set up, but once it was in everything was fine.

I have a scar on my wrist from a cannula from when I had my appendix out in 1996!!!
It burst the vein it was in, and my hand swelled up. That was pretty painful...

It has a lot to do with the skill of the person inserting them. Also with how easy/difficult they are to insert. I had to have surgical management of a miscarriage a few years ago. It took two hours to insert the cannula (nurses couldn't do it, consultant finally spent a good 45 minutes trying to find the vein with an ultrasound machine to get it in). By the time I made it up to theatre, it had shifted and they had to do it all again - tried both hands, both arms, both feet - until finally I ended up tipped upside down with them inserting it through my neck.

I would say it was 'painful' (I have a high threshold for pain), but it was annoying to be poked and prodded and tipped upside for 2 hours. Even the consultant was massively stressed by the end of it. This happens pretty much every time I need one though, so I'm used to it now.

I've been in hospital several times and had many cannulas with very few problems. Unfortunately, the last one was against my thumb bone and had to have fluid pumped in through it on a daily basis - it was excruciating. The 4 I had on the back of the same hand were fine.

Odd.

Ever had one by a junior doctor on their first day, try five times and get a nurse to do it?

Have any crappy veins?

Mine end up in my ankles.

And DT1 had here in her head, fancy that?

Very weird flex but ok.

@User4647

I don’t mean it in a bad way I just feel it’s over so quickly that it doesn’t hurt me. I know it probably varies due to veins and how good the person is.

Well there we are. Lots of opinions and experiences to prove once again that yes, we are all different.

Next week we will talk about eyebrow plucking. Is a quick suck of gas and air acceptable? Or should we be brave to be beautiful.

Now here's Jeremy with a lovely hand knitted jumper and an update on the weather near you ..............

I had one yesterday. No problem with the cannula. But the iodinated contrast dye going in felt pretty awful. It really hurt at the site of the cannula as it went in, which was weird because the cannula itself didn't hurt at all.

It depends where it goes in, how sick you are (affects your intravascular volume), how your veins are generally, skill of the inserter (and everyone has to learn, we all have first patients), and what's being infused. Saline doesn't usually hurt, some drugs sting even in the best vein. It's a bit weird & unkind to be judgemental about it 🤷‍♀️

I mean . . . it wouldn't make the shortlist for my favourite experiences. I hate crap veins, though. I have experience some issue with them. They're not agony, but they're far from pleasant.

Hmmm. I can see you also have extensive knowledge of human phlebology.

@AriettyHomily

Odd.

Ever had one by a junior doctor on their first day, try five times and get a nurse to do it?

Have any crappy veins?

Mine end up in my ankles.

Junior doctors, trainee nurses, etc. are never allowed to do blood tests or cannulas on me. My veins are almost non-existent and the most experienced person is always called for me. It wouldn’t be fair on me or the trainee.

I have crap veins and always experience some issue.

This may be one of the weirdest AIBU posts I’ve ever seen😂

I had one in my hand during labour. It was awful and more painful than the labour itself. It put me off having any more children not because of the birth but in case I needed another cannula!

I had a cannula put in when labouring with DS2 (a heavy baby who might have needed c section to get him out)
It was more painful than pushing out a 10lb 7oz baby

I've only had one (crook of elbow) and found it surprisingly ok, but it might have been because the junior doctor told me in advance it was the first one he'd be putting in in A&E, and after three goes he'd get somebody else to do it.

It was fine first time! It was a bit annoying to bend my arm, but I couldn't feel it otherwise. The cold when they first put something through it wasn't very nice though.

I find the temperature change the worst bit when giving blood too tbh, when you feel it warm in the tube over your arm.

Strange post.

The bruises I had on the back of my hand after the cannula I had were very sore. I found the cannula more painful than the c section I had!

I guess we all have different levels of skin sensitivity.

No sense, no feeling, as my DM would say..

They really hurt me. I have had lot. Veins are hard to find. I'm surprised you're not a nurse wit that attitude.

@User4647

I don’t mean it in a bad way I just feel it’s over so quickly that it doesn’t hurt me. I know it probably varies due to veins and how good the person is.

You think it probably varies but don't know if you're unreasonable to be surprised it can hurt other people more than it hurts you...

Do you usually lack imagination to this degree?

I’ve had so many cannulas over the last 10 years due to a condition I have. My veins are now horrendous and they usually find it very difficult to find one that isn’t so scarred or collapsed. This now usually results in the cannula being put in my foot...it can be pretty uncomfortable when you’re already in excruciating pain.
Everyone’s different though....

I've got a phobia of cannulas, which I think stemmed from seeing a relative with one in her hand when I was very young, I remember to me it looked really painful as the tape holding it in place was pulling against her skin and the association stuck. I've only had to have blood taken once and it was so painful it felt like the phlebotomist was trying to hack my arm in half.

However, I am a blood donor and think absolutely nothing of having a needle many times bigger in my arm. The first time I donated I genuinely didn't realise the needle was even in until they told me. I really wasn't expecting it to be like that but it was.