To wonder why some people are easier to get blood from

[Tellmelies65]

Recently I’ve had to have blood taken out of my hands rather than the vein in my elbow like I have in the past.

I have good veins my daughter does not I think its because they are close to the surface and easy to see getting blood out if them is easy.....stopping it can be tricky

You have to be well hydrated.

I have quite thin skin and clearly visible veins, and people seem to find it very easy to take blood or insert an IV line.

My Dad, on the other hand, has very thick skin and less visible veins, and it often takes many attempts and more than one person before they succeed in getting a needle in.

People have different sized veins. Veins get smaller as you age. Pregnant women have the best veins due to the extra blood whizzing around.

To ensure the best possible blood test make sire you are properly hydrated. Steadily drink extra water a couple of hours before a blood test. Don’t down a glass of water before the test , it needs time to get into your system.

HTH

I'm a nightmare to get blood from, apparently - I've also had to have it taken from my hand more than once, a midwife once sent me to the hospital phlebotomy department because 'they'll know what to do with this arm but I don't!' (they took it from my hand instead), and I once went to donate blood but they had to just throw my blood away because it didn't fill in the bag in the maximum time they'll leave the needle in for and apparently there's nothing they can do with a bag that isn't full! Drinking loads beforehand does help but I've been told that I just 'don't have very good veins'

It’s handy to be able to see and feel them, a thick layer of fat can mean stabbing away guessing. With age the blood vessels get tougher. And some roll around when poked.

Get used to it, I’m afraid. I always offer my hand first, but get fobbed off and end up with about 8 people going up the scale trying to get my veins to work.

Being pregnant helps loads of blood in your veins to extract then.

I always had a problem when I had more weight on me. I don't know if that's how it works but I haven't had a problem for a while now and I'd developed quite a phobia about it as it had been quite traumatic.

I have terrible veins. They're so so fine. Even the little butterfly needles can't find them. I have to have blood taken from my feet. Usually by an anesthetist. I genuinely worry what would happen if I needed an emergency IV

You only have to look around you to see that the human species varies quite greatly. I can boast excellent veins. Probably about the only part of me that’s well formed and welcomed by the medical profession 🤣

It helps if you are well-hydrated. And some HCPs are more skilled/practised at obtaining blood. When I have to get routine bloods I go to the hospital blood clinic as they take blood all day long, and can usually get it from me without too much trouble.

When I had blood taken for a genetics project the researcher couldn’t get anything and took me to her nurse friend in another department to stick me!

I was banned from giving blood for this reason, and have had many, many failed blood tests since.

Tips:

Warm arms
Star jumps
Pints of water
Clench and relax fist while waiting

It was great when I was on aspirin and Clexane too.

I donate regularly so you get to know your own veins. My left runs at a weird angle so nobody can get in. My right is very good but not very visible, most nurses look dubious and tap it loads to prep it but then it absolutely squirts at them!
I always drink loads to prepare, normally I’m rubbish at drinking enough fluids so if I ever needed blood taken unexpectedly it would be trickier.

Hydration levels?

The same reason some people get cancer and some don't. Or some people get heart disease and some don't, etc. People's bodies are different.

I used to (try) and give blood but was told by the nurses I had ‘small and awkward’ veins. They could never find them and had to bring the doctor over who would have to slap my arm about to find one. Even after drinking lots of water etc beforehand. In the end I had to remove myself from the register because it was such a nightmare every time, and sometimes they’d managed to draw but couldn’t use my donation. I think sometimes it’s just the luck (or lack of) the draw with your veins.

Easy veins:
Wide
Close to the surface/easy to see
Don’t move around/run away from the needle
Not fragile/don’t blow as soon as you put a needle in them
Not tortuous/twisty (so needle doesn’t go straight through a bend in the vein when you advance it)

Some of it is experience - I mostly cannulate renal patients so I am happy finding small fragile veins in odd places, often using the ultrasound, and have real difficulty with the tough, mobile drainpipes fit young men have on their forearms. If you generally take blood from “normal” patients, you will have problems cannulating a small, fragile, tortuous vein on somebody’s shoulder. I have heard neonatologists complain they can’t cannulate teens because the veins are too big and deep.

Just chance I think, placement, visibility, how much they move, how tough they are. I have one very good vein. The rest are a nightmare. Although the doctors in Tanzania just stuck them in on first go, ended up with three in at once so the choice of veins was crap but they didn't hesitate I had a doctor in hospital in england give up once and decide I probably didn't need any more IV antibiotics

I have fine veins and low blood pressure, HCPs worst nightmare for getting blood from!

The veins either collapse immediately or the blood kind of drips out and eventually the vein collapses.

I've even had them have to "draw" blood with a syringe.

Only place they can ever get it is the side of my forearm near my wrist bone and I usually still end up black and blue!

Some people have thinner veins. Or just deep set, even on skinny people.

If you feel your veins, you don't have to see them, if they are bouncy you'll be easy to get blood from.

I’m an anaesthetist so spend a lot of my time getting blood or putting in cannulas into patients other people find difficult! Yet ironically I have truly terrible veins myself and people really struggle to get blood out of me!

Despite having skin so thin and pale it's see through and all my veins are visible, I am (even when heavily pregnant) very difficult to get blood out of. There's a type of needle (butterfly?) that works better on me but I always end up covered in bruises and being apologised to by nurses/midwives.

I’d like to know this too, if only to be able to do something about it! I always need blood taken from my hand, so does my dad. We’re very similar pale pinky colouring, while my mum and sister who are much darker never have a problem. Probably unrelated but it’s interesting.

I got one of those DIY at home blood tests kits and had to bin it after trying so hard to fill the vial I felt faint. Did star jumps, drank loads, had just had shower and still only filled about a tenth of it.

High blood pressure, age, hydration, amount of times you’ve previously had bloods taken...