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 terrible veins. I've had to have blood taken out of my groin before now. It's a real problem.

I’ve donated blood a few times, though not for years. Bizarrely, when pregnant, my veins were a nightmare! Very unusual apparently, usually 6r extra blood volume makes it easier not harder. But at every appointment where blood was necessary it generally involved multiple people, inexperienced people giving up before head started and on one occasion being sent to phlebotomy!

Can depend on the person taking the blood aswell! I was in hospital and a t1 doctor gave up after trying 3 times to get blood out of me, then a nurse came along and did it first time

There is a huge variation in skill and levels of practice among HCP too. Those phlebotomists who do it all day are often amazing. And nothing makes you tense like knowing there's likely to be difficulty.

I have very prominent veins on my hands and forearms if I am hot, not very feminine at all. I have normal blood pressure (110/70), underweight and in my thirties. Nurses are always happy to take blood from me , and the one time I managed to give blood (Hg too low since) it was very quick.

@HoollyWugger that's odd because I am terrible at drinking water (I probably have 1-2 glasses a WEEK!) I do drink tea though. And my veins are great...I get bloods every 6 weeks 🤣

HCP's have always struggled to get blood out of my arms, I remember being given a special pencil case when I was about 4 because I was so brave after they suck me about 15 times trying to draw blood!
I now have one vein in my hand they can get blood from, the rest of them see a needle coming and just slide out of the way! I can't donate blood because of it,

Perversely after they have taken blood I bleed like a stuck pig and come out in massive bruises.

Every time DH gives blood or even a sample, the nurses/paramedics gush about his lovely veins on the surface. they call students over to practice he's so easy to prick. He gushes a pint donation out in 5 minutes.

I think he just has fewer veins than me. I drip drip drip in comparison.

I'm awkward as well, My personal record is five goes across two appointments, and then they gave up and sent me to the hospital.

Things that help:

Drink lots of water before the appointment. An afternoon appointment is a good idea because more time to drink.

Dress warmly.

Explain to the nurse that you have difficult veins and they will probably need the fine butterfly needle or possibly the cannula.

If you get the choice(maybe not in covid times) go to the hospital rather than your surgery - they're more likely to be experienced at getting blood. (although even they once needed two attempts with me).

Please remember to give blood unless you are ineligible. Even in tier 4 you can still travel to give blood.

Yes there is a physical thing to it, but there is an element of skill on the part of the phlebotomist.

I've had to have a blood test at least twice a year for the last 20/25 years and am now also doing them monthly for the ONS covid study. The only time they have had trouble getting a sample from my whiter than white arm with big blue veins close to the surface was a young tester for the ONS. Coincidentally I had to go to the GP about an hour later for my 6 monther and it was no problem at all.

When teen daughter was 2, there was a genius junior doctor in paeds. She'd popped some emla cream on the back of DD's hand. 20 minutes later we rearranged her on my lap with an arm under my armpit and DD was none the wiser she'd given a blood sample.

Weight makes a huge difference ime, bigger patients are always harder. And swelling from fluid retention is even worse.

If you've got rubbish veins then we can inject into bone in an emergency situation.

I have a needle phobia and my veins just disappear as I'm so terrified. Last time I had a blood test the nurse had to call in a more experienced doctor who also struggled to find a vein.

I have awful veins.
The worst experience was when my gp was trying to get to the bottom of why I'd randomly collapsed the previous day and still felt awful. They never did.
Both elbows? Nothing. Several painful attempts on each. Ended up with the tourniquet placed around my now incredibly painful elbow and they eventually found a compliant vein near my thumb which was incredibly painful.
When I returned to work I must have looked like the world's most cack handed junkie, I was so covered in puncture wounds and massive bruises.
I volunteered to give blood once. The nurse looked at my elbows and said "No." They didn't even try!

They have a horrible time with me about 75% of the time. At my local hospital the phlebotomy women either do it easily or I have half the department in trying to do it. They always need a very fine needle. It's always been the same.

I’m the same. None of these tips work, and I hate being used as a pin cushion before I’m believed

Phlebotomists have never had a problem getting blood out of me but when I tried to donate twice, both times were unsuccessful. The second time 2 people tried a few times in both arms and in the end the doctor jokingly told me to go away and come back when my veins had grown. Afterwards I felt really faint (unlike me) and the whole thing put me off unfortunately as I'd like to give blood if possible.

After about 30 minutes and 7/8 attempts at finding my tiny, thin, collapsing veins a nurse finally got a sloooooow trickle come out. It made it about an inch up the tube then slowly turned to go back down and in to my arm I had to laugh.

It's purely down to anatomy. I am an absolute nightmare to get blood from. Literally, everyone who tries ends up in a fluster and has to call in the one person who is 'really good' at the difficult patients. I have very deep veins that move around and disappear as soon as they start prodding them. I needed surgery a couple years ago, had to fast overnight and then no water (which usually helps pop the veins out) for 2 hours before I came into hospital. It took the consultant anaesthetist (who was like the top one in the hospital) two hours with the help of an ultrasound machine to finally find a vein. Then they finally got the cannula in, moved me upstairs to the anteroom outside the theatre and the damn thing had moved. So they had to try both feet, and finally tipped me upside down and put it in my neck to finally find a vein. I'm thankfully good with needles and I don't mind the prodding and poking, but I cause havoc everywhere I go that requires any sort of medical professional finding a vein.

Mine are deep apparently and at a funny angle. Seems hit and miss, some get it first time, others take one look and head off to get whichever staff they nickname "the vampire"

Like a previous poster, the pitiful amount of blood I tried to donate was firmly rejected and when I was pregnant the midwife couldn’t do anything with my veins and sent me to the hospital, the phlebotomist there took one look at my arm, disappeared for a minute and told me to next time tell them I needed a child sized needle! 🙈

Being hydrated helps a lot. However, as several others have said we're all different so it's easier from some people than others.
I'm a regular blood donor and donate from my right arm as it comes out reasonably quickly; the left arm is very slow and you onmy have a set time for your donation. I have twice had trainees do their needle practice on me as apparently I'm good for the newbies. Turned out I was the first for one of them.

Difficult veins here too. I always say use my hand as it is much easier. But they seem to then see it as a challenge, an insult to their professional competence!

Several HCP’s have said go on let me have a go, I am sure I will be able to use your elbow. I am told that using the hand is much more painful, but from experience I know that digging several times in each elbow and then still having to use my hand is much more painful.
I have in the past had to ‘not consent’ to having blood taken from the elbow before they would use the hand. It’s not a contest, seems like a difficult concept to some.

Im a nightmare too. Last Blood test, they took it eventually from a small vein at the side of my knuckle. They were so apologetic but at least it worked.

I've always had really good veins for taking blood from , until I went into hospital last month with covid. The nurse in a/e managed to get a cannula into my elbow but most blood samples once on the ward were not good at all . For my second cannula that I needed my daughter ( who works in the hospital) sent one of her team members to do it
'Because he's really good ' . He was really good too. Fitted into the back of my hand first try in less than a minute 😂. When I needed third cannula I requested him again . He does day in and day out and was great .