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'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 only have a set time for your donation.

Me too. The first time I donated, they used my left arm & ran out of time. This thread’s just reminded me to book my next appointment so thanks, OP!

I always have problems having blood taken GP nurses always send me to hospital but after several attempts with no success with arms and hands a doctor is usually sent for and it's taken out of my foot...Good job I have no problems with needles

I have a chronic illness and have to have my bloods done every 4 weeks and have done for the last year or so. My veins are so tiny and wriggly, that I now have to book a double appointment with two Nurses AND have to make sure a certain GP is going to be at the Surgery at that time, in case the Nurses can't get it!

Things that help; hydration, hot water bottle to warm vein (or put hands in a sink of hot water, or HCPs have filled a rubber glove with hot water before now!), gravity, really tight tourniquet, not minding being stabbed lots of times in the process!

Not only do I have teeny, tiny veins, I have lots of weird congenital malformations, like funny shaped kidneys and missing radial arteries, so it could be something to do with how I'm "plumbed"!

I've had the specialist warmer (glove of warm water) too Betsy :) Actually thinking about it, the blood vessels in my leg are atypical so my arms might have the same. I only found out about my legs recently and nobody's checked my arms.

I struggle to have blood taken, even being hydrated, warm, getting heart pumping etc. I have slightly low blood pressure and the lovely habit of feeling incredibly faint (and have actually fainted before). My medical records say I have a needle phobia. Probably I do to an extent. But I know why (bad childhood experience) so I don't know why I can't get over it.

And honestly, no HCP wants me to try and give blood. It would be a huge and spectacular waste of time.

I have very deep veins. I also have kidney problems and get blogs every few months at the renal clinic. The nurses all say most kidney patients are hard to get blood from.

I have to have blood taken every month due to being on warfrin. Its a nightmare and usually takes more than one attempt to get blood.
Of course because I'm on warfrin it then takes ages to stop bleeding.

Phlebotomy and IV lines are my job. They vary so much, there's so many different factors, and some people just do have invisible veins. Sometimes cannulating a newborn can be much easier than a fit and generally healthy adult. Mostly though you can guess their veins before you meet a patient based on their demographic, just sometimes your thrown a curveball.

Is it an age thing? Getting a cannula into my elderly mum was a big faff recently, whereas mine are very easy.

@coldwaterfeed

Is it an age thing? Getting a cannula into my elderly mum was a big faff recently, whereas mine are very easy.

Nope! Plenty of old people are easy to cannulate, plenty of young women are nightmares. Young men are usually ok, for whatever reason.

I’ve got fairly visible veins on one arm but the last time I tried to donate blood they tried both arms and cane away with nothing. Weirdly I’ve never had this problem with blood tests.

After that failed attempt I decided not to donate blood again but they kept calling me and trying to guilt trip me into coming back until I told them to stop harassing me.

I genuinely worry what would happen if I needed an emergency IV

Don't worry they can stick a needle in a bone.

Apparently my veins in my arms are easy to feel and then move away from the needle. I've had enough blood tests to say 'just a bit more to the left'.

My right hand has a lovely straight vein you can see and I always recommend it.

I don't mind the digging around so I'm quite happy to let students have a go as I think they might as well practice a difficult vein on someone without a phobia.

I’m a pain and have been close to being excluded from the donation service a few times (I have been excluded from a COVID research project as I wasn’t sending them enough blood). My veins tend to show up and then pop down just as they’re getting the needle in. Once in, It takes a long time to get the blood out of me. For donation, I’m always v close to the 15 mins and have run out of time a few times meaning the donation doesn’t count. I feel bad as I’ve been wiling but haven’t been able to donate so many times I wonder if I’m more trouble than I’m worth.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

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.

Same here. It took an hour once to get a cannula in my hand. Only managed by getting someone from a&e to do it.

@AgentCooper

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.

Haha the ones with the little clickly lancet things?

Dp did one normally he bleeds like he's been stabbed from the smallest cut but we could barely get a drop out of him with them.

I was hospitalised while pregnant last year and they really struggled to take blood. I was covered in cannulas and they are so painful when they're hanging out of your hands.
Almost every one scarred as the cannulas failed and they couldn't get blood through.

I had to stop giving blood a few years ago as they used to get so frustrated at not being able to get blood easily and when they did I had to be given packs of bandages to repeatedly squeeze to force the blood through.

@Sinful8 yup, that’s the one! It was hellish, the bathroom looked like there’d been a murder but the vial remained near empty

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.

DIY home blood test kit? What hell is this?

Sounds like a finger prick test with one of the “slicers” like for a baby’s heel,prick test. I had to do one for dd for a private blood test after getting nowhere with the nhs! First one she didn’t bleed much and I had to have a second go!

I can't even do a finger prick test! God knows what'll happen if I'm ill!

Hmm variable; hospital phlebotomists never have a problem, practice hcps pretty rubbish. Midwives weren't great but when they called a Dr no problem. I don't find being yelled at to relax very helpful nor being told the needless nowhere near me.

I have to have an annual ulinfusion due to osteoporosis which requires a cannula put in by outpatient nurses. The time before last one caused real pain and it had to be removed, the next attempt blew the vein and eventually a male nurse managed it after one of them told me she'd get someone else to have a go. I have refused to let them do it again and it's done now by a specialist unit who use ultrasound. They tell me although my veins are a bit deep they are big and straight and pretty easy. I also have low blood pressure and have never been told that can be a problem before

Roses they're talking about some sort of port as an option for infusion for me. Really hoping it doesn't get that bad.