To be in this much pain after a standard blood test?

[buzzheath]

Had to get a blood test done at the local doctor surgery. I get these frequently and it's never an issue. The nurse doing mine today literally stabbed my vein so hard - I have never felt such pain from a simple blood test! It was literally 9/10 on the pain scale, I almost passed it. It's been more than half an hour now and it's a throbbing pain in my arm still. And the whole area feels so sensitive to touch.

Has anyone ever had this from a particularly heavy handed nurse?

The nurse may well have hit a nerve. It happens and is nothing to do with being “heavy handed”

I ended up with a hematoma(??) for the dentist injection absolutely agony as he did it and for weeks afterwards.

I guess if they catch the wrong bit it's the same.

Hmm yeah possibly. I do think technique matters though. Sometimes I literally don't feel a thing, other times it's a little painful, depending on who is administering it.

Sounds like nurse literally hit a nerve- I’ve had this pain will subside

You're being very unfair. There's a tangled web of nerves, veins, and a bunch of other stuff in your arm (or anywhere). It's a matter of luck whether the needle gets a nerve or not.

I'm a bad bleeder and last time it took four tries to get enough blood from me. Three of the sites were fine, the fourth ached for hours. Her technique was the same each time.

@SereneFish - I'll echo that. I'm a nurse, we have no magic knowledge about what lies below your skin bar generally anatomy and experience. There is actually a lot going on there and the very best will end up prodding a nerve, because we simply cannot tell anymore than you can if there is one there!

It's now been more than 24 hours and the pain is worse. I can't really move my right arm (I'm right-handed) and there's shooting pains up and down it.

...Given I've had literally hundreds of blood tests in my life, I'm betting technique does play a role. This has never happened before.

Thanks! How long did it take to subside, in your case? Bit worried. I can't really use the arm at all.

I've had this once. A huge part of my arm was bruised and couldn't put no pressure on my arm. Went away in about 10 days.

I work in blood donation and take blood all day long.
you shouldn’t still be in this much pain and it’s definitely not normal to be hitting nerves with the needle, although it does occasionally accidentally happen.
if you have ‘no idea what’s in there’ you shouldn’t be taking blood imo.

definitely call 111 for advice or visit your GP if you can. More advice here…

https://www.blood.co.uk/the-donation-process/further-information/bruising-and-arm-pain/

If you experience any of the following please contact us, visit your GP or attend a walk-in centre to gain medical assistance as early as possible:

• Stiffness, weakness or a dull ache in the arm.
• Pain that gets significantly worse when you move the affected arm.
• Severe or worsening pins and needles.
• Severe or worsening swelling or the development of a lump in the arm.
• Redness and/or inflammation of the donation arm.
• Change of skin temperature or colour to your donation arm or hand.

I'm always black and blue I've very hard veins to find they had to go into my hand more than once .

I had this in 2009. I begged her to immediately remove the needle as the pain was unreal but she didn’t. I ended up unable to move my arm for weeks, needed physiotherapy and still experienced discomfort for many years later. I am now terrified of needles and I wasn’t before.

I’m so sorry this has happened to you, the pain is indescribable. I would see your gp as soon as possible.

You should go and get checked if it's getting worse. That's what they recommend you do.

They hit the nerve on my last blood test, couldn't use my arm without pain for 18 days.

I'd go back to the doctor, is it bruising too

So sorry to hear this. What could my GP do?

No bruising, no

This isn't correct, I can't see there's any luck involved, just a lack of training, they are putting the needle precisely into your vein, not randomly stabbing at your arm.

I have a lot of blood tests (albeit not in UK) and never had what you describe, usually I can't even feel the needle going in.

I hope @buzzheath it goes away soon, can you at least rest the arm or is it your dominant hand?

Ouch! Very unfortunate. If it was a nerve hopefully it will go down in next day or so. Take plenty of pain relief. You could put hydrocortisone cream around the area as well?
She should've apologised profusely at the time it happened. You could make a complaint but I wouldn't unless the injury doesn't seem better in a couple of days.

Crazy that people think we just stick it in there and hope we get lucky!

I know some people are easier to get blood out of than others but I do think technique matters. If I go to the hospital for a blood test it's always painless, no bruising. I have visible, good strong veins that are easy to take blood from (according to several nurses as I've been told this a few times). But the nurse at my gp has taken blood three times (so I've definitely given her the benefit of the doubt), and every time is beyond excruciating and every time I'm left with huge bruises. She's just terrible at it. After the last time I would rather the extra hassle of going to the hospital than suffer her terrible technique!

Yeah, sorry, but the people (presumably nurses) on here saying "it's luck"... That's bullshit. Most blood tests don't result in this, so it's not "luck" else it'd happen far more often.

@anonny55 @Helixpoint @Lokofloko It's now been 3 full days and my arm is a lot more painful than it was after the test! It's not painful at rest, but when doing movements like picking something up, washing dishes, brushing my teeth etc. Basically when it's extended or if my palms are facing up. Quite worried as it should be getting better, not worse, but the pain is so much more noticeable now! When this happened to you, did it get worse before it got better?!

I'm booking a GP appointment tomorrow as soon as it opens, but obviously panicking a bit now!

Please call 111