Aibu

[YourMerryLeader]

I have regular blood tests.At the last test, the nurse (who has taken my bloods many times) asked if I ever had problems having bloods taken and I said I didn't. She said my veins were awful.The next thing, there is blood coming out of my arm and on to my seat and coat.The nurse swore (the "f' word) and mopped up the blood.She used my other arm to draw another sample.Both arms were bruised.
AIBU to think the nurse should not have said my veins were awful and that she should not have sworn?

Very unprofessional from the nurse & not at all reassuring. I'd be requesting a different nurse for future blood tests.

I think you're overreacting people can have bad days, people aren't perfect. Surely you have heard people swear before, Surely its not something you get upset over. I have terrible veins me and hcp always joke about it when they are trying and failing to get blood out of me. Basically lighten up

If you felt the service fell short of the required standard, submit a complaint.

I cannot imagine being upset/offended by a nurse describing my veins as awful.

I think asking if you had any difficulties in the past as she was struggling is fine, swearing is unprofessional. How many times did she try to take blood. After a couple of goes she should have got someone else to try. For along time i had fear of needles because someone didnt step back.

I think it unprofessional to tell a patient their veins were "awful"- this nurse has taken my bloods many times without any problems at all.To swear when my arm was bleeding was not acceptable!Also, if my arm was bleeding, why couldn't that blood have been collected?
I'm not going to complain, I have to use their services on a regular basis.

Just slightly of topic have none of you heard drs and nurses swear before? Because I've heard it multiple times I've never really thought much of it their adults and its a frustrating job at times. My gp swore yesterday when we where having a conversation

Because thats not how blood tests work 🙈🤣🤣🤣

Surely if the nurse could not find a vein, there wouldn' t be any bleeding??The blood was all over my coat and chair, hence the swearing!

Oh for fucks sake, here we go, looking to be offended wherever we go.

Well she shouldnt have sworn but as someone with 'terrible veins', Im often told they're terrible and I tell them as I walk through the door that they're terrible too.

I'd be more upset she bodged it to the point it could've damaged my clothing.
I've never heard a nurse say fuck. It's not professional.
She also could've said your veins were very small, she didn't need to say 'awful'. Again very unprofessional language.

And out goes another NHS worker. Well done.

Well if you aren't going to complain, what was stopping you challenging her at the time?

I have regular bloods taken including by this nurse who has taken my bloods many many times.Neither she nor anyone else has had problems taking my bloods in the past so to get told out of the blue that my veins were "awful' was unexpected.I have never bled like that when having bloods taken, it was a shock to me and quite scary to be honest!She swore as she was cleaning up the blood from my coat.IMHO, she should not have sworn.
i think its ok to ask if the patient has problems taking bloods , not offended at that, just confused as to why after years of regular tests she commented that my veins were awful when I have never previously had any problems.

Had you drank plenty of water that day

i also have very regular blood tests. Usually my veins are praised but once I was told I had bad ones. I suspect I was a little dehydrated on that occasion.

OP - make sure you have a large glass of water an hour or so beforehand.

i agree the nurse shouldn’t have sworn but I’d just forget about it.

So why didn't you say something?

If you couldn't say anything about it at the time and aren't prepared to offer feedback now, what did you want from the thread?

Your veins aren't 'awful', she is just not that good at drawing blood. Some people aren't even it they do it daily and thus most of the time when that phrase is used 'bad veins' it's simply excusing how poor they are at their job.

I got told recently that I had "delicate" veins. Four attempts and three different staff later they got what they wanted. I wasn't impressed but appreciated they needed to do it.

No-one swore, that was definitely non professional.

I’m always told my veins are awful because they, the swearing wouldn’t bother me either.

Yes I always drink before getting bloods done.
There wasn't much I could say to the nurse about her comment, I have no idea what my veins are like but no HCP has made any comment before, good or bad.
I didn't challenge the nurse, I had blood running down my arm and on my clothes, I wanted my bloods taken and to go home, not to challenge someone who will be taking my bloods again in the future.

Have you never jumped and swore in surprise before? It was a sudden reaction to an unexpected event - after nothing was happening, suddenly there's blood every, as you said yourself. It was just an instinctive, surprised reaction.

Oh. My. God.

Not the F word? I'm surprised you didn't faint on the spot OP.

The F word. I don't think I could recover from that. Hope you logged it with 101?

I’ve had nurses get frustrated because they couldn’t get blood from me a number of times. Sometimes it feels like they are getting annoyed at you for something you have no control over. They shouldn’t do that. It’s part of their job and it’s not fair on the patient.
If it is a genuine case that they swear because they are surprised by something and it just slips out, fair enough. They should not curse because they are frustrated and definitely not to convey frustration. Part of being a healthcare professional is the ability to stay calm even under pressure otherwise a&e would be full of doctors and nurses going around swearing and yelling at patients.
It is very unnerving when a doctor or nurse is tense, irritable or visibly stressed especially when you’re feeling vulnerable.