Blood test tomorrow - and seemingly non-existent veins

[ManicMinor]

We are taking ds2 to the children's hospital tomorrow for a blood test - our GP had to refer him after she failed to get a vein, it's apparently the first time she's failed to get blood out of a child for 13 years! This is despite us giving him a lot to drink and keeping him warm, he was cuddling a hot water bottle just before we went.

He's only 3 so I want to minimise the trauma and increase the chances of success as much as possible - is there anything else I could be doing in preparation? And what will the children's hospital be able to do that the GP doesn't do?

From experience I would insist they use the numbing cream NOT the spray

When Dd was having canulas put in with the cream she would moan at being held but was okish with it with the spray she cried a lot..It really hurt her.

Good luck

I have the same problem with DS, he is 13 now. We were always sent to the hospital and he was put with the most experienced phlebotomist who seem to be able to know where the vein was without actually seeing it.

Don't worry the people at the hospital will be way more experienced at taking blood from small people and will probably do it with no issues at all .

That will use a canula at the hospital I would guess rather than just putting a needle straight in the vein. It does work they had to do this with my DS when he was a baby.

Thanks all, here's hoping it will all go smoothly! I hope they do use a canula, they are doing a lot of tests so I suspect they will need a reasonable amount of blood. He had the numbing cream when we went to the GP and it did the trick - along with iPad distraction!

Both my children have had blood tests in the last week. The numbing cream is excellent but ask that they put it in a number of places rather than just inside the elbow. And give it a good hour to work.

My son is very difficult to find a vein in - he's a chunky baby! But the phlebotomist was fantastic. They are very experienced. Hope it goes well.

Certainly in our area gps don't routinely do bloods on adults never mind kids, so I would always expect phlebotomy/children's ward to take them.

I have seen a dr on kids ward use a little device with a light (can't remember if it was uv/infra red) that shows the veins more clearly when its shone on the hand/ arm.
Get the cream put on hands and elbows (spray doesn't always work and tends to shrink veins anyway). Veins are generally easier to find in hands than arms with kids.

Personally I'd hold him on your lap with his bum on one leg and his legs draped across your other leg (ie sideways on), with the arm they want to use tucked under yours so he's cuddling you. That way he can't see what theyre doing, you can keep a good hold of him and people taking the bloods get the best access. He can then sit with the iPad. Good luck, sounds like you were doing all the right things to prepare last time so really it's up to the hospital now.

That light sounded interesting thought I might buy on so had a google, only 6000 dollars, so maybe not.

Noticed they are inventing new glasses that do the same thing.

I worry about it as DS has anaphylactic allergies.

you can buy the emla cream at the chemist, so maybe get it on at the strategic places before going (wrists, elbows).
good luck! and hopefully good results.

Locally GPs don't do blood tests on children all go to the hopsiral where they are specially trained and great.

Our GP practise can never get blood from me but the hospital phlembotamists have never failed.

Glad that's over with! Turns out he really is tricky - they tried the elbow area first and failed, then got lucky eventually on his hand - they were starting to worry. He did so well, but was properly upset by it, I hope we don't need to have more tests any time soon.

Thanks for all the reassurances!