Blood tests and drinking water!

[mummytosteven]

If you need a blood test and your veins are hard to find, make sure you drink some water beforehand, as being dehydrated makes it even harder for them to find a vein.

Guess who went for a blood test this morning and didn't bother with breakfast first

Hope you're not too bruised!

I always drink loads though and they can still never find mine.

just a 1p sized purple bruise to report as yet, cross fingers!

I've got rubbish veins too. They are quite deep and they leak a lot.

Plus I am allergic to plasters so either I get a big itchy patch on my arm or I drip blood afterwards....niiiiiiiice.

I once had a glucose tolerance test so had a needle in my arm for three hours - afterwards I was bruised from shoulder to wrist - it was horrible!!

Miaou - I'm allergic to plaster too - skin gets blisters and comes off with the plaster [barf]

yikes I'm really a bit of an amateur at this blood test lark compared to you two. For a GTT do they normally have to stick needles in you for hours on end then, or did they have trouble finding veins for that Miaou?

And keep warm!

Still shudder from the time they sent me out from the clinic in the cold across the road to Phlebotomy - didn't take a coat, got lost, was freezing by the time I got there. Couldn't find a vein in my elbow at all and were threatening to take it from the one in my foot (eurrgh!)
Eventually found one on the back of my hand but was not comfortable.

I have had two GTTs and they didn't leave the needles in - had two blood tests each time, two hours apart.

They put one of those canulas in my arm when I had it done - this was about 10 years ago though. The canula pierced the other side of my vein so it was happily leaking away for three hours before anyone realised....yuk

Glad they don't do that any more then!