Wellness

[Karie2022]

Had to have a cat scan yesterday with contrast, problem is they could not get the IV in...they stuck me 4-5 times trying to get a vein and blew two veins-they went ahead with the cat scan as they told me the contrast was optimal but not necessary...needless to say it was a painful experience and was told I have tiny veins...I am feeling this an error on the techs part or does this happen sometimes? I have had many blood draws in my life and several IV's and never had them not be able to get it in....I was not dehydrated drank a lot of water that morning..just wondering if this has happened to any of you?

[conlt]

It happens routinely. 3 sticks should be the limit or they should have had someone else try.

[Lacey1]

I am an RV and am pretty good with IVs and blood draws. Starting an IV is very different than hitting a vein for a blood sample. Age, illness, and medications take their toll on your veins. Especially prednisone. If more than one tech attempted to start an IV without success, I would believe your veins were being stubborn. However, that is a good tip for anyone having a procedure involving IV access-make sure you are well hydrated!

[Shelbelle]

Very, very few techs have ever been successful at sticking me in my arms, so for years now I only have blood drawn from my hands, it stings for a moment, but the results are usually very quick with little bruising. Had an IV for a colonoscopy done in my hand too. One tip for making it easier is to drink lots of water before the appt.

[realsilvergirl]

All the time! And yeah to draw blood you just have to tap the vein with a tip of a needle . For an IV we have to shove basically a coffee stirrer all the way into your vein without running it through the other side, get blood return advance the needle and withdraw needle leaving long plastic catheter in place. Blood draws vs IVs totally different.

[realsilvergirl]

And even if you think you are hydrated...coffee dehydrates and constricts your vessels. Didbyou have coffee? That is why caffeine is in Excedrin. A migraine is from dilated vessels and blood pouring thru vessels. Caffeine constricts them lessening pain.

[RedHeadedWench]

Three sticks is the limit for one phlebotomist, then you can have another try.

I just got out of the hospital on Thursday, and my arms look like some one beat the @#$# out of me. My veins are small, and deep.

I know how you feel, I go through the same thing when I have to have bloodwork or an IV done.

[Lacey1]

One more thing-if you are obese, your veins may be obscured because of fat. Many people can only have venipuncture in one arm only, (mastectomy, Renal shunt, amputation, etc). Veins that are used frequently wear out. I have had to use patient's feet and jugular veins because we just couldn't find a peripheral upper limb vein. Many times, if patients will be hospitalized and require IV access, the doctors will insert a central line. A PICC, (peripherally inserted central catheter) can be used for long-term antibiotics, but still require a decent vein to insert it. I have a power-port in my upper chest for on-going chemotherapy-it's the way to go if you need long-term IV access.

[va603]

Hello. I'm an emergency room RN and I start many ivs. For a CT scans requiring IV contrast, we frequently have to use a larger bore iv and place it in a larger vein. For blood draws, we typically use a much smaller gauge catheter. That is probably why in the past you have never had trouble, they're just using a smaller size.

[bells4me]

I have had 7 or 8 IV's & never had to be stuck more than once. I've had them in the crook of the arm, the back of the hand and the inside wrist. They are much better than they used to be but definitely not one of my favorite things.