They think I am a Pin Cushion!

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paddoboy

Valued Senior Member
During my working life I was a regular blood donor. [NB: In Australia it is done on a volunteer basis without any payment as I have heard happens elsewhere]
Of those 76 donations over 20 years, there was a few times that the Nurse would need two or three jabs to find the appropriate vein.
This seems to have got worse over the years, up to last week when I went for a blood test and she had six shots at me...after each one she would ask how I was...both arms, both wrists until she finally jagged me on the sixth go!
I think she said muttered something to herself about dancing veins? Anyone heard of this effect? Michael?? What happened on a couple of occasions, was although she was on target, my vein literally "moved/sprung" away!
Anyone else had this problem?
 
Last edited:
Ge
paddoboy said:
During my working life I was a regular blood donor. [NB: In Australia it is done on a volunteer basis without any payment as I have heard happens elsewhere]
Of those 76 donations over 20 years, there was a few times that the Nurse would need two or three jabs to find the appropriate vein.
This seems to have got worse over the years, up to last week when I went for a blood test and she had six shots at me...after each one she would ask how I was...both arms, both wrists until she finally jagged me on the sixth go!
I think she said muttered something to herself about dancing veins? Anyone heard of this effect? Michael?? What happened on a couple of occasions, was although she was on target, my vein literally "moved/sprung" away!
Anyone else had this problem?
Click to expand...
Get a smackie...he will get it first time every time.
Alex
 
paddoboy said:
Anyone heard of this effect? Michael??
Click to expand...

Sorry no

One of the first things I did on arrival in Australia, Queensland, was to donate blood

I received a Red Cross certificate I think

In Newcastle the hospital there had a independent blood donation department

After 10 donations you received a large bronze coin (medallion ?) no ribbon attached

Had to give up donating due to bovine spongiform encephalopathy

I had been in England during the outbreak there and eaten beef

Australia had not been testing for the prion in blood donations and I understand some patients contacted the disease from receiving transfusions

From that those who had been in England during the outbreak and eaten beef were banned from donating

:)
 
I have shy veins. It takes a couple of tries for them to hit one.

A word of caution: do NOT let them go digging for a vein.

Inexperienced attendants, if they don't hit a vein right away, will keep the needle in and poke around until they hit something, slicing up good tissue in the process. This will leave you with a huge bruise that will take longer to heal, as well as weaken the tissues.

Experienced attendants will hit a vein almost right away, or they will withdraw and try again.
 
I've been called a "hard stick" many times. (Also been called a "turnip" - as in "You can't get blood from a - ".) Yet other technicians have no problem. I always thank the latter for being good at what they do.
 
DaveC426913 said:
I have shy veins. It takes a couple of tries for them to hit one.
Click to expand...
Shy veins? I like that! :D The Pathologist that did me referred it as "dancing veins"
DaveC426913 said:
A word of caution: do NOT let them go digging for a vein.
Click to expand...
Thankfully, that has never happened.
DaveC426913 said:
Experienced attendants will hit a vein almost right away, or they will withdraw and try again.
Click to expand...
This attendant was a substitute, and as I said, needed six attempts.
Michael 345 said:
I received a Red Cross certificate I think
After 10 donations you received a large bronze coin (medallion ?) no ribbon attached
Click to expand...
I have received awards after 25, 50, and 75 donations. I must though now confess that giving 76 donations did have an ulterior motive. In those heady younger days I was working for ICIANZ and the company gave us half a day off to give blood, every 12 weeks for those so inclined. ;)
DaveC426913 said:
Had to give up donating due to bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Click to expand...
When I arrived back from Panama in 1974, my donations were specially marked with a big green "M" for Malaria and/or Yellow Fever from memory. This was done for 3 months.
 
DaveC426913 said:
Mine don't jump around; they just hide. :wink:
Click to expand...
Funny, mine actually spring to one side...like they don't like needles!
Which funnily enough leads to another story. In all my 76 donations, and some blood tests etc, I have never once watched then sticking/jabbing me, or the flow of blood. The blood bank had travel brochures on the ceiling which I would concentrate on, or the occasional pretty Nurse that walked by. They could do anything they liked [within reason;)] as long as I wasn't watching.
My young bloke when he was around 5 years old, came off his bicycle and came home bawling with a nasty gash on his chin, obviously needing stitches...The Mrs grabbed him loaded him into the car and we raced to the hospital where they took him in. The doctor asked me to hold him while giving hima needle for pain before stitches.He received two or three from memory, and my young bloke sat up, happy as Larry. The Doctor then had to call a Nurse for a glass of water for me, who had collapsed into a chair, feeling quite sick. I hate blood!!!
 
They won't take mine due to the cancer and chemo, however when I get a blood draw I always tell the nurse/phlebotomist to use a small needle as my veins tend to roll out from under the large ones. A Quest phlebotomist ignored me one time and took 5 tries at one arm vein. She then pulled out the needle and said "Well, lets try the other arm." I replied "No, we're done here, lets try another lab." and I did. Never looked back.
 
Once when I was giving blood the six or eight chairs were all full so I had to wait my turn. I finally got hooked up and was merrily pumping away when a nurse came over to check on me. "Oh," she said, surprised, "You're done already."

She unhooked me and as I was walking over to get my coffee and cookie, one of the other donors said, "Hey, I was here before him."

I'm just glad she checked on me before I was empty.

I've always been a quick bleeder, a fast healer and easy to scar.
 
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