Blood-drawing NIGHTMARE!!!

[gr8n]

Okay,

As if getting in wasn't hard enough, LECOM (as well as every other school, I'm sure) requires proof of all of your life's vaccinations... Not a problem, right?

That is what I thought until I went today to get a Hep B titer done.

OOOWWWW ,

My left arm had a perfect vein... The nurse did her thing.... and BAMM, not a drop of blood

So she decides to reminisce on her "Dirty dancin' years" and did the twist in an attempt to find a vein, right? OWWWWW, I don't know what she was doing, but it sure wasn't finding a vein.

Then she says, "hmm, I think that this needle is messed up, I'm going to try a butterfly."

I was like, "yeah, but uh, this arm is a little soar and I don't really think that this large 'blue' area under my skin should be all over my forearm....so could you try the other arm???? please?"

"Sure!" she says.

Same damn $hit. I should have known. That didn't work either. Well, there came the blue again...all under my skin throughout my entire forearm! Atleast they both match now....

I was like, "its okay cap'n ... I'll just go somewhere else!"

"I sure am sorry about that young man." She says as I walked out of her office.

All I could say was, "No problem. "

Mannnnn, I am soar as heck right now and all I wanted to know was if my Hep B series worked

Has anyone else experienced a "pro" like this lady before?

____________________________
gr8n
LECOM-Bradenton
c/o 2008
"You can't spell Doctor without the DO!"

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[Ryan]

Here at COMP I had a varicella titer, the phlebotomist was sooooo good I watched the needle go in but didn't even feel a prick just that weird pressure as my blood squirted into the glass tube. So I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience Maybe it is a sign that you should have gone to COMP .

-Ryan

 

[Ryan]

Hey sorry but I'm one of those pros'. Seriously some days no matter what sometimes people have bad days. I've hit veins only because I know they're there but can't see them and other days I miss all the pipe lines. Sometimes we'll get a patient in there where I will try and miss, my staff member will try and miss and then the anesthesiologist will try and miss also. It just goes that way sometimes.

I'm not bragging man but I am good too. It's just that sometimes I can't start and iv for the life of me. Also I know you've probably heard it before but veins do roll and for some reason you're right on it but it will not let you stick it. Then after you chase it down you poke a hole right threw it and the vein blows.

THis happens a lot whether big or small.

Tru dat' I've seen many a good Doc/RN/Phleb have this happen. I feel prrrrrty bad for the pt though

 

[flighterdoc]

The local CC offers a phelb cert class - so I thought, why not?

Then I discovered that the only time they could get the students into the hospital to do the (state required?) 80 hours of practical work was between midnight and 5 AM.

And the only patients they could draw blood from were peds and neonates.

Now, that just seemed WRONG to me. Turns out the state had a problem with the program too and certification is pending.

 

[sistahnik]

I also can say that I am a pro at drawing, but some days you have those arms where the veins just won't cooperate with the needle. sorry you had to suffer.. hope your arms feel better soon.

 

[stinkycheese]

I love drawing blood and I think I am good at it, but I also still have my bad days. Nonetheless, what you are describinh (serious and large hematomas in both antecubital fossa) is very unusual and shouldn't have happened in both arms, regardless of whether she missed. I have never seen anyone get more than a small bruise unless they were on Coumadin, even if the vein was blown. Are you anemic or on blood-thinners? If not, then I would assume that this woman really did not know what the hell she was doing, and blew your veins to the high heavens. Keep an eye on them- if they swell or if your arm starts to feel cold, call your doctor's office just to be safe. Bad things can happen just through venipuncture. The tip of a needle is like a razor, and fishing around for a vein can sometimes slice it right open, which is obviously not a good result.

 

[1viking]

My delinquent parents lost my immunization records, so I too had to get titers for KCOM. Not to bad, though. I guess, though, seeing my wife push out our baby girl a couple weeks before made it seem like cake.

 

[misyel]

Okay,

As if getting in wasn't hard enough, LECOM (as well as every other school, I'm sure) requires proof of all of your life's vaccinations... Not a problem, right?

That is what I thought until I went today to get a Hep B titer done.

OOOWWWW ,

My left arm had a perfect vein... The nurse did her thing.... and BAMM, not a drop of blood

So she decides to reminisce on her "Dirty dancin' years" and did the twist in an attempt to find a vein, right? OWWWWW, I don't know what she was doing, but it sure wasn't finding a vein.

Then she says, "hmm, I think that this needle is messed up, I'm going to try a butterfly."

I was like, "yeah, but uh, this arm is a little soar and I don't really think that this large 'blue' area under my skin should be all over my forearm....so could you try the other arm???? please?"

"Sure!" she says.

Same damn $hit. I should have known. That didn't work either. Well, there came the blue again...all under my skin throughout my entire forearm! Atleast they both match now....

I was like, "its okay cap'n ... I'll just go somewhere else!"

"I sure am sorry about that young man." She says as I walked out of her office.

All I could say was, "No problem. "

Mannnnn, I am soar as heck right now and all I wanted to know was if my Hep B series worked

Has anyone else experienced a "pro" like this lady before?

OMG I had the same damn experience when I got my Hep B titer done for NYCOM. This Kaiser guy couldn't find my vein so he felt it was his duty to swing the needle about AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS to find a trickle of blood. Damn it hurt! My arm was sore for a couple of days. I feel ur pain!

 

[N1DERL&]

I hate that twist too!!! Torture!!!

 

[no-see-um]

I hate it when they jab at you...

 

[gr8n]

Wheew,

My right arm is normal now

But my left arm is still bruised, but getting much nicer

_________________________________
gr8n
LECOM-Bradenton
c/o 2008
"You can't spell Doctor without the DO!"

 

[BostonSean]

I have been performing venipunctures for over three years and never once blown a vein, especially in the cubital region, so badly that a bruise forms all down the arm. Even when I was training and had no idea what I was doing I never did that. Sure, no one is perfect and I have blown many veins in my day but not to the extreme and certainly not that badly up in the arm like that. Are you sure she didn't nick you're artery in the process? If you ever feel uncomfortable about the person drawing your blood ask to be drawn by someone else. Also if that ever happens to anyone certainly don't let that person try again!!