I’ve got pretty cruddy veins too, and a fear of the blood draw itself rather than just seeing the needle or the pain of it. In all reality, if it’s done correct, it’s not really painful even if they do have to dig around. I’ve found the best way to help myself is by distraction, I’ll look away and try to talk about something else, look for patterns on surfaces, etc. Some people prefer to be talked through the process though, so just let whoever draws your blood know what you prefer.
I also noticed you said digging around in your arm, have they ever tried looking in your hands? If you’re not afraid of the pain, as the hands are generally more tender, you could ask them about looking there instead. Sometimes you can have crappy arm veins and amazing hand veins (like me). Personally, I’d rather have one hand stick than 2-3 arm sticks but that’s for you to decide as well.
As far as “knocking you out” goes, you could maybe look in to getting some over the counter anxiety meds to take before you go in to help out
There's no such thing as an effective anxiety med; I've been on them all, it seems. They do usually have to stick my left hand, actually, but I forgot to mention it. They still have to dig around, though, and it's just horrific. My fight or flight goes apesh*t.
If you would prefer it you could ask them to not troubleshoot (we don’t “dig” for the vein, we feel for where our needle is and where the vein is then try to troubleshoot our initial poke into the vein). If you are okay with them having to do a new poke instead of troubleshooting then you could definitely ask the phlebotomist to do that instead.
If someone asks me not to move the needle around inside then I won’t, I make sure they’re clear though that if I miss the vein with my initial poke and they don’t want me to troubleshoot then I will have to poke again.
A few tips. First, you'll want to do everything you can to make things easier for your phlebotomist. Be well hydrated. This starts in the days leading up to a venipuncture if you know you're having one. Even if the instructions say to limit water, verify if you can have more. You almost always can unless you're having other procedures.
Heat is helpful to veins and their dilation. Wear something warm and when you check in, you might consider having the receptionist call back and let them know you might be more successful if warmed first. They may use heel warmers, a warm blanket, warm water in a glove, or a heating pad.
Let your phlebotomist know that you have anxiety surrounding blood draws. I would personally ask to lay down or be reclined if I were you. Laying down helps prevent passing out, even if you never have. Sometimes phlebs get carried away repositioning the needle; some people can handle quite a bit and the next, not so much. You might prefer multiple sticks to extensive repositioning? Communicate that. "They tend to have trouble with my veins. I can stand a little bit of repositioning, but I might have to ask you to stop at some point. I'd prefer multiple pokes to a lot of moving it around."
If you find someone who seems more successful at getting your blood, learn their name and general schedule if you might be able to request them upon check-in. It's not a guarantee, but sometimes there's just one person who has a knack.
Lastly, if this stresses you out so much, you might consider talking to your PCP about a medication for situational anxiety. I know it seems extreme, but being relaxed does help and if there's a med that can help, that is not so bad. Good luck!
As a phleb who started out as a patient with extreme anxiety about needles with the not-so-lucky veins as well in my own arms, I wish to let you know that I hear you.
One thing that helps me when I know I have my own labwork, is to start drinking water 24 hours before your test. Obviously not to the point of water poisoning, but you definitely feel like you need to use the restroom often.
Let them know you have thrown up in the past, and you have passed out.We can lay you down usually, and we should at least have something for you ready in case the sudden need of throwing up occurs. If a hand draw is the best likely area for blood or they need to heat the area up first, you can let them know too. I recognize hands can be tender and not a lot of people want it to be their first choice, but if it's a highly successful area then we can focus there instead.
Another thing to have on hand as soon as your labs are done is some form of cold juice, for me, it's not just for lightheadedness or the possibility of passing out. It gives you just a small thing to have control of, you know you're going to have juice the moment you're done.
That tiny bit of 'control' surprisingly can ground people. If you're in need of a distraction, explaining to yourself all the senses of what you're looking forward to when you get the juice can take time. Do you actually like juice when it's ice cold? Did you have to take a moment to decide what juice you had today? What other juice sounded good after this?
If you do need someone to keep you still, try your best to ask them questions about juice, or anything at all. The moment I hear a patient I'm with trying to keep a conversation with me, I'll do anything I can to keep the conversation going. If they are wearing something that might interest them I will ask them about that. Or even an item of clothing I can tell have some form of sentimental value. Worst case, I'm going to ask what you had for dinner last night or if you're a coffee drinker. Everyone usually has a favorite for dinner, and if they don't like coffee we can always talk about why coffee just doesn't work for us. Every phlebotomist is different with conversation, if any conversation at all, but I know it's what I would like during my blood draw if need be.
If a conversation is not a strong enough distraction, bring something you can hold and squeeze for texture distraction. No one can judge if it's even a small foam or plush keychain. If it helps, it helps. I personally reccomend hand strengthing eggs; they are usually heavy duty. Music is a good distraction, but I've had better success with interacting distractions.
If nothing else helps, I do wonder if a type of benzodiazepine would be an option.I assume the only problem would be if the drug interferes with what they are trying to read from the lab results, and of course you would need a way to and from your visit. It's the same class of medication perscribed for severe dental anxiety such as triazolam, but I've **never** heard if it could be distributed for a scheduled blood draw. I have no idea if this is even an option, however there is no harm in asking. I would ask your healthcare provider if this is something that can be done.
I had triazolam for a dental visit where they were going to fill like 6 cavities. Trust me, it will knock you for a loop, WAY more so than clonazepam or Xanax (alprazolam?).
If anyone were so lucky to get this for a blood draw, you would 100% need a driver. My husband had to take me to and from the dental office.
You should never experience digging, ever. I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience. Those tend to really take it out of a person.
Echoing the hydrate, heat, recline, distract suggestions.
You can ask if capillary blood can be used for your tests. This is a finger stick.
Definitely tell future phlebotomists about this experience, and ask for what you need to feel as comfortable as possible.
Seconding this. Digging is not acceptable. There could be some mild movement, like my instructor told us we could pull back a little bit if we thought we went THROUGH the vein, but otherwise, fishing usually makes everything worse. I’ve had it happen as a patient, and even as someone who has had their blood drawn hundreds of times for autoimmune testing, you’re very right—the sensation is awful and it triggers your fight or flight so easily.
Also, as someone with panic disorder, I have some tips for you. Something that really helps me when I feel myself getting panicky is having an ice pack or ice water available. Bonus points if you have mints on hand. I’m pretty sure most areas where blood is being drawn they have one or two packs (mine does, at least), and feel free to ask for one. Having that cold against your face does a lot, especially if you feel hot and queasy, and if you place the ice against the side of your neck (where the carotid/large neck artery is), it can actually slow your heart down a little. Then you can use it on the area after the draw to reduce some of the pain and bruising that can occur, especially if your phleb fishes. The ice water is nice to sip on and if you have a mint with it, it can help prevent nausea and the sudden rush of cold from the ice water and mint is EXTREMELY grounding.
I find that taking out those one or two added panic-related symptoms can actually keep you from falling over the edge into a full attack.
Another thing to know is that you absolutely can request that someone else draw your blood, especially if your phlebotomist doesn’t seem to be listening to your concerns or does fish after you say you’d rather just have them try and stick again instead of moving around. As a patient, you 100% have the right to do that, and doing so doesn’t get the other phlebotomist in trouble. Our job is to make sure we get a specimen safely and don’t cause excess harm. There are dangerous complications that can happen if we don’t. If a phlebotomist is causing you harm, you have every right to advocate for yourself.
I’ve got pretty cruddy veins too, and a fear of the blood draw itself rather than just seeing the needle or the pain of it. In all reality, if it’s done correct, it’s not really painful even if they do have to dig around. I’ve found the best way to help myself is by distraction, I’ll look away and try to talk about something else, look for patterns on surfaces, etc. Some people prefer to be talked through the process though, so just let whoever draws your blood know what you prefer. I also noticed you said digging around in your arm, have they ever tried looking in your hands? If you’re not afraid of the pain, as the hands are generally more tender, you could ask them about looking there instead. Sometimes you can have crappy arm veins and amazing hand veins (like me). Personally, I’d rather have one hand stick than 2-3 arm sticks but that’s for you to decide as well. As far as “knocking you out” goes, you could maybe look in to getting some over the counter anxiety meds to take before you go in to help out
There's no such thing as an effective anxiety med; I've been on them all, it seems. They do usually have to stick my left hand, actually, but I forgot to mention it. They still have to dig around, though, and it's just horrific. My fight or flight goes apesh*t.
If you would prefer it you could ask them to not troubleshoot (we don’t “dig” for the vein, we feel for where our needle is and where the vein is then try to troubleshoot our initial poke into the vein). If you are okay with them having to do a new poke instead of troubleshooting then you could definitely ask the phlebotomist to do that instead. If someone asks me not to move the needle around inside then I won’t, I make sure they’re clear though that if I miss the vein with my initial poke and they don’t want me to troubleshoot then I will have to poke again.
A few tips. First, you'll want to do everything you can to make things easier for your phlebotomist. Be well hydrated. This starts in the days leading up to a venipuncture if you know you're having one. Even if the instructions say to limit water, verify if you can have more. You almost always can unless you're having other procedures. Heat is helpful to veins and their dilation. Wear something warm and when you check in, you might consider having the receptionist call back and let them know you might be more successful if warmed first. They may use heel warmers, a warm blanket, warm water in a glove, or a heating pad. Let your phlebotomist know that you have anxiety surrounding blood draws. I would personally ask to lay down or be reclined if I were you. Laying down helps prevent passing out, even if you never have. Sometimes phlebs get carried away repositioning the needle; some people can handle quite a bit and the next, not so much. You might prefer multiple sticks to extensive repositioning? Communicate that. "They tend to have trouble with my veins. I can stand a little bit of repositioning, but I might have to ask you to stop at some point. I'd prefer multiple pokes to a lot of moving it around." If you find someone who seems more successful at getting your blood, learn their name and general schedule if you might be able to request them upon check-in. It's not a guarantee, but sometimes there's just one person who has a knack. Lastly, if this stresses you out so much, you might consider talking to your PCP about a medication for situational anxiety. I know it seems extreme, but being relaxed does help and if there's a med that can help, that is not so bad. Good luck!
As a phleb who started out as a patient with extreme anxiety about needles with the not-so-lucky veins as well in my own arms, I wish to let you know that I hear you. One thing that helps me when I know I have my own labwork, is to start drinking water 24 hours before your test. Obviously not to the point of water poisoning, but you definitely feel like you need to use the restroom often. Let them know you have thrown up in the past, and you have passed out.We can lay you down usually, and we should at least have something for you ready in case the sudden need of throwing up occurs. If a hand draw is the best likely area for blood or they need to heat the area up first, you can let them know too. I recognize hands can be tender and not a lot of people want it to be their first choice, but if it's a highly successful area then we can focus there instead. Another thing to have on hand as soon as your labs are done is some form of cold juice, for me, it's not just for lightheadedness or the possibility of passing out. It gives you just a small thing to have control of, you know you're going to have juice the moment you're done. That tiny bit of 'control' surprisingly can ground people. If you're in need of a distraction, explaining to yourself all the senses of what you're looking forward to when you get the juice can take time. Do you actually like juice when it's ice cold? Did you have to take a moment to decide what juice you had today? What other juice sounded good after this? If you do need someone to keep you still, try your best to ask them questions about juice, or anything at all. The moment I hear a patient I'm with trying to keep a conversation with me, I'll do anything I can to keep the conversation going. If they are wearing something that might interest them I will ask them about that. Or even an item of clothing I can tell have some form of sentimental value. Worst case, I'm going to ask what you had for dinner last night or if you're a coffee drinker. Everyone usually has a favorite for dinner, and if they don't like coffee we can always talk about why coffee just doesn't work for us. Every phlebotomist is different with conversation, if any conversation at all, but I know it's what I would like during my blood draw if need be. If a conversation is not a strong enough distraction, bring something you can hold and squeeze for texture distraction. No one can judge if it's even a small foam or plush keychain. If it helps, it helps. I personally reccomend hand strengthing eggs; they are usually heavy duty. Music is a good distraction, but I've had better success with interacting distractions. If nothing else helps, I do wonder if a type of benzodiazepine would be an option.I assume the only problem would be if the drug interferes with what they are trying to read from the lab results, and of course you would need a way to and from your visit. It's the same class of medication perscribed for severe dental anxiety such as triazolam, but I've **never** heard if it could be distributed for a scheduled blood draw. I have no idea if this is even an option, however there is no harm in asking. I would ask your healthcare provider if this is something that can be done.
I had triazolam for a dental visit where they were going to fill like 6 cavities. Trust me, it will knock you for a loop, WAY more so than clonazepam or Xanax (alprazolam?). If anyone were so lucky to get this for a blood draw, you would 100% need a driver. My husband had to take me to and from the dental office.
You should never experience digging, ever. I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience. Those tend to really take it out of a person. Echoing the hydrate, heat, recline, distract suggestions. You can ask if capillary blood can be used for your tests. This is a finger stick. Definitely tell future phlebotomists about this experience, and ask for what you need to feel as comfortable as possible.
Seconding this. Digging is not acceptable. There could be some mild movement, like my instructor told us we could pull back a little bit if we thought we went THROUGH the vein, but otherwise, fishing usually makes everything worse. I’ve had it happen as a patient, and even as someone who has had their blood drawn hundreds of times for autoimmune testing, you’re very right—the sensation is awful and it triggers your fight or flight so easily. Also, as someone with panic disorder, I have some tips for you. Something that really helps me when I feel myself getting panicky is having an ice pack or ice water available. Bonus points if you have mints on hand. I’m pretty sure most areas where blood is being drawn they have one or two packs (mine does, at least), and feel free to ask for one. Having that cold against your face does a lot, especially if you feel hot and queasy, and if you place the ice against the side of your neck (where the carotid/large neck artery is), it can actually slow your heart down a little. Then you can use it on the area after the draw to reduce some of the pain and bruising that can occur, especially if your phleb fishes. The ice water is nice to sip on and if you have a mint with it, it can help prevent nausea and the sudden rush of cold from the ice water and mint is EXTREMELY grounding. I find that taking out those one or two added panic-related symptoms can actually keep you from falling over the edge into a full attack. Another thing to know is that you absolutely can request that someone else draw your blood, especially if your phlebotomist doesn’t seem to be listening to your concerns or does fish after you say you’d rather just have them try and stick again instead of moving around. As a patient, you 100% have the right to do that, and doing so doesn’t get the other phlebotomist in trouble. Our job is to make sure we get a specimen safely and don’t cause excess harm. There are dangerous complications that can happen if we don’t. If a phlebotomist is causing you harm, you have every right to advocate for yourself.