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burntcopperToday, I finally let the guilt overwhelm me from the polite begging letters the blood service sends you, left work half an hour early in the hopes of not having to spend too much time in the waiting room (foolish, I spent over an hour there due to people who'd been foresighted and booked appointments cruising past me), and finally got my name called.
The prep assistant spent a while slapping my arm and digging into it, then tried the other. Apparently my veins were looking way too small. Nurse was called over, very carefully inserted needle as it was nearly the size of my biggest vein, blood crept down the tube and *just* scraped minimum test flow. After ten minutes, they gave up, as I'd only managed 180ml in that time, and then even that stopped. My blood was flowing so slowly it'd clotted somewhere along the tube. Pulling out the needle proved that one of the places it'd clotted was in the needle itself. Body did not want to give up the red stuff whatsoever.
:sigh: Wasn't the only one - girl in the next bed managed even less than me. Just wish I'd made an appointment as I wasted a good portion of my evening, and can't try again for 4 months. *and* I still have a sore arm.
The prep assistant spent a while slapping my arm and digging into it, then tried the other. Apparently my veins were looking way too small. Nurse was called over, very carefully inserted needle as it was nearly the size of my biggest vein, blood crept down the tube and *just* scraped minimum test flow. After ten minutes, they gave up, as I'd only managed 180ml in that time, and then even that stopped. My blood was flowing so slowly it'd clotted somewhere along the tube. Pulling out the needle proved that one of the places it'd clotted was in the needle itself. Body did not want to give up the red stuff whatsoever.
:sigh: Wasn't the only one - girl in the next bed managed even less than me. Just wish I'd made an appointment as I wasted a good portion of my evening, and can't try again for 4 months. *and* I still have a sore arm.
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Date: 2010-07-28 09:26 pm (UTC)My veins are ridiculously small. I had blood taken a while back and the nurse just couldn't hit a vein. She managed to just about get some blood out when she gave up and got a child's needle instead and even that took some poking to get it in lol.
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Date: 2010-07-29 08:31 pm (UTC)I forgot to eat before trying my first time (I had the screaming heebee jeebees when I saw a needle until I thought this is ridiculous!).
All went smoothly until after draining my arm of its precious fluid I tried to sit up and the world went round! The nurse promptly got me to lie down again. After 10 mins and a lot of apologising to them for taking up space, I made it past the tea & biccies (where they force fed me 5 - honest!), to the last check up point.
The nurse there decided I needed a bandage and we were chatting away happily, me still being embarrassed about causing the fuss, when she asked me for the final time "Are you feeling OK?"
"I feel fine" I said blithely and then "um ... no I don....."
Apparently she caught me before I hurt myself on the floor (or at least cushioned my fall) I can remember coming round and wondering why the office had taken up the carpets!
(Oh! forgot to mention - it was also my 1st day in a new temping job!! My boss the next day said if I didn't like the work, all I had to do was say something!! :-))
no subject
Date: 2010-07-29 08:33 pm (UTC)Ho hum :-(
Feel good that you've tried and seem to want to try again! That's more than LOTS of people even attempt!