Bloodwork?

[BabyBevsMomma]

Anyone else have a hard time with bloodwork? I always end up feeling feeling very nauseous amd even went as far today as passing out after the second vile. I feel soo weak and am beyond embarrassed! Any tips on how to make bloodwork a little easier? I'm fine with needles and getting it drawn never hurts.. I just get very dizzy and queasy

 

[lilninja]

I have never thrown up or passed out but I get terrible anxiety over it and work myself up so bad.. It never hurts and nothing has ever happened to me from having blood drawn and for someone who has been through 3 surgeries, has an under active thyroid and on my third pregnancy.. You'd think I'd be used to it by now!! Still hasn't gotten any easier and I basically have a panic attack until it's over with!! No tips or tricks but curious to see if anyone else has any!! I know how you feel!!

 

[sedgeez]

I am terrified of having my blood done and it causes me to get quite stressed and queazy.

My only tip would be slow long deep breaths as they're doing it. Try to focus on something else and if you can, talk to someone as they do it. I find the breathing really helps me as I tend to hold my breath without realising it when they do it lol

Also talking will distract you and make it seem quicker. I talked my midwife socks off about wanting a water birth when she did mine lol

 

[krisum]

Ask to lay down it prevents the blood rushing out of your head by gravity during the vaso-vagal response some people get with things they find gross or unpleasant. Very hard to faint while laying down. I used to take blood for a living but need to lay down myself because it makes me queasy when I get it done!

 

[Claralee]

I had blood taken last week and passed out. The guy doing it was great and it didn't hurt but after I could feel myself going and I just fainted. As the pp said next time I am going to ask to lie down. I have to go in a couple of weeks and already checked that they have a bed available at the lab. Good luck!

 

[BabyBevsMomma]

Thank you all soo much for the quick replies! I'm so glad to be a part of this this community now I will make sure I lie down next time. There was a bed right next to the chair I got blood taken in and I was actually wondering what it was for.. (first thing I thought of was it was to strap down people unwilling to do it, but that's just plain barbaric )

Thanks again, ladies!

 

[2have4kids]

Drink loads of water beforehand, you don't want thick blood and water will help you if you have low blood pressure and feel faint.

When I'm waiting to be called I sometimes ask to use the washroom. Run hot water over your hands, it gets the circulation going. Your vein will be much easier to find when you do this, no multiple pokes!!!

Ask to lie down if you pass out most of the time, my dh has to do this, makes me smile. Such a man until the needle comes out!

When she gets the elastic around your arm now is the time to find a place on the opposite wall with your eyes and practice your Pilates or labour breathing. Pump your hand to get the vein working, stare a hole in the wall and breath in deeply through the nose (BIG breath -flare those nostrils) and out through your mouth until lungs are empty. Do this until the needle is done.

You most likely pass out if you don't breath deeply because your little ticker starts going a million beats per minute (anxiety does this to the best of us) and your breath gets too shallow. Just picture yourself in labour, if you can give birth baby, you can give blood. Deep breaths! It gets easier the more you focus on your breathing. You forget about the needle running the breathing through your head. Speak to yourself 'breath in breath out'.

 

[BabyBevsMomma]

Drink loads of water beforehand, you don't want thick blood and water will help you if you have low blood pressure and feel faint.

When I'm waiting to be called I sometimes ask to use the washroom. Run hot water over your hands, it gets the circulation going. Your vein will be much easier to find when you do this, no multiple pokes!!!

Ask to lie down if you pass out most of the time, my dh has to do this, makes me smile. Such a man until the needle comes out!

When she gets the elastic around your arm now is the time to find a place on the opposite wall with your eyes and practice your Pilates or labour breathing. Pump your hand to get the vein working, stare a hole in the wall and breath in deeply through the nose (BIG breath -flare those nostrils) and out through your mouth until lungs are empty. Do this until the needle is done.

You most likely pass out if you don't breath deeply because your little ticker starts going a million beats per minute (anxiety does this to the best of us) and your breath gets too shallow. Just picture yourself in labour, if you can give birth baby, you can give blood. Deep breaths! It gets easier the more you focus on your breathing. You forget about the needle running the breathing through your head. Speak to yourself 'breath in breath out'.

Thank you so much for the advice!! My DH takes needles like a pro.. okay, that mightve come out wrong. It doesn't phase him at all lol he's in and out like it's nothin'! Water sounds like a great idea also! thanks for the advice!! xx

 

[2have4kids]

My DH takes needles like a pro.. xx

After you've got to get stuck a gazillions times with IVF, arthritis surgeries, infertility testing, omg. I seen some of the worst nurses ever and thankfully a good friend of mine is a nurse, coached me through helping bad nurses out and avoiding the faint feelings (warming hands and breathing deeply etc). I have low blood pressure and faint quite easily anyway, so it doesn't make it easy getting a duff nurse who can't find a vein.
When I donate blood (I'm that O- universal donor they LOVE) I climb the stairs before I get in there now to get my heart rate up to see how fast I can pump the bag full. I've gone from fainting coward to over zealous blood giver

 

[BabyBevsMomma]

My DH takes needles like a pro.. xx

After you've got to get stuck a gazillions times with IVF, arthritis surgeries, infertility testing, omg. I seen some of the worst nurses ever and thankfully a good friend of mine is a nurse, coached me through helping bad nurses out and avoiding the faint feelings (warming hands etc). I have low blood pressure and faint quite easily anyway, so it doesn't make it easy getting a duff nurse who can't find a vein.
When I donate blood (I'm that O- universal donor they LOVE) I climb the stairs before I get in there now to get my heart rate up to see how fast I can pump the bag full. I've gone from fainting coward to over zealous blood giver

That's amazing that you've "trained" yourself lol. I'm praying I can get used to this! Give me a healthy baby, either gender, and I'll put needles in my veins daily if need be! (Though I won't jump through any hoops to get them done )

 

[ChristiansMum]

I really struggles as I have eczema and did as a child so I have a lot if scar tissue on my arms and my left arm is worse! So they normally have to use my right arm and use a syringe then put my blood in the tubes them self after because my veins are hard to find. But 9x out of 10 the nurse will listen how they normally do it and do as I tell them but every now and again I always get a nurse that wants to try the normal way (using my left arm) but then I come out the room looking like a pin cushion xx

 

[2have4kids]

Give me a healthy baby, either gender, and I'll put needles in my veins daily if need be!

<--That's the spirit!!

Christiansmom, you'd benefit from the hot water on hands trick. It sounds like you have deep small veins like me. I used to work at a daycare and we had a child with terrible eczema. I cried one day because she was bleeding from all of her scales. It was horrible, I just felt so badly for her. She was such an good kid, a total angel. Sorry you had to go through that.
How did it just clear up then or did you find something that resolves eczema?

 

[ChristiansMum]

Give me a healthy baby, either gender, and I'll put needles in my veins daily if need be!

<--That's the spirit!!

Christiansmom, you'd benefit from the hot water on hands trick. It sounds like you have deep small veins like me. I used to work at a daycare and we had a child with terrible eczema. I cried one day because she was bleeding from all of her scales. It was horrible, I just felt so badly for her. She was such an good kid, a total angel. Sorry you had to go through that.
How did it just clear up then or did you find something that resolves eczema?

Yeh I am going to try that when I have my next blood test. No I still get but not as bad as when I was little. It used to get infected and I had to wear bandages at night and I even had sleeping tablets to stop me itching at night. I go to the dermatologist still to keep an eye on it and recently finished 6 months of light therapy (basically sun beds) but when I was 16 they told me I would never out grow it I would just have to learn to control it cx