Please help dr's can't draw blood?

Question

I went in for a cholestrol screen. Well the nurse tried 3x then got another nurse and she also tried 2x and neither one could locate a vein. So they sent me to the hospital labrotory. The first one tried 2x. Then another one came in she also tried 1x. Then 2 more came in each trying 2 times. Not a one was able to draw blood from me. And when pulling the needle out i didn't bleed either.

I hope someone has a clue what is going on. They were talkin about admitting me and finding out what the problem is. When looking at my arms and hands you barely can see any veins. Which isn't normal for me.

Thank you for any help

Answer 1

There are a couple of reasons why it was so difficult to get blood from you.  

First of all, you might have been dehydrated.  

Secondly, if you are overweight, the subcutaenous layer of fat might have made it difficult to palpate a vein.  

Thirdly, and I suspect this was the real problem, when you're under a lot of stress, the blood in the body tends to pull back from the extremities (arms and legs) and back into the torso.  I'm sure that after they missed the first time, it stressed you a lot, which constricted your veins, and so forth.  Wait a few days and make sure you're well hydrated before going back for the test.  Before you are stuck, calm yourself mentally and take long deep breaths.

If you have a choice, get an experienced phlebotomist or tech from the laboratory to stick you at the outset.  They're generally the most experienced and skillful at performing phlebotomies.

Answer 2

Some people just don't have good veins. It happens. Another day may be different, or you may just be one of the lucky ones. If the doctor wants your blood bad enough, he can get it from a deep vein that the others aren't allowed to poke.

Answer 3

drink five big glasses of water sometimes when your dehydrated your veins are hard to hit

Answer 4

Probably you were dehydrated, which can very rapidly make your veins not only very dfficult to find, but also very mobile within the tissues, making it hard to draw blood.  If they can't hit the blood vessels, it's not surprising that you didn't bleed.

In the hospital, if it were an emergency, you probably would have had a doctor drawing blood from larger veins in your groin, chest, or neck.  If they did not elect to do this, it probably was not an emergency.  (Cholesterol checks usually are not...)

Drink some water for a few days and go back whenever you can, but you do need to fast for this test (no food or sugary drinks).

Answer 5

For a cholesterol they could have done a finger stick.  

The dehydration is more of a concern than the cholesterol at this point.  Severe dehydration can make it extremely hard to collect blood.  

If consumption of liquids aren't a problem... drink lots of water.  If you can't drink plenty of liquids... see your doctor.  Dehydration can lead to electrolyte imbalance and lots of other problems.