Dilldereal 18

[guitar_villain]

10 hours ago, SilverBeach said:

I praise also, and it's very heartfelt!

But, I don't understand the darker skin tone thing. Hasn't been my experience that skin tone has anything to do woth proficiency. Please explain.

Harder to see veins in dark skin maybe, so they are more likely to be careful?  That said, pretty much all of the folks who do blood donations around here are black.  I've had ones so good I've sent notes to the Red Cross about them, and some who were just miserable.

[CoveredInBees]

12 hours ago, Bad Wolf said:

Whenever I have to have blood drawn, I always compliment the phlebotomist if they do a good job. Figure they don't get enough recognition.

Nothing beats a good phlebotomist! I have invisible veins, I'm really hard work to get blood out of (these days, I tell them where to aim for as it's quicker) but then once I get going I'm hard to stop (basically I'm just a pain  ). 

[jozina]

Here (Australia) it's phlebs who take most blood in hospital.  Some nurses do in some areas, emergency and ICU for the most part. Most don't in the areas where I've worked.  Midwives it's about 50/50, though most of those who do are British expats.   With how I've been taught and teach you should be able to do it on feel rather than sight really because sight can be misleading.  Some veins look obvious but are rubbish. Some veins look rubbish or are near on invisible and yet feel perfect. Others you really need good light so you can both see and feel to find the sucker. Like the UK you do not want to be in hospital come January/February when the new docs start if you have bad veins!  I generally prefer a needle and syringe but butterflies do have their place.

Worst I've ever seen was some idiot who was about to stick a wide bore cannula into a "vein" on a little old lady who was heavily anticoagulated. Pointed out the vein had a pulse and looked awfully like the brachial artery. He probably still would have missed because he was properly dreadful. Another one he left with a giant pool of blood on the ground while trying to tell the patient that always happens. Maybe to you it does.

I've had more than one boyfriend/husband pass out when starting an IV on a pregnant woman in labour/presenting for induction. Usually they've been acting all macho, come over for a nosy as I start the IV and then BLAM - on the floor. One made some comment about how he never understood how women could be doctors because they're all so squeamish and hate blood and guts. 5 seconds later he passed out.  Felt like reminding him of it when he came around.  I've only had a couple of mothers pass out when taking blood from kids in emergency.

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

13 hours ago, Shadoewolf said:

No complaints from my patients thus far so I take that as a good sign. My one beef is when I'm watching them draw on Mr Wolfie or my kids and they don't do it right.  I tell whoever is doing my draw to use the right side only, butterfly it and use the wrap instead of the tape. Those who didn't believe me on the butterfly were promptly re-visited by me a few days later to show them my very bruised arm, worse when I was on blood-thinners.

I always warn who ever is doing my blood that 1, you better be good, 2 use the butterfly thinking and just go to my hands or wrist, because you will NOT get anything in my arms. 3 if you don't think you can do wither of those things get someone else, since I will look like a bruised heroin addict if you don't. 

[Mercer]

I'm usually pretty standard for blood draws and finding veins, but I had one really bad experience many years ago at a blood drive where the nurse just could not find a vein for some reason. She jabbed me so many times I lost count and finally shoved it through a valve*. My arms were badly bruised and I actually have a small scar from her attempts, but then she acted like it was my fault and was very rude to me for the rest of my time there. She literally yelled at me when the tubing came loose from my arm.

That day I left with some friends for a weekend trip to Montreal, and I had a couple of people in a pub notice my needle marks and offer me very sincere advice on where I could go for help to get off the drugs.

I still donate blood, but after that experience I've always made appointments at the clinic rather than going to blood drives because I figure they'll be in less of a rush.

 

*I'm not sure if she was actually supposed to do that or not. Another time I was donating blood in Canada and the nurse said she hit a valve and needed to move the needle; I said I didn't care if she just pushed it through, I'd had that done to me before and it was no big deal. That nurse was horrified and said she wasn't allowed to do that. I'm not sure if the rules are different in that province versus the state where I had the issue, or if the mean blood drive nurse just didn't care at that point.

[ButternutSquash]

I donate blood every 8 weeks (just went on Friday). I have extremely pale skin, but I've never had a phlebotomist look for veins, only feel for them. Sometimes they have to use a vein that's off-centre. Those ones hurt like an SOB. 

[Rachel333]

My second worse blood experience was when I was really dehydrated and the nurse needed a vial of blood. I had three or four different people poke me 17 times (I was counting). They tried arms, hands, and finally got it out of my foot after a couple tries there. I felt really bad for the nurses because they looked more upset about it than I was, and I assured them that I knew it wasn't their fault that I was hard to stick.

The worst experience was when I was giving blood and the person doing it went right through the vein. My entire arm from the elbow to my hand turned purple and green and I could barely move it for a few days.

[jas]

14 hours ago, imokit said:

I don't know about the US system, but you have to love that in the UK for inpatients if a nurse or phlebotomist isn't available to take blood or tries and fails, they'll call the doctor to do it.  That doctor will be the most junior one with far less experience taking blood then people who've done if for years being asked to do the tricky ones .  They get very good, very quickly but you don't want to go into hospital with bad veins in August (when the new graduates are busy getting good).

I had a horrible experience with a doctor like this when I was 18. My veins are always a nightmare to find and I tend to faint. Anyway a couple of nurses had tried my arms with no success and the next thing this young doctor comes in looking super cocky and sure of himself, like he is going to save the day. He tried to go into the back of my hand and the pain was dreadful, not sure if he hit a nerve or what, but I had no feeling in 2 of my fingers for a good 6 months afterwards.

I have had to have blood taken quite a lot for various reasons, and I have not let a doctor do it since. I don't care about qualifications, I want someone with tons of day to day experience. There is often someone with the nickname "the vampire" -  that's who I want!

[JesSky03]

I normally have pretty good luck with phlebotomists and they often choose the butterfly on their own for my tiny veins. I miscarried in January and had to go back weekly for blood draws to track my hormone levels. I saw a different person every time but they were all great. The one exception was the initial pregnancy bloodwork I had done when I was still pregnant- the one where they take like 6 vials of blood. It's not out of the norm for me to get lightheaded when getting a procedure done. This time I was doing good until he got to the last vile and I started to feel nauseous. He finished up and I asked if I could just go lay my head down on the bed that was literally two steps away. He said sure so I just got up on my own and put one foot on the floor when he started going "whoa whoa whoa" and pushed me back into the chair and put down the arm guards. I was like okay then I'll just put my head down here (not really knowing what his deal was). Next thing I know he is calling a code medical and 10 people respond. They make me lie down and check my blood pressure several times (it's naturally low so that didn't help), ice pack, juice, the works. I'm laying there just trying to convince them that I'm fine, I just needed to put my head down for a couple minutes. Turns out the guy thought I was passing out when I was just getting up to move to the bed (like he said I could?). It was incredibly embarrassing for them to be making such a fuss when I was really fine. 

I also wasn't lucky when I had blood drawn 2.5 weeks ago. I don't know what happened, but about 2 days after having blood taken I noticed my arm felt very tired and sore. I looked down to see this massive bruise that made me feel very light headed and nauseous. I couldn't help thinking about my vein blowing and felt like I was going to puke for like an hour lol. 

[kjmackin]

Darker Skin tone bit was for the fact that they tend to find the veins better.

 

The first time I ever donated blood (2007 in high school) my left arm was covered in massive bruise for about a week. Five hours after donating that day I started to bleed from the same spot. The next day I fainted. Same thing happened again a year later with my high school blood drive although at that point it was my third or fourth time donating. The time between the two drives at school I didn't have a problem or at the ones I did in college. The ones post college ( so since 2014) I have had 2 good pokes with no complications, the rest of the time though....

 

I donate as often as I can since I have probably one of the best types for saving lives. I also take iron pills along iron rich foods and drink more than the recommend amount of water about a week leading up to the drive. Donating blood some times is the only thing I feel that I can do to help out and knowing that it'll go towards a good cause.

Darker Skin tone bit was for the fact that they tend to find the veins better.

 

The first time I ever donated blood (2007 in high school) my left arm was covered in massive bruise for about a week. Five hours after donating that day I started to bleed from the same spot. The next day I fainted. Same thing happened again a year later with my high school blood drive although at that point it was my third or fourth time donating. The time between the two drives at school I didn't have a problem or at the ones I did in college. The ones post college ( so since 2014) I have had 2 good pokes with no complications, the rest of the time though....

 

I donate as often as I can since I have probably one of the best types for saving lives. I also take iron pills along iron rich foods and drink more than the recommend amount of water about a week leading up to the drive. Donating blood some times is the only thing I feel that I can do to help out and knowing that it'll go towards a good cause.

[Mercer]

3 hours ago, kjmackin said:

Darker Skin tone bit was for the fact that they tend to find the veins better.

But... how? Why?

What does skin color have to do with the ability to find veins?

[Jinder Roles]

Hey, I'm black (around a caramel colour, or darker if I tan) and nurses have never had trouble drawing blood from me. Actually, you can see my veins pretty clearly. My mom's darker than me and you can't really see her veins but nurses have never had trouble taking blood from her either (she's very squeamish, so she wouldn't let them stick her more than once). 

I don't think skin colour makes finding veins harder. Some people are just better at it than others. 

[jas]

1 hour ago, Mercer said:

 

5 hours ago, kjmackin said:

Darker Skin tone bit was for the fact that they tend to find the veins better.

But... how? Why?

What does skin color have to do with the ability to find veins?

 

I would also love to know if there is any actual logic behind this statement. The suggestion seems to be that "they" (phlebotomists with darker skin) somehow have better eyesight and/or ability to feel veins than white people? This makes absolutely no sense as far as I can see, and the idea of gauging someone's competence by their physical appearance is very odd. 

[imokit]

9 hours ago, jas said:

I had a horrible experience with a doctor like this when I was 18. My veins are always a nightmare to find and I tend to faint. Anyway a couple of nurses had tried my arms with no success and the next thing this young doctor comes in looking super cocky and sure of himself, like he is going to save the day. He tried to go into the back of my hand and the pain was dreadful, not sure if he hit a nerve or what, but I had no feeling in 2 of my fingers for a good 6 months afterwards.

I have had to have blood taken quite a lot for various reasons, and I have not let a doctor do it since. I don't care about qualifications, I want someone with tons of day to day experience. There is often someone with the nickname "the vampire" -  that's who I want!

I'm sorry that happened.  Be glad you're in a position to demand a phlebotomist.  Where I work, they only work 8-4 mon-fri & 8-11 weekends plus their slots need to be booked in advance.  Unless its a routine blood test which could be booked by the doctor the day before you won't get a phlebotomist.  On weekends you may not get one even then, as those reduced slots fill up fast 

I've used the veins in the back of the hand - normally out of desperation.  I've also had to use the radial artery in the wrist  which is one of the most painful tests I do.  Sometimes it works great - you go into the pulse and the tube starts filling straight away, other times it doesn't and we have to root around to find the artery - I've dinged nerves and bone doing it - though fortunately never enough to cause symptoms after.  The problem is, if I'm doing that, the patient is sick enough that we need those bloods urgently.   Its extra awful if we're doing it in someone with good veins who's oxygen levels need checking 

[jas]

57 minutes ago, imokit said:

10 hours ago, jas said:

I have had to have blood taken quite a lot for various reasons, and I have not let a doctor do it since. I don't care about qualifications, I want someone with tons of day to day experience. There is often someone with the nickname "the vampire" -  that's who I want!

I'm sorry that happened.  Be glad you're in a position to demand a phlebotomist.  Where I work, they only work 8-4 mon-fri & 8-11 weekends plus their slots need to be booked in advance.  Unless its a routine blood test which could be booked by the doctor the day before you won't get a phlebotomist.  On weekends you may not get one even then, as those reduced slots fill up fast 

Thanks. I'm actually not in a position to demand a phlebotomist (although that would be ideal!) What I meant was that I always prefer a nurse with lots of hands on experience over a junior doctor.

[nastyhobbitses]

I don't know if I just have really, really visible, good-size veins (after I exercise I get those Angelina Jolie-looking, super veiny hands) or just good luck with various needle-wielders, but I don't think any doctor/nurse/phlebotomist has ever had to try more than once to stick me.

[Bushes of Love]

I always give the people drawing blood from me or giving me a cannula a laugh because I am a complete wuss and make a huge deal about it. Yet I've got 27 tattoos and countless piercings, so they never believe that I'm scared of needles...but I am!

[Fundie Bunny]

I have terribly pale skin. You can clearly see my veins. The problem? According to any nurse that has ever drawn blood from me, those veins you can see are useless and barely have blood. Only a nurse with a very trained eye and hands can find the useful vein that is more than a centimeter into my skin. I do not trust anyone that looks youger than 40

[JesSky03]

5 hours ago, Bushes of Love said:

I always give the people drawing blood from me or giving me a cannula a laugh because I am a complete wuss and make a huge deal about it. Yet I've got 27 tattoos and countless piercings, so they never believe that I'm scared of needles...but I am!

I'm fairly scared of needles just because I never know if I will be perfectly fine for the blood draw or will end up feeling nauseous and light headed. I always thought of tattoos as being off the table for me. But after my miscarriage I really wanted to get a tattoo to represent the loss. It took me several months to work up the courage but I finally pulled the trigger 7 weeks ago and got it done. I showed up to my appointment with candy in hand and a bottle of juice prepared to fight the drop in blood sugar. It ended up being no big deal- never even touched the juice or candy. The pain was minimal and I never once felt light headed about it. To me getting a blood draw at the doctor and getting a tattoo are two completely different experiences. 

[caszandra]

 @imokit wrote

Quote

I've also had to use the radial artery in the wrist  which is one of the most painful tests I do.

I got this done a while ago and can attest to how painful it is. The best person to ever draw my blood is my GP, she is fantastic and I hardly even feel her doing it and she doesn't leave me bruised afterward.

[Emme]

I am normally an easy stick. I'm well hydrated and have big veins. I let the trainees try if they need to learn. But I have a special place in my heart for whatever human being got an IV started when I was in the ER super dehydrated from illness a few years back. I know they tried a bunch of times and couldn't get anything, but I don't even remember because I was so sick. Unfortunately I was way more with it when they started running some sort of infection cultures, which were big giant bottles. I think they only got filled part way, but man they were scary looking. And always at 6 AM. Now i no longer care about blood draws, because four days of those suckers and you are over any fear of needles. I guess I'm a good candidate for exposure therapy.  

[eandre31]

I draw blood and place IV Caths on furry, moving, and sometimes biting/scratching/hissing targets everyday. I'm talking about dogs and cats of course.  I'd say I'm pretty awesome and almost always get it on the first stick, but every once in awhile every one misses a vein. I feel for phlebotomists because they have to find veins on sometimes criticizing patients. I would feel more nervous drawing blood on a human solely because of that.

I'm always super nice to phlebotomists because i feel they get a loft of flack. My son used to have to get blood drawn every week due to a kidney issue. They were always so nice and so grateful for my son being a good patient.

[Four is Enough]

People can generally get an IV in me or stick me for blood without too much trouble.

As a phlebotomist, I am only average. I stick once and ask for help the second time. Same with IVs..

But I can drop an NG tube  or insert a catheter slick as a whistle... even in a guy with a big prostate! So I'll trade you, skill for skill!

[Seren Ann]

Now it's official Jessa is pregnant, I really wonder why Jill isn't ? Don't get me wrong, I think the longer spacing Israel and his inevitable sibling will have is much healthier.

But I am really surprised that Jill "I've just given birth, when can I have another" doesn't seem pregnant. Is she listening to medical advice and giving her uterus time to heal after the C-section ? Is she discreetly trying to avoid a pregnancy with the risk of Zika virus ? How do you even manage to space your children, when all birth control is a sin akin to murder ? Do they abstain or practice some unofficial NFP ?

I really didn't anticipate this, it will be interesting to see what happens now that her sister is getting ahead of her.

[nst]

5 minutes ago, Seren Ann said:

Now it's official Jessa is pregnant, I really wonder why Jill isn't ? Don't get me wrong, I think the longer spacing Israel and his inevitable sibling will have is much healthier.

But I am really surprised that Jill "I've just given birth, when can I have another" doesn't seem pregnant. Is she listening to medical advice and giving her uterus time to heal after the C-section ? Is she discreetly trying to avoid a pregnancy with the risk of Zika virus ? How do you even manage to space your children, when all birth control is a sin akin to murder ? Do they abstain or practice some unofficial NFP ?

I really didn't anticipate this, it will be interesting to see what happens now that her sister is getting ahead of her.

they pretty much said this when they were interviewed in SCA 

even though Jill said something stupid about Israel being older than Spud

I predicted it then 

this one ups Jill, Jinger, Jana 

this is what Jessa does