I recently went in for a physical and they needed to take some blood. Prior to my fertility treatments I probably would have been nervous, but nowadays giving a vial (or 5) is really no big deal. When you take your first tests you will have lots of blood drawn. If you are in an IVF process you will again feel like you have no blood left in your body after they take what they need to test all of your levels. There are some things you can do to make it all a bit easier and really, the best thing for me was just to not look and it was over before I knew it. It really did become no big deal – but, boy do I remember what those first few times felt like and just how scared I was.
I have difficult veins. They look ripe and ready but like to roll around once the nurse tries to put in the needle. I was admonished repeatedly for not drinking enough water – even though I was! Nevertheless, that is the number one tip – drink lots of water. If you drink water the veins are usually easier to find and if you aren’t already, try to avoid caffeine for at least two hours before your appointment.
There were definitely nurses I preferred to have because I just liked their technique better. By the end I was not shy in telling every nurse (even at my physical appointment and my regular ob/gyn) the “way” that worked best. When a nurse told me that my left arm was much easier than my right and I confirmed that with a lot less pain for me I happily told every bloodsucker I came across to use my left arm. Some people also swear by a certain needle (butterfly have been found to be less painful for some) or particular angle. Don’t be afraid to speak up for your comfort!
Some other tips include applying pressure to the spot once they are done drawing blood. Where the bandage and tape is can get icky and sticky so I also think it is helpful to remove it as soon as possible. By the time I left my appointment I could usually remove it. Some people take blood thinners or aspirin and will bleed longer and need to keep the tape on longer.
My last “tip” seems self-explanatory but I can’t count the number of times I made the whole thing much more difficult than it should have been thanks to my clothing choices. I went through my IVF cycle in December/January so sometimes it was unavoidable – a jacket was necessary. However at one appointment it was completely moronic for me to choose that particular day to wear a long sleeve shirt with tight sleeves, under a sweater that was equally as hard to push up, under a jacket. I literally could not provide access to my arm without getting undressed and at my clinic the blood draw room was heavily trafficked and kind of in the middle of everything. Keep your appointment in mind when dressing for the day – the last thing you want to do is have to get into that gown any sooner than you have to!
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