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Hey guys. I have my full work's in terms of blood tests tomorrow requesting about seven different things. On top of that they want cholesterol, liver test, diabetes test too.

How many separate blood takes will I need for this do you think?

Also I really suck at have blood taken, can someone give me some advice to make it easier?

Hey; not mtf but I hate getting my blood taken too; I'm a bit of a wimp  ::). I just try to look away; close my eyes and Imagine I'm somewhere I find calming like a glade in a forest. The plebotomists always seem a bit taken aback how nervous I get; but I can't help it. I'm more nervous about it now because I now know what to expect.

I tell them to lay me down on the table before they start so no one has to pick me up off the floor!  :laugh:

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on April 14, 2016, 03:17:04 PM
I tell them to lay me down on the table before they start so no one has to pick me up off the floor!  :laugh:

I wish I had the option to lie down :D. I only have the option to sit up right on a very uncomfortable hard chair in a very small room with the needles and test tubes lying on a nearby table; not the most calming of environments  ::)

They put me in a chair where they do it once, and started doing a draw on someone already there right in front of me. I got up and went back to the waiting room and let them come find me. Devlyn don't play that!  :laugh:

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on April 14, 2016, 03:44:05 PM
They put me in a chair where they do it once, and started doing a draw on someone already there right in front of me. I got up and went back to the waiting room and let them come find me. Devlyn don't play that!  :laugh:

I would have done the same thing :D

just had fraxel laser on entire face hours ago...painful but learned long ago to separate mind from body. flesh and bone will heal.  Cannot wait for Electrolysis!!! Had my bloodwork performed 3 weeks ago, yes at least 7 vials. The tecnician can make all the difference! I've had good and bad, and survived. Try to distract yourself, wear headfones w/ musik, don't focus on the task at hand -they are the professionals and you have a goal in your  heart that no one is going to take from you! 

Quote from: Jestwacked on April 14, 2016, 02:53:51 PM
Hey guys. I have my full work's in terms of blood tests tomorrow requesting about seven different things. On top of that they want cholesterol, liver test, diabetes test too.

How many separate blood takes will I need for this do you think?

Also I really suck at have blood taken, can someone give me some advice to make it easier?

They only stick you once, no matter how many different tubes of blood they need.  You might ask them to use a butterfly needle instead of going straight in with the vacutainer needle.  It's a smaller gauge and hurts less. It's often used for kids and older people that can't tolerate venipuncture very well.

Also, drink as much water as you can before hand to make your veins stick out more.  They always scold me for not drinking enough water.

Good luck,

Terri

Welcome to Susan's Place justkaren. I find not looking and thinking about something else helps me get through blood draws but they tend to stop at 3 vials with me. The interesting thing is over the years, the vials have been getting smaller. I also demand they get me as flat as they can. If they can't, I will slouch in the chair as much as possible.

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If there's a list of tests to do they will more than likely take several tubes all in one go.

I ended up having so many blood tests for one of my old jobs in the past, I barely feel it now when they do it. Unless it's a less well-practiced nurse. The last one managed to give me a bruise the size of Texas doing it, but usually there's nothing and it's totally a quick and nearly painless procedure, even for a whole set of blood draws.

it sounds like you have the same kind tests i had. they should do it at once.
it was my first time having a blood test, ever. i thought i was going to faint on site, gladly i didn't. lol. the nurse could tell how nervous i was.
my doc required 6-7 tests for the blood work, but they only took 2 giant vials, and 1 regular small one. the giant vial is like 2.5 size of a small one so it feels like i have 6 vials in total. yikes. lol. but it was less than 3 minutes maybe because i'm skinny? the moment she tap my arm, my veins are all popping up. lol.

i thought of looking away. though i couldn't help but gluing my eyes at the spot and i wouldn't stop looking. and i actually thought it helped to make the time fly by quicker. i also dry to drink water so i don't dehydrate myself. i heard lots of people fast, but don't drink water, which make the process quite painful due to them being so dehydrated and make it harder to draw blood.

Quote from: Jestwacked on April 14, 2016, 02:53:51 PM
How many separate blood takes will I need for this do you think?

Also I really suck at have blood taken, can someone give me some advice to make it easier?

I Am Not A Phlebotomist, but:

They will put a needle in you once and then fill multiple vials. A pro could look at what's been ordered and tell you how many that is because some tests can be done on the same blood, others need their own separate sample. They also seem to need what feels to me like a relatively large amount of blood to do some tests.

Distract yourself when you're being stuck. If the phleb is cool you can chat with them. If not, look at your phone with the arm that's not being jabbed. Then, whatever you do, do NOT watch the blood going into the vials. Look away, let them tell you you're done.

If they're drawing a lot of blood, don't be an idiot like me. Be hydrated before you show up and have a bottle of water or electrolytes (Gatorade, eg) ready for when it's over. Otherwise you're going to feel woozy.

I just had them done, and boy it was alot easier than before! For the first time ever I drunk loads of water before hand, got a really good night sleep, kept my arm warm right up to the taking, and she got like 6 vials out like it was nothing 0_o

They said I can get the results around tuesday or wednesday, and then I can give a copy to Dr.Webberely and hopefully get some treatment started SQUEE :D

Quote from: Jestwacked on April 15, 2016, 04:35:58 AM
I just had them done, and boy it was alot easier than before! For the first time ever I drunk loads of water before hand, got a really good night sleep, kept my arm warm right up to the taking, and she got like 6 vials out like it was nothing 0_o

They said I can get the results around tuesday or wednesday, and then I can give a copy to Dr.Webberely and hopefully get some treatment started SQUEE :D

Glad it went so well for you :)

Glad it went well!

I guess I'm in the minority in that I prefer to watch them do it staying present and just taking deep breaths. If I look away and try to think of something else I'll start to get nervous and panicky  :P

I like to watch.  But I'm used to needles.  Once I went somewhere and forgot my shot records.  I had to bare both arms while two medics went to work, one one each arm, to give me a full set of immunizations.  I think it was around 10 shots.


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