Thread: Phlebotomy

Anyone else here mastered or practice the fine art of needles + veins (in a medical/professional setting, that is )? I just started doing it at work, and frankly I think it's fucking cool as hell. It's not the blood, it's the finesse, and everyone seems to seriously look up to the people that are good at it, and the failures, like seeing a ping pong ball sized hematoma on somebody's arm that's of YOUR creation are absolutely soul crushing.

So who's got brag stories, horror stories, comments or tips?

uh i should probably learn that soon good thing they wont make me do it on my exam tuesday.

the cow I tried it on last time was not very happy with me.

I got my blood drawn on Friday because I thought I was anemic. So I guess I sorta relate to this thread.

Originally Posted by Pepsi

Honestly, I would not trust you to go near my arm with any type of sharp or piercing object.

Honestly, I don't give a fuck what you think.

in before vengeful scars

I know people that shoot up. If that counts. If not then this post fails to deliver.

phlebotomy sounds like lobotomy's less well known, sadder but just as tragic, brother in law

Originally Posted by sycld

ewww god... you sound like you're speaking from experience here...

also i heard from my aunt who works as a lab tech that phlebotomists are at the bottom of the bottom of the medical food chain.

Hematomas happen to everyone sometimes. It may or may not have anything to do with technique, sometimes yeah, it's an error on the part of the phelebotomist, other times it's a defect with the person's veins.

Also, I'm doing it in as part of a job in clinical research, I'm not a phlebotomist specifically.

And from my user CP:

well aggression is just not called for (besides nobody would trust you with needles) love gwahir If this was really you, gwahir, at least you owned up to your comment, but it just makes it that much sadder.

wow cryptic is grey

i can't say i've seen that before

OK I exaggerated a bit, the biggest one I've personally seen is about the diameter of a nickel. Still bigger than you'd want on your arm, but not ping pong sized.

I'm a bio major, got an internship at a drug development company last summer and they kept me on.

Originally Posted by coqauvin

wow cryptic is grey

i can't say i've seen that before

Well it's more a bluish grey

shut up faggot

I got a blue rep once. When I clicked on the scales it just said 'Your reputation for this post is somewhat even' or something.

Original. Nobody's every called me a faggot before.

It says I'm an unknown quantity at this point.

Someone say something..?

I have had golf ball size hemo's and the wife has had some the size of a softball. My veins are shallower than they seem so newbies tend to blow right through them. Until about 5 years ago I donated 21 Gallons of blood, the first 12 by the unit and the rest by double credit for components. I have had gouger's, hunters, rammers and butterflies draw me. The butterflies don't even give you a sensation during the draw. Now I have to check my prothrombin (clotting time) monthly and quickly learn the labs' best "vamps". I guess I'm approaching 300 draws in my life.

I donate plamsa twice a week for extra income.

Originally Posted by Ranton

I have had golf ball size hemo's and the wife has had some the size of a softball. My veins are shallower than they seem so newbies tend to blow right through them. Until about 5 years ago I donated 21 Gallons of blood, the first 12 by the unit and the rest by double credit for components. I have had gouger's, hunters, rammers and butterflies draw me. The butterflies don't even give you a sensation during the draw. Now I have to check my prothrombin (clotting time) monthly and quickly learn the labs' best "vamps". I guess I'm approaching 300 draws in my life.

Heh heh...wow...that's a lot of blood. Personally I'm better with larger gauge butterflies than with smaller needles overall and straight sticks. If I have a vein that hasn't been abused, I'm fine with a straight stick, but the people who have donated plasma for 3000 years and have a ball of scar tissue, I pretty much suck at.

The larger gauge butterflies (ours are 17) allow me to feel more, I can actually feel resistance when I'm up against a vein wall instead of just flying through it with a micro skinny needle, and I like the finer control of a butterfly.

And dear GOD softball size hematomas? Was this during a regular draw, or during blood or plasma donation?