Self Bleeding!

[crashfirepm53]

Outdated I know but you need very little pressure/constriction above the IV site. Overpressurizing can cause the vein to rupture or "blow". I've started thousands of IV's in 23 years and on a guy which great veins the tourniquet isn't much more than snug. I had the flu and dropped a 16g in my hand vein before.

[38onTRT]

Bass,

Thx for this.. I self bled with the help of my Nephew who is a DUI Cop and Licensed Phlebotomist.. He understood what I needed to do and was willing to help no questions asked. I donated about 17 ounces to my toilet which took about 15 minutes after the 18g needle was inserted into my vein.
To anyone wanting to do this, I HIGHLY suggest having someone watch over you as you could pass out and if that happens, it's game over for you.. A tourniquet is recommended also in lieu of the BP Cuff.. I tried both, the BP Cuff, for whatever reason didn't work as well, the blood flow was slower..
After about an hour, I felt GREAT. My RBC and Hematocrit numbers are very high.. I donated to the Red Cross 50 days ago, a double red, then did my normal 6 month HRT blood tests and my Hematocrit was a 55.2 (37.5-51.0)..
I am able to donate to Red Cross tomorrow (16th) however will be out of town until next week. I will donate then self bleed again for 2 weeks and hope it puts me in the mid normal range..

Again, bass, thank you!

[bass]

Bass,

Thx for this.. I self bled with the help of my Nephew who is a DUI Cop and Licensed Phlebotomist.. He understood what I needed to do and was willing to help no questions asked. I donated about 17 ounces to my toilet which took about 15 minutes after the 18g needle was inserted into my vein.
To anyone wanting to do this, I HIGHLY suggest having someone watch over you as you could pass out and if that happens, it's game over for you.. A tourniquet is recommended also in lieu of the BP Cuff.. I tried both, the BP Cuff, for whatever reason didn't work as well, the blood flow was slower..
After about an hour, I felt GREAT. My RBC and Hematocrit numbers are very high.. I donated to the Red Cross 50 days ago, a double red, then did my normal 6 month HRT blood tests and my Hematocrit was a 55.2 (37.5-51.0)..
I am able to donate to Red Cross tomorrow (16th) however will be out of town until next week. I will donate then self bleed again for 2 weeks and hope it puts me in the mid normal range..

Again, bass, thank you!

you are welcome 38, glad this helped you.

[2Sox]

Amazing, Bass. You make it look easy. But I'll pass and leave it to the Red Cross. lol

Bonaparte, I really liked what you said. But I'll have to ask my wife to translate for me. She's a P.A. in cardiology.

[bass]

Amazing, Bass. You make it look easy. But I'll pass and leave it to the Red Cross. lol

same here, I only do it when I have to.

[600@50]

my hemoglobin gets a tad above normal and same with RBC but my Hematocrit is few points above normal which i don't like. once every two months doesn't seem to be enough, the levels keep creeping up. when my levels get high i feel tired and my PVC's start acting up, don't like the feeling. I'd rather self bleed than die from stroke or heart attack.

Hey Bass. I was rereading this thread and came across an old post where you mentioned your PVC's start acting up. What are PVC's?

[bass]

premature ventricular contractions. Feels like heart skip a beat now and then.

[Times Roman]

its hard to do self bleeding and take a video at the same time, but i did my best!

Self Bleeding! - YouTube

I love this gawdam thread!

it's an instant classic

[EasyDoesIt]

That's a great vid Bass. I have wanted to do this, but never found a video on it. First i have seen this thread. Not sure i quite have it all, i need to find someone to do the first round with me. You did make it look very easy.

[bass]

I love this gawdam thread!

it's an instant classic

this is becoming more popular than I ever imagined! obviously there are many who do it themselves or like to do it so I think i'll do another one, right this time, no hand tools. LOL

[600@50]

this is becoming more popular than I ever imagined! obviously there are many who do it themselves or like to do it so I think i'll do another one, right this time, no hand tools. LOL

I can't donate because Red Cross won't take my blood. You're right there's probably a bunch out there that would rather do it themselves if they had the confidence. Videos are great. I watched a couple of times and then did it myself. Thanks Bass.

[Far from massive]

Anyone else using vacuum to assist the process and allow a smaller gauge needle?

I use a 21g with a 16oz reservoir and a handheld pump with about 10 in/hg of vacuum and it works very well. Also there is the added benefit when doing it solo that if you ever did pass out once the vacuum ceased the flow would slow greatly then as the bottle got close to full the pressure would build and it would stop altogether.

[EasyDoesIt]

this is becoming more popular than I ever imagined! obviously there are many who do it themselves or like to do it so I think i'll do another one, right this time, no hand tools. LOL

That would be great, list all supplies and make it a self bleeding for dummies. It's one of those things for me i need to be completely confident in before doing. Taught from scratch as if the student knows nothing.
Thanks Bass!

[SEOINAGE]

Anyone else using vacuum to assist the process and allow a smaller gauge needle?

I use a 21g with a 16oz reservoir and a handheld pump with about 10 in/hg of vacuum and it works very well. Also there is the added benefit when doing it solo that if you ever did pass out once the vacuum ceased the flow would slow greatly then as the bottle got close to full the pressure would build and it would stop altogether.

This sounds like a good idea, I hate the 18g needle already, and even it gets plugged up and process slows dramatically towards end. I need to donate again, heart rate has been up again lately and haven't been able to. Been putting off doing it myself but likely going to have to.

edit: any chance of getting more info on how to set this up?

[bass]

Anyone else using vacuum to assist the process and allow a smaller gauge needle?

I use a 21g with a 16oz reservoir and a handheld pump with about 10 in/hg of vacuum and it works very well. Also there is the added benefit when doing it solo that if you ever did pass out once the vacuum ceased the flow would slow greatly then as the bottle got close to full the pressure would build and it would stop altogether.

FFM, was it you who helped to do self bleeding way back then? can't remember if it was you or someone else, but he did use the vacuum. the only thing I worry about is collapsing the vein if vacuum gets to high. your thoughts?

[GSXRvi6]

Would this tubing work?

ATP Value-Tube LDPE Plastic Tubing, Natural, 7/64" ID x 5/32" OD, 100 feet Length: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

[terraj]

I travel a lot and often spend long peroid in places where I can`t give blood....so thanks for posting this Bass. I have tried once myself....lets just say I didn`t think it through

[bass]

Would this tubing work?

ATP Value-Tube LDPE Plastic Tubing, Natural, 7/64" ID x 5/32" OD, 100 feet Length: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Yes this will work.

I travel a lot and often spend long peroid in places where I can`t give blood....so thanks for posting this Bass. I have tried once myself....lets just say I didn`t think it through

Glad it helped.

[FakeLove]

Bumping up the old thread. Do you do anything for the tubing before bleeding or do you use it as it comes from a shop? I mean do you sterilise it in any way? And if I understood correctly you then dispose the tube once used, meaning that consumption of tubing would be something like 6.5 foot per bleeding?

[bass]

i usually rinse it with alcohol by filling a syringe and squirting it through the tube. and yes you dispose of the tubing and everything else that comes in contact with blood. don't overthink the process its like giving yourself a shot.

[NACH3]

Bumping up the old thread. Do you do anything for the tubing before bleeding or do you use it as it comes from a shop? I mean do you sterilise it in any way? And if I understood correctly you then dispose the tube once used, meaning that consumption of tubing would be something like 6.5 foot per bleeding?

I've found that the shorter the length of tubing(say 3ft) has given me a faster bleed... I boil my tubing .... And sterilize it

[bass]

^^^ that works too.

[FakeLove]

Thanks for the tips. I was just wondering the details, mainly the sterilising part.

[< <Samson> >]

i usually rinse it with alcohol by filling a syringe and squirting it through the tube. and yes you dispose of the tubing and everything else that comes in contact with blood. don't overthink the process its like giving yourself a shot.

Are you use neoprene or what?


I have been using aquarium air line & it doesn't seem all too sufficient

[bass]

Samson, i'll put all the details in my original post shortly.

[bass]

my original post updated.

[< <Samson> >]

Right on, I'll look into it

[applips]

OK a question, What is the reason of this practice? Why self bleed?

[bass]

OK a question, What is the reason of this practice? Why self bleed?

only if one is denied to donate. I do it because i don't damage my veins like blood drives do. generally blood letting is for people who are on trt. blood gets thick and we have to do it.

[applips]

only if one is denied to donate. I do it because i don't damage my veins like blood drives do. generally blood letting is for people who are on trt. blood gets thick and we have to do it.

Ah OK, thank you. How often do you have to do that?

I would still prefer donating though

[< <Samson> >]

Ah OK, thank you. How often do you have to do that? I would still prefer donating though

Depends on your BW

Some generate a much higher RBC than others from lower doses.

[applips]

Depends on your BW

Some generate a much higher RBC than others from lower doses.

OK thanks

[FakeLove]

I used a 19G 1inch needle and a silicon tubing with 5/32" OD and 5/64" ID. 350ml came out until it clogged in the beginning of the tubing right after the joint of the tube and the needle. Other than that it was very easy. I used a stress ball in my hand like they do at donation sites and also eased up the pressure band a bit once I had an iv connection. Took like 15 to 20 minutes to get 350ml out. Definitely could use a third hand there

Any ideas how to avoid that clogging? Or could it just be that the wall in my tube is too thick leaving not enough space for blood to flow without getting clogged? Seems impossible to find a 7/64" ID tubing with 5/32" OD from my country and most Amazon / eBay retailers won't ship here. Anyway I would have thought that clogging would have happened further in the tube rather than at the beginning.

OK a question, What is the reason of this practice? Why self bleed?

Hemoglobin gets too high while on trt and one is not either a qualified donor (for example if you've had a cancer or sometimes if you even use an AI) or can't access to donation site due to location. Many times doctors for whatever reasons they have refuse to do blood letting for the medical reasons and their only solution in that case would be to take a break from trt. There's also a scenario that one has too high hemoglobin and one donation once in two months won't be able to bring it down enough. This all equals that some just don't have a choice.

[bass]

i use 18 g. and use second tube to create vacuum or negative pressure in the bottle. it takes me 5 minutes to draw 16 oz.

[FakeLove]

I did, but perhaps the hole I poked into the cap was a bit too large since I wasn't really able to create any negative pressure in the bottle. I guess that mentioned cap taping would have solved that issue. Well next time then. But anway bass many thanks for the much needed information. I wouldn't have done it without having peer experiences available. Will run the labs soon and then I will see where I'm standing at.

[Rusty11]

Right on, bass. Thx. Did this yesterday with my wife's help. Needle went in smoother than when at Red Cross. It slowed way down at 3/4 pint. I'm thinking I didn't keep the BP cuff inflated enough. I put a second hole in the cap, but decided not to suck air out with a second tube. Anyway. Thanks for posting this video.

[FakeLove]

If someone is interested what can be achieved by self bleeding I got my labs done today, two weeks after the last draw. Hematocrit went down from 57% to 44% by drawing first roughly 450ml and then a week later 350ml. As expected hemoglobin went also down, from 190 to 148 (139-167).

[Rusty11]

Wow, that's a huge decrease. Great to hear!

[FakeLove]

I've been continuing executing this and still having two issues: it's hard to get a pint worth of blood out (slows down in a halfway) and haven't really found a way to tape the tubes in a way that would make the bottle air tight. No matter how would I suck nothing happens.

Could the first one be that I just don't have the BD cuff tight enough? And is there any tips available to get the poked holes air tight? I've been poking small holes that barely allows the tube to enter and also been trying couple different type of tapes as well. What am I doing wrong?

[bass]

I've been continuing executing this and still having two issues: it's hard to get a pint worth of blood out (slows down in a halfway) and haven't really found a way to tape the tubes in a way that would make the bottle air tight. No matter how would I suck nothing happens.

Could the first one be that I just don't have the BD cuff tight enough? And is there any tips available to get the poked holes air tight? I've been poking small holes that barely allows the tube to enter and also been trying couple different type of tapes as well. What am I doing wrong?

are you using 18 gauge needle? try to poke the bottle cap with smooth round object, but make sure its not too tight where it makes the tube ID too small. try using more stiff bottle so it don't easily collapse when creating a negative pressure. also try to tighten your cuff little at at time until you see better flow but not too tight to cut off flow completely. best time to do this for me is in the evening after drinking lots of water.