Anybody else have trouble giving blood ?

[tripperdogg]

Just wanted to see if anybody else has issues with the area on your arm that the blood bank has to use to do there draw for donations. I had issues when I was young and havent gotten over it yet, Im 48. when I get blood work they draw from my hand . I have had I.V.'S in my lower forearm with no problems, but I cant get by the middle of my arm draw site. The anxiety when I get there and contimplate that area makes me feel weak. It's not the pain, I get cut and bruised at work all the time, just a terrible mental issue. Any recommendations from other guys with this problem ? thanks

[bass]

hmmm, no problem here. if its in your head its hard to overcome, you may want to bite the bullet and go for it to get over your fears. ask for an experienced nurse, experienced nurses can poke you without you feeling anything. when i get poked by armatures they go right into my muscle and give me a huge blue bruise that last for two weeks! so make sure you ask for a nurse that has been doing this for a long time. the best ones are in the office not in the Mobile drives.

[tripperdogg]

I know I should be able to do it that way but I dont even like someone touching that area of my arm. I just freaks me out. I hate feeling this way too.

[HRTstudent]

It's not really shocking or suprising. Donating blood is actually a mentally traumatic thing for a lot of people (I think it's pretty natural to not like to bleed yourself!) But, whats wrong with using other sites if it works for you?

Have you tried not watching, distracting yourself, and having the phlebotomist cover your arm?

[kelkel]

It's not really shocking or suprising. Donating blood is actually a mentally traumatic thing for a lot of people (I think it's pretty natural to not like to bleed yourself!) But, whats wrong with using other sites if it works for you?

Have you tried not watching, distracting yourself, and having the phlebotomist cover your arm?

Except for Bass. He routinely drip dries!


Tripper, explain your anxiety to them and they will work with you. Wear headphones as well...

[zaggahamma]

Almost had to punch a male nurse for trying to put an iv in my hand i said look at my arm buddy plenty of plump veins dont make me squeeze your neck...had one iv in the hand and DID not like it AT ALL

[bigboy67]

I used to have serious issues with this. To the point where I had to be strapped down for them to draw blood. The cure? When I started giving myself injections... Melanotan, later TRT.

A few useful tips though.... Eat a big meal, like a nice heavy cheeseburger about an hour beforehand. Drink a shitload of water, and have ZERO stimulants that day, nothing, no coffee, seriously, haha. That will all aid in calming and actually allowing them to catch a vein and draw the blood.

My veins are at strange depths, squirrel all over the place, and apparently have a very tough outer wall, so much so that when they try to stick my veins, the vein just moves out of the way instead of getting stuck. I agree that letting them know your anxiety is the best course of action. But, I would also say that you should be clear and serious when you tell them, as the guys at blood draws all tend to want to be "the man"... and I always tell them I need the top guy there because I am tricky. One guy always tries his luck, then inevitably has to call in the top shot...

[HRTstudent]

Great point on the fluids and food. Be very hydrated (start at least the day before) and eat well for your upcoming donation. It will help the blood flow easier and help prevent lightheadedness (weird word??).

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Ask the nurse if she will let you stick yourself and then tell her you do it already 2 times a week inthe thigh and I bt you won't even have to worry abaout the stick in the arm

[bass]

Ask the nurse if she will let you stick yourself and then tell her you do it already 2 times a week inthe thigh and I bt you won't even have to worry abaout the stick in the arm

if you tell them you stick your self you'll be disqualified for donating. remember, one of the questions is have you used needles?

[HRTstudent]

It should only disqualify you if you inject something that is not prescribed.

Donating on doctor prescribed TRT should be of no concern.

[redhawk01]

^^^^ this. I just donated yesterday. Anything other than doc prescribed would be a yes answer.

[zaggahamma]

yeh but telling the worker face to face is different that the questions...like bass said you'll be on your way without donating MOST LIKELY

[Far from massive]

There is no fvn way that any phlebotomist will allow you to stick a needle in your vein, this would make them ripe for a lawsuit.

As far as the whole giving blood deal, while its great to donate blood its also pretty damaging to the vascular system. So for those doing it on a regular basis you will be much better served by doing it yourself at home with a vacutainer and a 21 g winged infusion set, than the harpoons used by the red cross that are needed to withdraw blood without damaging it.

[bass]

It should only disqualify you if you inject something that is not prescribed.

Donating on doctor prescribed TRT should be of no concern.

HRT, one of the questions i get asked is have i used needles? no mention if it was prescribed by a doctor or not. there is another question about taking steroids not prescribed by a doctor. so my thinking is there is a reason why they ask if i used needles, and my fear is they may reject me. so to play is safe i just say no to steroids and needles.

[junk2222yard]

As far as the whole giving blood deal, while its great to donate blood its also pretty damaging to the vascular system. So for those doing it on a regular basis you will be much better served by doing it yourself at home with a vacutainer and a 21 g winged infusion set, than the harpoons used by the red cross that are needed to withdraw blood without damaging it.

Can you expand on what you mean by "damaging to the vascular system"?

Do you mean very temporary trauma, that heals fine shortly thereafter, or do you mean literally there is a cumulative effect, and measurable permanent damage, if you donate regularly?

I ask because I just gave blood a couple days ago, and planned on making this a regular part of my HRT. Dropping by the blood clinic every 60 days to help myself and help others.

But if there is damage being done, well, I will drop the blood donation and figure out something else. Gotta put myself first.

[redhawk01]

Question: do you use needles other than doctor prescribed medications? Yes/no (NO)
That is the exact question on my forms.
Then they look at my arms prior to donating.

[HRTstudent]

HRT, one of the questions i get asked is have i used needles? no mention if it was prescribed by a doctor or not. there is another question about taking steroids not prescribed by a doctor. so my thinking is there is a reason why they ask if i used needles, and my fear is they may reject me. so to play is safe i just say no to steroids and needles.

It might just be a question that gets flagged then they might follow up with, "Ok, what do you inject?"

If you said medical TRT then they might not care.

Keep in mind, blood donor places used to (maybe some still?) are trained to try to spot people lying. So maybe its just part of their process.

Maybe you could call the facility and ask them if it's ok if you inject medical Rx Testosterone . Then they couldn't turn you down at least and waste your trip. lol...

But then they wouldn't get your blood and you would be allowed to donate at some other place... so they would lose out on your good/donate-able blood?...

I would think the same thing goes for people with type 1 diabetes (to a lesser extent hGH)... they use needles all day. I have no idea if they can donate blood but I would think so.

[Times Roman]

naw. when i was in afghanistan, they'd take a litre, not a pint, which is twice the amount. felt fine.

Bass, I can't remember, but was that you bleeeding yourself at home and then dumping in the toilet? I saw the video by my alheizmers sometimes kicks in with peoples' names.

[tripperdogg]

Thanks for the replies guys. I heard today from my hemotologist that my insurence will cover 1 unit of blood drawn every 8 weeks at the amblitory infusion center at the hospital. they are equipt with other types of equiptment to be able to draw from my forearm. I am very relieved.

[bass]

naw. when i was in afghanistan, they'd take a litre, not a pint, which is twice the amount. felt fine.

Bass, I can't remember, but was that you bleeeding yourself at home and then dumping in the toilet? I saw the video by my alheizmers sometimes kicks in with peoples' names.

that was me!

[Far from massive]

Can you expand on what you mean by "damaging to the vascular system"?

Do you mean very temporary trauma, that heals fine shortly thereafter, or do you mean literally there is a cumulative effect, and measurable permanent damage, if you donate regularly?

I ask because I just gave blood a couple days ago, and planned on making this a regular part of my HRT. Dropping by the blood clinic every 60 days to help myself and help others.

But if there is damage being done, well, I will drop the blood donation and figure out something else. Gotta put myself first.

I do mean actual cummulative damage. Every time you puncture a vein it creates some trauma and scar tissue on the vein itself, over time this can lead to collapsed veins. The larger the needle and the longer the vein is punctured the more damage is done. However the amount of trauma ones veins can withstand naturally varies a great deal from person to person with vascularity and relative health being a major factor.

All I am saying is that to withdraw blood without damaging it they are forced to use needles much larger than they need to if they are just trying to remove blood to lower RBC's. Maybe that is a service that TRT clinics could look into, using smaller needles with a vacuum source to reduce trauma.

I found a website a while back that mentioned this issue for those who had to remove blood for (if my memory serves me) removal of excess iron due to a specific medical condition. They were very adament on the long term problems created by repeated phlebotomy with harpoons.

However in the mean time until someone like the TRT clinic this site is thinking of opening I would not worry about taking the usual step and having blood withdrawn by the local redcross, the benefits far outwiegh the potential damages. So unless you are equipped and comfortable pulling you own blood, just go ahead and donate, many do it just to be nice (to the blood industry) month after month with no ill affects.

[Far from massive]

naw. when i was in afghanistan, they'd take a litre, not a pint, which is twice the amount. felt fine.

Bass, I can't remember, but was that you bleeeding yourself at home and then dumping in the toilet? I saw the video by my alheizmers sometimes kicks in with peoples' names.

I agree with that TR,

I pull about 24 oz since that's all my jar can hold. The way I look at the Red Cross probably has a big built in safety margin so if they can pull a pint from any normal 100 lb women, then my 215 lb ass should be able to pull a quart no problem.

I use a 21g winged infusion set with a vacuum pump and resevour, for me this is a lot less trouble and trauma than the donation deal.

[Babyslim]

I don't even like giving myself SubQ injections. But I've done my last two blood draws myself at home. Understanding whats going on is a big help for my psychologically. You are in control of the situation, when its time to stop bleeding you put pressure on it for two minutes or so and its done. These are veins not arteries. The worst thing that happens is you can end up with a large non-painful bruise for a few days.

When it's time for me to draw I really feel it. I start feeling sickly and like fainting. Blood pressure goes up 10-15 points or so. Sweat quite easily for no reason. The blood draw is very dark and clots thick and fast. The day after I feel great again and blood comes out bright red and wet. To me, knowing the benefit i'm awarding my body far outweighs any light discomfort for 10 minutes.

[Babyslim]

I agree with that TR,

I pull about 24 oz since that's all my jar can hold. The way I look at the Red Cross probably has a big built in safety margin so if they can pull a pint from any normal 100 lb women, then my 215 lb ass should be able to pull a quart no problem.

I use a 21g winged infusion set with a vacuum pump and resevour, for me this is a lot less trouble and trauma than the donation deal.

I want this, any more info on your setup and where to get the pump?

[vinceproduction]

hmmm, no problem here. if its in your head its hard to overcome, you may want to bite the bullet and go for it to get over your fears. ask for an experienced nurse, experienced nurses can poke you without you feeling anything. when i get poked by armatures they go right into my muscle and give me a huge blue bruise that last for two weeks! so make sure you ask for a nurse that has been doing this for a long time. the best ones are in the office not in the Mobile drives.

Ugg I just cringed at the thought of that big blue bruise. I don't understand how they could screw it up when more vascular people like ourselves show up?! You'd think it'd be a piece of cake! My dad had a funny story about a nun /nurse in a hospital that started an IV in him like 4 attempts and finally started hitting his arm pretty hard and yelling at him to keep still!? Lol he would've if she stopped hitting his arm lol. He finally demanded she get someone else! The replacement got it on the first poke. There should be some kind of standard for skill.

[HEVEW8]

The girl at my Labcorp location hit my nerve in my arm when she took 4 vials of blood... I still feel a stwitch in my arm when I do biceps.... The gal that did my phlibodomy used a 16gauge needle and I did not feel a thing...? Go figure, some people know what they are doing and others don't, or was the labcorop lady having a bad day? I have always had a fear of needles,.. I too get nervouse injecting myself, but I find if I don't look, and listen to music or talk to the person and let them know that I get real nervous they tend to carter to my needs and baby me through the whole process.

[600@50]

I used the "Bass" method the last time I drained a pint. The Red Cross won't take my blood so this is my only viable method. It works for me.

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...!#.UKkWWoZKZt0

[bass]

I used the "Bass" method the last time I drained a pint. The Red Cross won't take my blood so this is my only viable method. It works for me.

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...!#.UKkWWoZKZt0

it look freaky but believe me its much easier than donating, nothing to it really! go for you 600, at least now you have an option, right?

[bass]

Ugg I just cringed at the thought of that big blue bruise. I don't understand how they could screw it up when more vascular people like ourselves show up?! You'd think it'd be a piece of cake! My dad had a funny story about a nun /nurse in a hospital that started an IV in him like 4 attempts and finally started hitting his arm pretty hard and yelling at him to keep still!? Lol he would've if she stopped hitting his arm lol. He finally demanded she get someone else! The replacement got it on the first poke. There should be some kind of standard for skill.

exactly Vince, they seem to forget that the vein is only skin deep, why the hell they go deeper is beyond me. funny thing is my last time i said to the nurse "remember the vein is only skin deep, don't go in straight"! LOL

[HEVEW8]

Jesus Bass, I would faint and pass out if I tried to self bleed! Holy S$&!!

[bass]

Jesus Bass, I would faint and pass out if I tried to self bleed! Holy S$&!!

when you get rejected by almost every blood drive, and your doc won't give you a script for blood letting, while you blood is as thick as oil you have two choices, die or drain yourself!

[Mixer808]

hmmm, no problem here. if its in your head its hard to overcome, you may want to bite the bullet and go for it to get over your fears. ask for an experienced nurse, experienced nurses can poke you without you feeling anything. when i get poked by armatures they go right into my muscle and give me a huge blue bruise that last for two weeks! so make sure you ask for a nurse that has been doing this for a long time. the best ones are in the office not in the Mobile drives.

Completely agree with this. I've had inexperienced nurses literally jab the inside of my arm with the needle trying to find my damn vein. Which, surprise surprise ended up not working so they needed to use the other arm. I've never had issues with giving blood, but this one nurse butchered my left arm, it didn't feel good and it just horrible, like she was screwing up everything inside my arm... Anyway I got another nurse to stab my other arm and it worked like a charm, fast, easy, and painless. That first attempt left a nasty looking bruise on my arm for about 2 weeks. Nasty...