How do I make donation easier for the phlebotomist when my veins are tricky?
Hey all! I haven't posted here before, but I would like some advice on how to do better for my donations. I'm in Oklahoma, if that helps with things at all. I've (F25) had five successful donations, now two unsuccessful. It's nothing to do with the blood being contaminated, but my veins being difficult.
I have followed everything each time for how to prepare. On the regular, I drink 80 ounces of water per day, and usually a cup of coffee in the morning. However, I don't drink coffee or have any caffeine the morning of a donation and drink more water the day before and day of.
I usually donate whole blood, but did try donating plasma at Parachute. I was turned away because they feared the needle would cause my vein to burst. So, I accepted that I can only donate blood. However, before my blood donation today, the center I usually go to mentioned how I'm a great candidate for donating platelets. I figured I'd try it, after mentioning the dilemma with my veins and being reassured.
I always warn the phlebotomists about my arms before they ever poke me. Still, we ran into the same dilemma as when I simply donate whole blood. My vein is deep in my arm, and as I learned today, it likes to move around a good bit without me moving my arm. They found it, did the proper procedure of marking it and sanitizing my arm, then administered the needle. Still, the vein moved. They tried finding it again, before eventually taking the needle out so as not to bruise me and suggested I try again in a few weeks (since it was platelets and not whole blood).
This has happened before with whole blood. Is there anything I can possibly do to make this experience not only easier on myself, but on the phlebotomists? I always feel awful when this issue arises with my arm, as I know I'm wasting their time and resources.