Difficult IV starts anyone?

[My Big Day 3/15/2011 4]

I am not sure if there are other posts on this subject, but I have a terrible time with my IV start. I usually get stuck multiple times by multiple people, thus developing my fear of the whole situation. I am looking for things I can do over the next 4 weeks to help improve my odds of having an easy IV stick. I have read about trying to build your arm muscles so I am beginning to work on that right away. Any other suggestions would be wonderful to help ease my anxiety over this matter. They do say that nurses make the worst patients...so I guess I fit the bill. I am going to ask myu surgeon to order a pre-op Xanax 30 mins prior to IV insertion and lidocaine for the actual insertion. I hope this doesn't make me come across as overly needy! I am very easy going...but God that Iv sticking hurts. I can take blood draws pretty easy b/c they take it from the anticubital space and the veins there are supberb but they don't like IV's there for surgery so then they work down the arm and once I had it in the inside of my wrist...that hurt like hell! Please any tips on IV's will be much appreciated...thanks!

[Dawn 16]

I wish I could be helpful but I WISH I knew of what to do to help it but I'm a HORRIBLE stick too For this surgery I was stuck a few times the first time then the IV went back on the second day of my hospital stay and they had to redo it at 2am and that about 6 sticks! Best of Luck!!!

[feedyoureye 3,087]

One lab persone I went to said to avoid being dehydrated when you go in. My arms were covered with bruises after all was said and done... oh well, mostly gone now! I had one night nurse draw blood with a bunch of difficulties, then later someone else came in to redo because the blood she drew was curdled! I was later told it was because the size of the needle and the amount of pull on the blood sometimes breaks the blood cells.... I'm pretty over getting blood drawn and IVs put in for now anyway...

[shaundra 5]

i dont have any tips, but just wanted to let you know you are not alone. i was stuck multiple times on surgery day and the day after. the 2nd night my vein went bad and i woke up with a marshmallow hand and arm. drink lots of water....i guess.

[lucill35 73]

I too am a difficult stick. I made sure to let the person who was drawing my blood know before they even started, suggested they used the butterfly needle (not really sure what that meant but had a nurse say that before), the nurse looked and looked and got a vein on the first stick. I let the anesthesologist know this the day before also and that I was deathly afraid of the IV stick and that the only other time I had an IV stick, I came real close to passing out. The anesth. said that he would give me a "happy pill" about 30 minutes prior to surgery which seemed to do the trick as I have no recall of the IV. It seemed there was some trouble as I had several bruises on the back of my hand and ultimately had the IV between my wrist and elbow but I have no memory of the whole experience.

Good luck to you and don't stress yourself out before your surgery. Just make sure everyone is aware.

Sue

[My Big Day 3/15/2011 4]

Thanks Sue, and I am definately hoping for a happy pill...glad you got one!

[Roseib 13]

Me, too - bad veins thst is. The pre-op nurse took a look at my veins and called an expert in. Just took her two tries. My best IV veins are in my hands and she did use lidocaine or some other deadener first. Wasn't bad. No problems with it either. It was the blood tests they had to do some 20 times a day (not really just seemed that many) that were more of a problem The night guy didn't even try. Just called for his supervisor. But all in all not bad. Nothing to worry about.