A helpful suggestion from a diabetic for next time: Locate the midline of your fingertip, right smack in the middle of your fingerprint. Scoot over about a 1/2 cm, then poke it with your fingernail to gauge the location of any nerve endings. Once you've found a good place (i.e. not sensitive), place the lancet just against the skin - NO pushing. Then pull back your finger and lightly tap the lancet. You may need to squeeze a bit to get the requisite drop.
Should keep you from bruising yourself. Also, stop using your right hand. *WEG*
oh GODS if they made me stick myself we would never get anything done.. they stick you at the red cross, i just stare at the wall and try not to jump when i hear the "click" (i swear, its the "click" that does it.. seriously) but if i ever have any say in it, i will remember this advice.
Oh dear, we're at that level of squeamish, eh? I'm at the point where I barely react, drives nurses crazy when they give me deep muscle injections of cortisone (Kenellog, typically) and I barely flinch.
That said, nervous as hell about getting a tattoo. So jokes on me, eh?
If it's any consolation, the last time I went to the Silver Spring Red Cross donor center before it closed (late 1990s), the big fat needle that actually draws the pint of blood out of your arm rolled OFF the big vein in the crook of my arm and went right into the muscle or joint or whatever is next to the big vein. It felt as if somebody took a size-11 knitting needle and jabbed it straight through my elbow joint. I *screamed* and that is SO not like me -- I first gave blood at age 17 and I had NEVER felt impaled like that before.
Yes, I know I have not given blood in many years. I should really try again, but I am so afraid of getting massively dehydrated at Pennsic.
bad needle sticksfabricdragonNovember 20 2007, 03:16:58 UTC
first off, you wouldnt know it given that i am a pheresis donor... but i am *majorly* phobic about needles. in the future, any description about needles (especially "bad stories") should get a phobia warning so i dont read it at a bad time
( ... )
ah.. nope, you are out. you can still help others donate by driving them to and from, holding their paw, etc....
in this case i think it was just the fact that she had to squooze the finger to get enough blood, combined with where i got stuck... (shrug) its mostly annoying.... and i feel like such a wuss. but it is funny, often i have this huge bandage on my arm, and a big "be nice to me" sticker. and what hurts? my finger.....
i think its mostly the fact that you CAN get it from eating meat.. so they assume blood as well..... and a lot of the "refusal" issues are to try to prevent lawsuits....
I hope you'll be back to crafting soon- wonder what they hit? Next time, give them your left finger. I hate it when I go to give blood, and sit for an hour waiting my turn to be tested and then come out a point or even a half point below acceptable. Wish they'd start with the hemo test before all the waiting!
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Also would make hand writing difficult too?
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the fact that i apparently use that finger to hit the enter button, however, has been an ouchie....
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Locate the midline of your fingertip, right smack in the middle of your fingerprint. Scoot over about a 1/2 cm, then poke it with your fingernail to gauge the location of any nerve endings. Once you've found a good place (i.e. not sensitive), place the lancet just against the skin - NO pushing. Then pull back your finger and lightly tap the lancet. You may need to squeeze a bit to get the requisite drop.
Should keep you from bruising yourself. Also, stop using your right hand. *WEG*
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but if i ever have any say in it, i will remember this advice.
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That said, nervous as hell about getting a tattoo. So jokes on me, eh?
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Yes, I know I have not given blood in many years. I should really try again, but I am so afraid of getting massively dehydrated at Pennsic.
Hope your finger heals soon!
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you can still help others donate by driving them to and from, holding their paw, etc....
in this case i think it was just the fact that she had to squooze the finger to get enough blood, combined with where i got stuck...
(shrug) its mostly annoying....
and i feel like such a wuss.
but it is funny, often i have this huge bandage on my arm, and a big "be nice to me" sticker. and what hurts? my finger.....
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and a lot of the "refusal" issues are to try to prevent lawsuits....
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Next time, give them your left finger.
I hate it when I go to give blood, and sit for an hour waiting my turn to be tested and then come out a point or even a half point below acceptable. Wish they'd start with the hemo test before all the waiting!
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as to the waiting? another good reason to do Pheresis.
you have an appointment, you show up. they see you within 5 minutes.
and since IF i am going to "flunk" its always on the iron. i have them do the iron test first... before the questions.
you should consider doing phereses. it takes a long time, but they let you watch a movie....
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