Difficult to draw my blood

Day 1222.

I am what you in medical terms would call “a hard stick”. I never knew this until I got sick.

Every time I need to have a blood test or get an IV it’s a drama.

The night of my first VT arrhythmia, the paramedics struggled to find a vein to draw blood from. They tried a few places under an emence amount of pressure, as they wanted to sedate me before shocking me with the defribilator, and it needed to happen quickly. They even tried my big toe with no luck. Eventually they found a vein on my index finger. It was a much discussed location when I got to emergency department.

Ever since then and starting my treatment I have had to get regular blood tests every month to monitor my kidneys, liver and Troponin numbers.

That equates to about 40 blood tests over the last 4 years.

What have I learnt about my veins since then?

My veins at the bend of my elbows are really deep. I have had very few successful attempts in that location. Even so, l

Are you dehydrated?

Holding hands with a blue glove