Vaccine

For those of you worried about bleeding when having the vaccine. This is me, having stuck myself three times to get enough blood for a thyroid test!! And then I couldn’t get any.

Now I’m worried I’m not anti-coagulated enough! 😱

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Hylda, when I need to collect a blood sample I always do it right after a shower. My blood appears to flow better then.

[BobD Volunteer]

Remember anticoagulants do not thin blood Hylda (stupid term used by doctors who think we are too thick to understand) so this is no guide at all. I am on warfarin and my INR always 2.5 or similar yet need to run my hands under a warm tap this weaather before my finger prick test and shake it all about a fair bit. Relax and enjoy the bruises,

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

Thanks, but have to do it all again next week. Put my fingers in a cup of hot water, waved my arms about too. Only thing I didn’t try was star jumps, but don’t think lady in downstairs flat would have been impressed with that! Di

[bantam12 in reply to Hidden]

Is there a reason why you used the side of your fingers ? It usually works better if you stab the fleshy bit of the finger tip.

[Hidden in reply to bantam12]

Says stab side, but will try fleshy bit as you say. Thanks

[ILowe in reply to Hidden]

Excellent pictures! Personally I found pricking the side of the finger to be painful, so I always use the fleshy bit of the finger tip. I also experimented with depth. For me, 3.5 does not work, so I tried 4 and that works, at a price! So I tried 3 and that works well.Doing a test after exercise helps. Also, after washing well in warm water, as suggested, but taking care to dry really well since damp fingers can influence the results. Swinging my arm for a minute helps, as does massaging the blood from the wrist along the finger to the tip: just squeezing the finger tip is rarely enough.

[MarkS in reply to Hidden]

I find the side of the finger works for me, there are fewer nerves there too. If it's cold, I run up and down stairs a few times to make sure I feel warm. Then I wash my hands (not just the finger) in hot water for a minute or so, then run on the spot whilst keeping my hands low and rubbing them vigorously together. The dog gets worried at that point! You need to get the blood circulating through your whole body. The whole of your hand should look pink rather than white.

[Hidden]

Have you got a home testing kit?

[Hidden]

Yes, private one from Medichecks. Not letting GPs know what I do with my thyroid medication. 🙄

[john-boy-92]

It's an oxymoron. Despite being on Pradaxa, when I end up in A&E with low blood pressure or I'm cold, it will take several attempts before they can take a blood sample from my arm. Canulas fall out unless they are really well taped. Not too much of a problem unless they are meant to be feeding a pain killer such as fentanyl with a sedative !