I have OCD please help me :)

Summer is coming and people are going to exposing their arms and I am going to spend a lot of the summer obessing about their veins. I can't be the only one who does this. Often the thinking as I am in the queue at tesco, coo i could throw a venflon at you from 20 paces and get it in. This admission i was only a day in and we were using the palm of my hand (never ever let anyone put one in there child birth is less painful) now I have a hosepipe coming from neck, great I seem to recall the last time RBH did that I had a clot the size of Wales a massive infection and spent 5 weeks here. I have since had many big lines and not got infections but the RBH is the only hospital I know who do not use a sterile field when giving drugs through a C line as routine, well they are on me this time. I am in a room on my own and no-one comes near me without sterile gloves and kit. However, I digress this did not prevent me from saying to nice on call Dr who I had just met for the 1st time ""cosh you have lovely veins can I have one or please"".

Bex

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Bex

Hahaha! Im the same bex! I had to have a canula in the tip of my little finger before i went to hdu and they got my arterial line and better access etc sorted! I remember them struggling for ages and not getting anywhere then used the ultrasound scanner things to actually locate any veins grr anyways i looked at the lovely doctors arms and he had big veins protruding out of his arms! So i get what you mean! its funny how you think sometimes!

Hope your feeling better soon. Take care lv kat Xx

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Ahah, I see you are describing an affliction well recognised by all those who have ever worked as junior doctors. Having spent a good part of 2-3 years cannulating virtually anything that moves, you then spend the rest of your life judging people's veins by the size of cannula you could get into them.

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I have never experienced anything as painful as a cannula in the palm of my hand. The ones on the inside of wrists have already been abused and given up. There will be serious discussion when my cons gets back about something more sensible for long term.

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ouchy i wont let them try there bex i couldnt face it at all!! Im having discussions soon about long term plans - 2nd june i think! Its getting silly now as they struggled to get a yellow pead needle into my little finger! Mmm gotta sort something out really hey? Im a tad concerned tho as im really prone to sepsis as ive had candidaemia three times in 12months and had staph sepsis four times in 18months related to line infections among other things! They've been putting off doing any long lines due to this but i feel we have possibly reached the point where benefit outweighs the negatives not sure? Any advice on how to avoid infections with long lines or ports etc as no matter how clean i keep lines in costa i always get an infection!?

Hope the plans go well for you bex keep us posted. Lots of love. Kk Xxxx

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My ex has huge veins in his arms, during the one admission he was there for, the doctor said she wished she could have been cannulating him instead as my veins can be hard to find and sometimes have a wonderful habit of collapsing halfway through a cannulation!

He also had issues with tattooists refusing to do his forearms.

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My major fear is if i collapse in the street someone will look at my scarred arms and nonexistant veins ignore my obvious inability to breathe and assume am total drug addict!!

Good luck on the avoiding infection Bex

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marmite

That is a HUGE fear of mine too! Im soooo scared after the last few years of canula use in costa that its a huge fear that i'll be ignored thinking im a drug addict or that what just happened this last admission will happen again only worse!

This latest time i ended up in hdu rather unwell because of them not finding any access for about 6 hours-it was so scary that i now have a fear that next time they'll not get any access! Its really frightening!

I would like to hope that the general public wouldnt ignore someone if they were struggling but im not sure! its always a worry isnt it!

Lotsa lv all kk Xx

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marmite- i know exactly what u mean i have had a number of suspicious looks from parents in playground who dont know me too esp atm as im still covered in bruises from last admission.1

Bex- ouch ouch and more ouch- palm of hand is def not nice not had one there but my pet hate is lines in feet. hope things get sored quickly for you.

im quite lucky now as my resus team know me well as soon as im in they put in a central line and an art line so not too much faffing around trying to find a vein saying that it took 3 attempts (ultrasound guided)to get the central line in and 4 attempts for the art line if i had been able to i would have screamed!!!

as for nice veins my hubby s veins are superb and make me very jealous!!!