Does anyone else have rolling veins as a result of cirrhosis? I’ve been told my veins roll away which can happen in older patients. It makes taking bloods etc more challenging and painful? First time I heard of it yesterday. Anything I can do to improve this?
Thanks.
Hi Chick_atee.
I certainly have the same problem as yourself.
The nurse always cringes and says "Mr difficult veins", when I attend for bloods.
3/4 attempts is quite usual for me, as the veins, as you say, "move" and "roll away". It certainly can be very painful as you mentioned.
They quite frequently give up trying to take bloods in the usual places and resort to the smallest needles in the back of the hand, albeit that seems to give a slower blood flow.
I think I am somewhat older than yourself, so I'm not sure if age is potentially an issue as well. I'm sure other members may offer their opinions with that regard.
Anecdotally, I have found that if I am not well hydrated the experience is usually worse!
So I now try and drink plenty of water before a blood test. It helps me.
Not sure if any of that helps?
thanks so much, it does
My mum was told she had “wiggly veins” and “sticky blood”. Who knew!?! Like Trewargas she used to hydrate before blood tests. She also found a phlebotomist she liked and would go on days she worked then sit in the waiting room with fingers crossed.
I have not heard mine described thus but I know mine can be tricky. I have had the misfortune to see a particularly evil phlebotomist at the hospital on a few occasions now. I always tell them in advance that there is often a problem and usually using the finest needle helps, although they don't generally try that first because it is slow and they always seem to want half the blood in my body! Evil Phlebotomist stops me in my tracks and tells me she does not need to be told anything. She can see just by looking if a vein is good or not. Only to find EVERY.SINGLE.TIME that my veins may well look good but do not always oblige. Sigh.
Being very well hydrated as someone else has said really does help. I usually start keeping an eye on my fluid intake from the afternoon before the appointment. It may mean an extra trip to the loo in the night but it's a small price to pay. It is also worth doing some vigorous arm movements for a good 5 minutes just before the appointment to get the blood pumping well. You might get a few funny looks! Although even a while before can still be helpful, I find. If I have had a boxing session in the morning before a noon appointment it seems to make a difference. At the very least it means I've got my aggression out before encountering Evil Phlebotomist.
Hi. Just wanted to chime in to say you are not alone & I think you’ve gotten good advice so far. I’m told mine are hard to find & when found still roll away. The search for a “good” vein has left me w/lots of bruises & even knots sometimes. Painful. In addition to all you’ve been told so far, I find it helpful to gently & kindly tell the person doing the draw & come up with a game plan together. I’ve been thru having them have me drink water/put a heating pad on my arm/have me “pump” my fist/“flick” various places on my arm/back of hand. But one of the simplest, most effective ways that has worked for me so far is to just let my arms fully hang down while I’m waiting & throw some intermittent fist clenching in. Good luck! And if you come up with something that gets good results for you, please come back and share!
I now instruct them to use a fine butterfly needle in the back of my hand.
I even point to the vein that they should use.
Any arguments and I ask for their supervisor.
It's your body and you know it best.
My husband is exactly the same and tries to hydrate beforehand qnd says this helps. When I was in Germany I gave blood and it was hard so the nurse gave me this advice. Soak your arm in alternate hot and cold water a few times just before going in. It certainly worked for me and has sometimes helped hubby but I know it is not always easy to find somewhere to do this.
Varises and cirhossis.advise needed 
Start of Ascites 
confused about what I have - is it my liver (or pancreas) or something else
yellow tongue
I think I've waited to late.
