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If bruising from an IV is normal, why is this the first time it's happened to me?

Ichinisan

Ichinisan

Lifer
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Gross.

I'm pretty sure I've had IV needles in my arm before, but I don't remember bruising. Google tells me it's normal though.
 
A bruise from an IV happens when the vein wall bleeds into the dermis and soaks into the epidermis. If this particular IV was with a large needle, or was in for a while, or the tech was just sloppy or new, or shoot - the moon was in retrograde, it can happen. Nothing is wrong. Maybe every time you've had one before was with a good tech with tiny needles, dunno.
 
They might have blown the vein, gone right through or had to dig around to find it.

In all cases, it points to a shitty stick
 
That's a bit worse than mine but the first time I had blood drawn, my arm got pretty jacked a day or two later for a couple of days. It got bruised like that and I asked someone at work if it was normal and he's like "oh yeah dude it's fine". The next day it was even worse I was like "dude, this is not good" "naw it's totally normal". I wasn't really buying it but it was normal I guess and soon enough it went away.

Since then I've no had like any bruising at all from getting blood drawn. Also that first time the nurse did it fine. Like there wasn't any poking or any pain it was all smooth.
 
vi edit said:
How many sticks before they hit? First try?
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Yeah.


I remember a docs assistant trying to draw blood many years ago when they missed over and over and over, then gave up and called in a more experienced assistant to do it on my right arm. Maybe there was a bruise then, but I don't remember one.
 
tcsenter said:
Been hitting any anticoagulants hard lately?
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Well they gave me something that was supposed to counteract nausea (through the IV). I think there might have been something else too (not sure). They also administered some kind of medicated breathing treatment.

They prescribed 4-5 things, but I only picked up the antibiotic (Azithromycin).

Seriously...they were listing what all the meds were for and I was mentally dismissing each one ("Don't need it. Don't need it. Don't need it.").
 
That sort of bruising reminds me of the noobs drawing blood and forgetting to remove the tourniquiet before removing the needle....back pressure and you get a huge bruise.

Poor technique also will do that. But since it was an IV, and it's gone now, either the caustic meds kept the IV site from closing off properly when the IV cannula was removed (and it was just bandaided off, no real pressure applied) or the vein blew out and bled out into your interstitial tissues. Happens, but ugly.

Ought to see how fast an arterial line bruises when its artery leaks/blows out. Now that hurts!
 
rcpratt said:
Your arms are ugly.
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Thanks. They taped a cotton ball on me after they removed the IV (standard procedure). This time, the tape formed some kind of ultra-bond with my arm hair and I didn't remove it until I had to go back to work today. It was EXTREMELY painful and it left all the nasty adhesive gunk on my arm.

Still there.
 
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Moar crotch:
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It has been a few days, but it doesn't seem to be going away very quickly...or at all.


On a side-note...how do you guys suggest reducing the "Sasquatch arm" without just removing everything and looking like a little boy?
 
Hemolysis, brah.

Your arm hair looks normal. It was just the goop that was making your hair clump together before.
 
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