So you take 14 vials of blood and are shocked when i faint?

I went for my pre-op assessment yesterday and am all cleared for surgery on 18th April (woop woop) and part of the assessment needed 3 vials of blood.

I'm also taking part in a study by one of the consultants at the hospital to try and find out if there is something in the stomache that can lead to obesity which requires frequent measurements, blood tests and stool samples pre and post surgery.

So the consultant says to me i'll take the 3 vials for your pre-op assessment when I take my blood samples to save sticking you twice and I thought great. Prior to all these pre-op tests the last time I had blood taken I was 5 and I fainted and have been really worried about ever having to have a blood test but the three I had up until yesterday were pain and faint free.

So I sit down in his chair and he takes the 3 vials out of my left arm, blood is a bit slow coming out but I get through it and then he starts taking more vials out for his sample. 1, 2, 3...I jokingly say "you don't need the full box do you?" "No" He replies. 4, 5, 6... Yeah, he didn't need the WHOLE box, he left 2 in there!

So i'm sat with the needle still in my arm and another 13 vials on the table and I start getting a little hot and then a lot hot and then a lot dizzy and before you know it i'm outta there! Two nurses start fanning me to bring me round and I walk next door to lie down on a bed for 5 minutes.

Consultant walks in with his 11 vials and says "let's give it another go" and he tries and gets 1 vial out of 1 vein and then has to move to back of my hand and then inside of the other arm and so on.

Ended up being stuck 8 times and he still only managed to get 14 of the 16 vials he needed! He looked so disappointed I kept apologising for taking so long and causing such a scene.

So today i'm black and blue and my left arm is aching like a b*tch! Moral of the story, consultants are fab at their jobs but leave the blood letting to the vampires!

      OUCH!        Imagine you were glad when that was over!      Bet you were like this when you saw the amount he was taking!         Yeah, I like my vampires to draw the blood too! 

 I insist on laying down when they draw blood.  If I faint, I don't want to fall.  I have never passed out while lying down, but have hit the floor several times when seated and they draw blood.

Holy Moly! That's insane to take that much! No wonder you fainted! (I probably would've too!)

They always take anywhere from 12 to 16 vial  when I have my labs done.  They have a lot more to check then they do for non wls patients.

I can't believe you haven't had blood taken since you were 5 years old?  May I ask how old you are now?   You never went for physicals in all these years -nothing for school or anything?That seems crazy to me to never have anything done.  Even as a child I had bloodwork done yearly.  Then as an adult every 3 months after 30.

I get my labs done every 3 months taking atleast 15 vials of blood and I dont even flinch.  They get it in one try (I have lowsy veins but they know where to look by now).  I never bruise (even with a low platelet count) and I dont get lightheaded even though I get them fasting.  Maybe I am just used to it.

I'm 25 and haven't ever had anything wrong with me so far besides regular colds so never needed any blood tests until I started my pre-op testing. We don't have physicals in England unless you have symptoms of some kind I believe. That or my general practitioner is really bad at notifying me about them lol

Suppose I better get used to them for all the lab work I'm going to need in the coming years