I went to a blood donation event and the woman who attempted to draw blood moved the needle around and then said that my vein blew up. She proceeded to give me an ice pack and told me to ice my arm in intervals for two days. The bruise has gotten darker and it hurts. How long my will it take to heal? Is it a serious issue?
July 18, 2018
Answer: Post blood draw bruising. First of all this bruising is not a serious issue. You have bled under the skin and it takes several days to come to the surface which then leads to the bluish discoloration. This discoloration will lighten over about 10 days on average and should completely resolve. Ice for the first 48 hours helps followed by wet heat for several days.
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July 18, 2018
Answer: Post blood draw bruising. First of all this bruising is not a serious issue. You have bled under the skin and it takes several days to come to the surface which then leads to the bluish discoloration. This discoloration will lighten over about 10 days on average and should completely resolve. Ice for the first 48 hours helps followed by wet heat for several days.
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April 22, 2018
Answer: Blown vein from a needle/blood draw Sometimes patients can develop phlebitis in the vein after a needle is inserted in their vein -- like for a blood draw or during a hospital stay. It is not serious. The main treatment for this issue is heat, compression and non-steriodal antiinflammatories like motrin. Heating pad to the arm 20 minutes three times a day and taking motrin (if you can) will help heal this a lot faster. Wrapping the area lightly with an ace wrap while heating it will help as well. It should resolve pretty quickly with a little "help". Good question. Good luck!
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April 22, 2018
Answer: Blown vein from a needle/blood draw Sometimes patients can develop phlebitis in the vein after a needle is inserted in their vein -- like for a blood draw or during a hospital stay. It is not serious. The main treatment for this issue is heat, compression and non-steriodal antiinflammatories like motrin. Heating pad to the arm 20 minutes three times a day and taking motrin (if you can) will help heal this a lot faster. Wrapping the area lightly with an ace wrap while heating it will help as well. It should resolve pretty quickly with a little "help". Good question. Good luck!
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