Tips for Getting Blood Drawn with hEDS and Sensory Processing Disorder

You want to try to hydrate to aid with your over all health & gastroparesis~ it’s weird because when my gastroparesis is flaring I feel more dehydrated maybe from malnutrition but whenever it’s bad I eat baby food just to aid my body a little more & maybe it’ll help find a vein?? I sometimes sit there before blood draws & try to get the blood flow to my arm going because they’ve blown a lot of veins in my arms from not being able to see them or the vessel was too weak. I hope you find something that helps

Yes keep yourself hydrated. Also yes fuck Gastroparesis and hEDS. Both suck. Let the phlebotomist know your fears and concerns.

Also, you probably already do this, but be super honest and up front when you go to get it done. Let them know that you have had issues in the past and that you’re nervous. If you have the option, try to go somewhere that won’t be very busy or at least at a time that’s less likely to be busy (like the middle of a workday if you can) so you can have more of their time and they can go slow.

Hydrate super well before, and if they can’t find a vein put a warm compress on the area that is most likely to get a good stick (the elbow or hand). If they have a small needle tell them to use that, a butterfly or pediatric needle. And to avoid super bad bruising (it’s almost impossible to avoid it completely with EDS) try not to flex while they’re doing it, relax your arm/hand and keep on the pressure bandage as long as possible, the quicker you take it off the worse the bruising will be.