I pushed all that aside and just picked out a student. Renee did awesome. She did everything she was suppose to do. She even hit the vein on her first try! She got half a tube before she pulled the needle out.
So that wasn't bad at all. I didn't even bleed much after wards, which meant she hit the vein smoothly--no hematomas! She was very, VERY nervous but she did it.
Next, I let Victoria have a go. I thought she had already done it before but I was wrong. I had to coach her the entire time. She didn't want to hurt me, which is kinda ironic to me. I mean, you're sticking me with a needle! She placed the tourniquet and started feeling my veins. This is why I initially volunteered to be stuck. I have great veins. They bulge naturally, plus they don't roll. Victoria picked and vein and prepped my skin. She gently and slowly guided the needle into my vein, and it immediately started to ooze blood. No biggie I told her. You're just going into the vein too slow, the bevel wasn't covered all the way. Well, at the time she saw the blood ooze, she moved the needle unnecessarily. Ouch.
She pushed the needle too far in. I said gently pull it back slowly. She pushed the needle further in. I tried to remain calm, but have you seen needles? About three fourths of it was in my arm, a big no no. I said no biggie, just get some cotton balls and take the needle out. If you get blood into the tube, great just keep going. At this point she has no idea what to do, so I continue coaching the rest of the way.
She pulled the needle out and I keep oozing blood. I apply pressure and I go over with her what she did wrong. She felt really bad but I said no worries, I'm not dead so you did ok! By this time, I have a HUGE hematoma forming at the site. I was only poked once on that arm that entire day...
I let another student use my other arm. She did fine, but she had moved the needle when she placed a tube into the hub. That hurt.
All in all, they did a good job. I know have some gnarly dark purple bruises on both my arms. I look like a junkie. My hands are also poked at, but luckily, no bruising.
I don't think I've ever bruised after a blood draw, until today.
This is the one draw arm...it looks a lot worse now then when I took the pics.
Just a hand draw using butterfly needle:
Other arm with two pokes:
Right now they're a pretty green/yellow. I'll have an actual clear picture of them done sometime later today to remind myself why I am such an awesome person---NOT a junkie.