No IVs into my Arms - what are options

Have you tried in the top of your hand? Often the techs will have a hard time finding a vein in my arm (elbow crook) and they have an easier time with my hand. As soon as I see them having trouble finding a vein in my arm, I get them to go for the hand.

My other suggestion, as the blood lab tech keeps reminding me, is to drink lots of waters before hand so that you are well hydrated. It helps plump up your veins and makes them easier to try. Just a couple of things that have worked for me.

Put a warm towel on the area and dangle your arm down for a few minutes pumping your fists before they look for a vein

Try asking for a local anaesthetic (this may make the vein "deflate" however it does away with the pain of digging around).  Not all "vein people" are created equal - out of all the nurses in oncology only ONE could regularly access my veins despite others having senior qualifications/years of experience etc etc.

I know others may not agree with me but I do not think a PICC line or port is the answer for irregular blood draws or infusions.  Training of staff by those who are successful is the key.

Good luck - I know how traumatising this can be (as if we don't have enough to deal with).

I am a really hard stick as well. When I went in for my surgery since they can only use my right arm now which is the worst arm to stick me in, they called the IV team and used Ultrasound to start mine. It was very easy and no pain for me. One stick and he was in because he could see where he was going on the US. Hope that helps

What I found out with a lying (I have proof he lied and confronted the doctor) general surgeon who took out my appendix, and told staff in the pre-op room that I didn't have LE, that I said I had it, that it was not in my charts) (when I complained to his boss via phone, she found it all right away), blah blah, when he thought I was asleep. I went in to surgery with a foot IV, but came out with an IV in my hand.

I was livid. And the ONLY documentation in ALL the surgical notes was by my post-op nurse. I called and asked all over the hospital (even the head of the surgery department) DEMANDING to know what happened that the IV was in my arm. Not one single hospital employee would answer. Each and every single employee deferred me to the surgeon.

I never did get a straight answer as to why an IV was needed in the hand. And all the surgeon did was double talk me when I confronted him in the post-op appt. (His boss was in that appt. at my request).

It is sad, but you can go into a procedure with an IV in your foot, and wake up with an IV in your arm or hand, even when specifically saying not to and not get an answer as to WHY they had to switch it. Some surgeons lie, and hospitals can cover those things up. I learned the hard way.

I am NOT saying that all surgeons and hospitals are sneaky SOB's, but they are out there. I met up with a first class lying ass. 

It is 45 years since the birth of my first son and my learning I had "tiny" veins that often collapsed during any kind of blood draw or IV placement. That's when I first learned they can use the veins on the back of your hand. Yes -- drink plenty of fluids in the hours before hand so your blood volume is high, warm your arm, dangle it, make a fist, etc. etc -- but most importantly announce upfront that this is a continuing problem for you and you want the very best nurse/tech BEFORE THE FIRST TRY.  Depending on where you are, you may be able to insist a nurse anesthetist do the poke -- that's what happened to me last year after a sequence of nurses tried for 45 minutes to get the dye started for an MRI. The radiology person told me to phone ahead any time I need another such procedure and ask that the nurse anesthetist be on hand -- and that's what I've done.  Meanwhile, through the years I have found that emergency room nurses almost always get it right the very first time! Also, nurses and techs know their level of skill and will defer to the "better" ones, although sometimes not until a few failed attempts first. Also, I belong to a HMO and I am always, without exception, asked first on which side the poke should be -- and I was asked that long before I even had breast cancer (I used to wonder why they asked. Now, with mild lymphedema, I know all too well.)

the head nurse in my infursion room gave me 3 names to ask for.  No one else can touch my veins.  ( small, rolling, lots of valves).   They said the dye injection for ct scan would not be a problem.  They were wrong!