Tips for Blood Draw Experiences

I get blood draws due to my TSC disease. The doctor checks my medicine levels and other things, like electrolytes, to make sure I am staying healthy. It does not take long but they can be scary. Blood draws have never been my favorite and they are still not my favorite these days either but I know it has to get done for the doctor, so she can look at the results then tell me either everything looks good or something is off. If something is off, the doctor comes up with a solution and we go with the solution and she tells us if the solution is working or not. Sometimes that means a lot of blood draws in order to check.

Some tips:

• I usually have the person doing the blood draw count to three before they poke the needle. So I know when it is coming. That helps me be prepared.
• If you don’t like the 1-2-3 countdown (it makes people nervous sometimes), try looking to look away from the needle. Sometimes it is watching the needle go in that makes people feel scared.
• It is good to have someone with you. You can look at them instead of the needle. I look at Jennifer my mom if I need to.