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My last hospital stay was a nightmare. They blew 3 veins in the ER by using to large of IV starters. 4th one the nurse up stairs started and it blew too. Then they got the ultra sound guy, he found the last vein, a roller, did not have the knowledge how to stop that, just kept digging at my arm until he could get the starter in, the IV was to big, and hurt the whole 2.5 days it was in. I’d of pulled the thing out if I knew how, as the pain was that bad. Never had any ER or day surgery use IV starters that big before that they blew veins.

sounds like you're really obese and have no visible veins. The one size fits all isn't what's going on. If you're really sick you MAY need a larger diameter IV in order to get a lot of fluid or blood into you. If its meds only then a smaller bore IV may do. If they needed to get a sonogram to see your veins and youre chronically ill then you might want to consider getting some tennis balls and squeeze them in order to get some veins to develop and reduce the subq fat hiding your veins.

I'd of just done a central line if someone was that hard of a stick. You'd have really complained of that. Sounds like that may have been what they did. Those go in your neck, under your collar bone or in your groin.

Central lines under the collar bone are actually comfortable (I wasn't awake when it was installed). I'd rather have that than something hanging out of my arm.

Of course when they pulled it out, I had no frigging idea it went down to my toes. ;)

/johnny

Nope, wrong on all counts, have excellent veins when the right size starters are used. Only small veins are in my hands, rest are normal for my weight all of 117 lbs. I’ve never had trouble when I have same day surgery as they use small IV starters. And all they were doing in the ER part was getting blood to test for infection, before doing a IV solution. Regular IV solution was done by the up stairs nurse, with the antibiotic piggy backed into the IV line. No need for the large starters, I was not dehydrated, nor bleeding. Bad Colon infection is all. The to large starters ones were all they had on hand is their statement.

I’ve used this facility before and they always matched IV starter size to vein size and did not blow veins. And they did not give me squeeze balls as they use to do. They just blew all the arm veins they could normally use.

A central line IV solution piggybacked with the Zoysin for the infection. The ultra sound was to find the last arm vein, I was well hydrated from 2 IV solutions when the 4th vein blew from the to large starters, he found it before he used the ultra sound machine, by feel, did not get the ultra sound out until it started to roll. Only one that ever has rolled and he found it.

Other hospitalizations for surgery never had issues with the IV starters and blowing veins.

I had just had a routine Upper GI 2 weeks before, no trouble with blowing veins, established it on the first stick, regular starters used. Nor do I have fragile veins.