Massive bruise & pain after blood draw - can't cope with HA

[mom1982]

Hi all,

I had blood taken 5 days ago. When they did it, it was very painful in the bicep area 15mins after i couldn't stretch out my arm.
On day 2, shows up a massive bruise, dark purple and on day 3, a dark red bruise near it. Never ever had a bruise with blood draws. it's all on the side of my arm.
I sent a pic of my arm to my cousin who's a blood specialist interstate and she said the blood would have pooled on the side while i was sleeping and it looks bad but it will take time to clear.
She said don't worry about the bruise since my blood test (full blood work) results were ok. Only showed low Vit D and slugglish liver (i normally get fatty liver).
She said as long as the spots are not hot to the touch, it's ok. I don't think it feels hot to me and on Day 5 (today) the pain is definitely much less than Day 1 but still painful.

I keep checking my arm, the bruise looks the same not better, the pain is better but why is it still painful on day 5, is it bleeding internally, blood clot? could it cause sepsis?
I just cannot cope with this, i find myself lying in bed most of the day not wanting to do anything and googling every now and again.
I tell my husband what i feel but he never understands the HA and he keeps saying i'm ok, i don't need to go see a doctor again, it's normal.

Pls help me, i cannot cope and nobody understands what i am going through in my mind. i'm trapped in this prison in my mind :weep:

[Lolalee1]

Hi:)
I have blood taken on a regular basis for years and always look like a punching bag,bruising is common and so is soreness in and around the area it is quite common in most people.Really nothing to be concerned over.

[mom1982]

How long does the soreness last for? Is 5 days normal for it to still be sore?

[Lolalee1]

Yep it can,it all depends on how the person draws the blood.5 days is Ok.Maybe stop focusing on it.:flowers:

[kyllikki]

Hi! this happened to poor Mr. K a while back. The nurse messed up and blew out a vein. Evidently it was made worse by Mr. K having to fast for the blood test -- dehydration makes issues more likely. He took pics of the resulting bruise down his forearm -- it turned about 5 different colors ranging from a nasty yellow to green, blue, red, and purple -- and sent them to our doctor asking what he should do. Doctor was so horrified he called the lab himself and told them off. We know they took it seriously because I got the same nurse just a week later and she made me drink some water then wait 15 minutes before she attempted a draw!

But yes, his arm hurt horribly and he had a bruise for well over a week. He couldn't lift or grasp without pain, poor thing. By day 5 he wanted to know when it'd stop hurting, so he did a video visit with a different doctor who told him she couldn't rule out a massive clot and suggested he go to Emergency! Mr. K doesn't have HA like I do so he thought that was very unlikely, and instead emailed our regular doc to ask his opinion.
Our regular doc called back immediately and told us what your friend told you -- if not hot, hard, swollen, or spreading, it's not a concern. He was not at all amused that his office was continuing to cause us drama! :lac:

Eventually it was 100% ok -- and my guess is, you will be, too!

[ServerError]

I had blood taken last year that left an enormous bruise on my arm. Deep blue and yellowish. The nurse knew it would happen and said you're gonna get a big bruise but don't worry about it, and I didn't worry about it. Took about two weeks to completely go away.

[pulisa]

I think it all depends on the skill of the phlebotomist who takes the blood. You know you're in for trouble when they have to waggle the needle around in the vein and it hurts like hell!:) You're guaranteed to get significant bruising and pain.

The good news is that your bloods were fine so no repeat tests needed! I hope you feel reassured by all the responses?

[NoraB]

Mom, this is a non-issue (in reality)

I think some people are just shit at taking blood. :shrug:

I've had it where I couldn't tell they'd done anything, and other times I've gone home feeling like a tractor has run over my arm and I've developed a bruise the size of Wales. :huh:

Instead of allowing your mind to take you to dark (and unnecessary) places with this, observe how your body is healing itself. That bruise will change colour and fade as the days go on.

Isn't your body marvellous? :shades:

[mom1982]

Just an update to my old post about this few months back in case anyone has the same issue and wants to know the outcome.

It took 4 weeks for the giant bruise to finally disappear. I was put on antibiotics and to do 2 ultrasounds to rule out clots and dvt.

Everything was fine but it did take a long time to completely heal. I dont even know if i actually needed the antibiotics in the first place. i actually now have to deal with a fungal/yeast infection because of it.