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2202938 tn?1338766305

arm pain after blood donation

I recently donated blood, it was about 5 days ago and my blood was moving slow so they had to adjust the needle several times. This has never happened to me before. Afterwards the area above the insertion point was sore it was like muscle soreness this has also never happened in the other two times i have given and it went away in a day but then i woke up the next day with an extreme stabbing pain in my arm that i felt mostly located at the elbow and up, it comes and goes but has been coming more often now.It also starts to hurt again if i stretch or strain it and it takes a few minutes to go away. I was wondering if there is a problem or if this will go away soon or when the needle mark is healed?Do I have to see a doctor or is this a problem not related to giving blood?
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Avatar universal
YES THIS IS DUE TO THE BLOOD DRAW! The Phlebotomist obviously missed the vein, was partially in the vein and partially out of the vein at times. If there is a dark bruise at the spot, it is called a hematoma. Your arm is inflamed due to the bad technique. The needle should have been pulled out and another site found. The problem may be due to the substance used that helps thin the blood for better flow thru the machine used that takes the blood and separates it into the different elements used for donation. Most times they are not just taking "whole blood". This substance is an irritant to tissues outside the vein (due to bad stick at beginning of donation it may have leaked outside the vein somewhat)  and will cause inflammation and pain. So will a hematoma if you got one... CALL THE BLOOD DONATION CENTER, ASK FOR A MANAGER AND FILE A CLAIM THAT YOU WERE INJURED THERE. MAKE THEM PAY FOR YOU TO SEE A DOCTOR TO EXAMINE YOUR ARM TO SEE IF IT WILL BE OK, OR IF THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON.. SEE A DOCTOR ANYWAY AND FOLLOW UP WITH THEM LATER IF THEY GIVE YOU TROUBLE, ONLY A DOCTOR CAN DIAGNOSE YOU! Please follow up with this immediately, dont delay! And make them pay you back for your exam. Call State Medical Board if you have a problem.
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1415174 tn?1453243103
No apparetly they didn't have  a good blood draw from the vein so it made the blood come out slow. The needle may have been up against the side of the vein or collapsed. The pain should subside. Perhaps they hit a nerve but it should get better though it may take a while.  Yes it is related to giving blood in that they didn't do a good job getting the blood and hit a sensitive spot.
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