Why is arterial blood gas labwork sooooo painful? I have had blood drawn many times, but never had as much bruising or swelling as I had with this labwork.. Has anybody else had this labwork done??:bored::thumbup:

Hey Cindy, An arterial blood gas is usually drawn in the wrist, where there are a lot of sensitive nerves... ouch! Pressure needs to be held for a little longer after the draw due to the pressure behind an artery unlike a vein. If pressure isn't held, you get more bleeding under the skin,swelling and more pain.:bored:

Heck yeah I know exactly what you're talking about that mess hurts.. I wanted to slap the guy and he was trying to joke with me and stuff.. Yes he put pressure on it for a minute or so, then wrap it up.. Ouch....

Is this always required? Boy I hate needles.

Is this always required? Boy I hate needles.

I don't know if all insurance companies require it but BC/BS required it from me!!!!!:thumbup:

I had to have some drawn when I was in the hospital with pneumonia. They took it at the wrist and it hurt like a bastard. The bruise lasted for weeks. Perhaps they draw it so they can measure the oxygen levels. And my blood was purple.

My insurance also required it. It was the worst pain I had ever had with a blood draw and I have had lots of blood drawn/medical test in the past. I didn't experience any bruising or bleeding but I did pass out after the draw. Got lots of attention at the hospital before I was allowed to leave. My test came back incorrect, but thankfully they didn't require me to have it redone. It was probably the worst part of my lap band testing.

In the end it is all worth it! A little pain is nothing compared to the benefits you get in the end.

While it has been awhile since I've had one of these done, I had several in the past. I will say this, the person that does it makes ALL the difference! I've had ones that hurt like the dickens and leave me bruised and sore and I've had others where I didn't even feel it! I believe it depends on the person that draws the blood. I don't know, can you request a "manager" to do it?

Thanks, that is good to know. At least I know that it isn't really suppose to be like that and if I ever need one done again I will make sure that I have someone who knows what they are doing. I guess thats is like anything, just hope that you don't get the person that you are their 1st patient ever!

I had to have this test done and it was horrible. The nurse (although very kind hearted) didn't tell me exactly what was going to happen (thus I thought it was just a regular blood draw).

I am a professional violinist and I had two performances that weekend plus 3 hour rehearsals every night that week (and it was only Monday when I had this test done). It was horrible and I had to miss a rehearsal. I still have a kind of strange feeling when I bend my wrist back. I cried for a couple of hours, not gonna lie.

I am a respiratory therapist and I drawn ABG's on patients all the time. The problem with them is that to get to your artery you have to go right by a bundle of nerves hence the pain. I can only say that it is a useful tool for someone having surgery because it can be an indicator of an underlying condition.

An ABG measures blood pH, oxygenation, CO2 and bicarb levels.

I know that doesnt help the pain but I had to put my two cents in since I'm usually the one on the other side of the needle lol.

I also had this bloodwork done & HECK YEAH IT HURT....to top it off the guy doing my test had to try like 3 times, he couldn't get any blood...I was freaking out..my whole arm was tingling & burning.......I hope I never need that done again........

When the she-devil tried to get this draw she missed and then started to twist and dig the needle around trying to find it!!! She hit my nerve, which made me jump and bounced the needle right outta my arm and then started bellering at me for jumping!!!!! I told her she isnt getting another chance, she needed to go find someone else. She decided I was a hard stick and just put the pulse/ox monitor on my fingertip. Oxygen level was fine! When I suggested in the future they should use the monitor and then if the levels seem bad, trying taking blood then, that irritated her even more..

For whatever its worth, I only had to have this done because I have asthma...

There are 2 main reasons for it hurting more. The wrist has tons of nerves to piss off, and the artery is deeper than a vein so you hit all of the nerves when getting an ABG.

I had mine done 5 weeks ago or so. They tried both wrists and the fold of my left arm. She dug for it in the fold of my arm and 5 weeks later my thumb is still sore and tingles ALL the time. After the 3rd time and I'm crying my eyes out she got her boss. He got it on the 2nd try. They informed me I was a hard stick. I had bruises all over my arms. I looked like a junkie. They say I'll get feeling back in my thumb. I wish it would happen sooner rather than later.

Ugh I am.going today. Now I am so scared

❤