IV drug user needs blood draw from Dr but has no veins?

[temporaryforever]

I have been using opiates via IV for several years now...at first, I used only my right antecubital for quite a long time until it finally collapsed last year and since then, I have been using my wrists and the backs of my hands (some might say this is dangerous but I don't know where else to hit) so my hands are "swollen" in some places that I have used recently, and scarred with lines of track marks of various ages, from 6 months ago, to as recently as today. Long story longest, I have Grave's disease and I'm supposed to have regular blood draws to monitor my thyroid levels because I no longer have a thyroid and am on synthetic hormone...however, my doctor knows I have a history of IV drug use and I am afraid to get my blood drawn because I have no left antecubital vein, there's just nothing at all there...and the one on the right is long gone, and my hands are in a state that makes it quite obvious that I've recently been using and the last thing I need is my doctor finding out I'm still actively using. But I am have been starting to feel "off" lately and I've had Grave's for half my life and usually when I feel off like I do now, it has to do with my thyroid levels so I really need to get my thyroid levels tested via a blood draw, but I am worried about my doctor finding out from the tech that I am using again because of the state of my hands...what should I do? Is there anything I CAN do? Any ideas or possible options would be greatly appreciated because I usually get my levels tested at the MOST, every 6 months and it's now been years and I really need to get it done somehow, without drawing suspicion. Thanks for reading!

 

[G_Chem]

Unfortunately there’s not much that can be done here. Tracks are tracks, the doctor will see them no matter what. I think it might be time to hang up the tourniquet and call it a day on the IV.

-GC

 

[blxnc]

Haha, you could just say I’ve got a lot of scar tissue.., I dunno. It is possible to get blood drawn from other places, inner thigh and feet are done in extenuating circumstances… but the feet have to be done by a physician or overseen by a physician, And blood can be drawn from the forehead in really extreme cases. I’m not sure what lie you could make up that would be believable to a tech or physician, without raising alarm bells that you are lying to them. Like the circumstances that would require you to get blood drawn elsewhere would be medically documented… in your records.

The best bet for your health and safety is to be honest with the doctor about your use Unfortunately.

The only thing I can think of is to say you’ve either developed a phobia of getting blood drawn from your hands and it gives you panic attacks so you request to have it drawn elsewhere, or that your livelihood in someway depends on your hands or the appearance of your hands i.e being a hand model and so you prefer to have it drawn elsewhere. Technically, a tech for example just follows the rules. By tech I mean a phlebotomist. There is a difference between the responsibilities of a medical tech and a phlebotomist. So if it’s just a phlebotomist, they don’t have the right to draw blood from you or touch you until you give verbal consent or visible consent such as a head nod or something.

So you could just say out right, I don’t consent to blood draw on my hands. You even have choice in which arm They use, legally speaking, phlebotomists can only draw blood from the arm you ’volunteer’ with a gesture, it’s usually done that way.

This is at least how it is in the states, in my state in particular.

So yeah, consent may be the only thing you can lean on. I don’t know if you have to provide a reason or not, but you could just say like, oh last time it caused a nasty hematoma (bruising) could I get it done somewhere more inconspicuous please. It’s important to me and my work and just leave it at that Or something.

If you call ahead and speak about this with the lab or the ordering physicians office, they can arrange for you to have blood drawn rather than at a clinic in an ER By a nurse or a physician if need be in the feet. This sort of special arrangement is usually made for people who have failed to give blood at clinics due to needing to be restrained, like a child with autism And severe phobia of needles.

That’s what I know, as someone who has worked as a phlebotomist and a medical tech myself.

 

[paranoid android]

In Canada it's been my experience that as long as you don't get blood drawn at say the same clinic you go to to get your opiates then you will be fine. I went to a hospital to get blood drawn and either the person taking the blood didnt notice my tracks (the ones on my arms are old now and not bad) or she didnt care. It's not really their job to judge if your a junkie or not anyway as there are legit reasons to have shitty veins. I have the story of me being in hospital and getting blood drawn every other day by shitty nurses to back up why i have a few tracks.