this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2026
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Blood draws are the worst. I'm proud of you! <3 I have a severe phobia of needles, yet I have managed to get my blood drawn every 3 months for the past 2 years. Here's some things that helped me get through it.
Drink water. Starting at 3 days before the blood draw, start a mega hydration routine. Drink tons, get those electrolyte sports drinks, and make a drinks schedule. Plan to finish a large water bottle 5 or 6 times per day. Doing this makes your veins fuller and easier for them to get on the first try. It also makes it much faster for them to get the blood they need once the needle is in. Doing this prep work makes it much easier.
Directing the phlebotomist to wherever is easist on your body is a good thing. Everyone is a bit different. You probably know more about yourself than them. The veins in my elbow are very shy and they usually struggle to get the needle in. I've had enough times where they've poked at my elbow a few times, given up and switched to the back of my hand enough times that I just tell them to get it from there. There are more nerves in the hands, so it hurts more, which is why they tend to go for the elbow normally, but they've got the vein quickly on the first jab to the hand every time I've been properly hydrated, so back of the hand every time for me.
Breathe. Our breath is such a fundimential part of being alive, that its connected to everything. When you feel relaxed, you breathe slowly and deeply. When you're anxious you breathe quick and shallow. These aren't only effects of how you're feeling, they're also a self re-enforcing cycle. If you're nervous you breathe shallow, which increases your heart rate which makes you feel more nervous which makes you breathe even shallower. You can elevate your heart rate to exercise or stress type levels just by deliberately breathing quickly and shallow alone. You can also do the reverse. Slow deep breathing cuts off that cycle, makes you get less nervous. I find it very effective when dealing with nerves and discomfort for blood draws or more recently getting face electrylosys. I close my eyes, focus on my breath. First make it deeper, then make it slower. Helps much with the coping.
Blood draws are awful, but I found these things have made it a more manageable kind of awful.
now that sounds like 3 years of hrt, hmmm? ~ i'm happy that you can make it through them <3
and yessss im very similar. it's straight up the reason why... i started hrt.. so late. i could't do it earlier, i had such.... death-fears about the whole thing.
but thank you for the tips!!! will definitely be taking the drinking and breathing advice. thank you very much for those! <3
I'm 1.75 ish years on HRT. I got a blood draw prior to starting to HRT to establish baseline levels and test other things. I hadn't seen a doctor in about a decade due to depression reasons so there were other tests that were prudent to do at the time.
Since starting HRT, I had a blood draw every 3 months. We tweaked the doses slightly each time, so had to test again 3 months later. Finally everything looked good, so no change in doses, thus 6 months instead of 3 this time.
Blood draws are very unpleasant but very much worth doing to transition. I'm happy you're able to do it now! <3
PS. Juice boxes. My place I do my blood draws always has little juice boxes for children to help with lightheadedness if they feel like passing out. I make them get one from the cupboard before we start, to have it pre-prepared, because I know I will need it.
awwwww omygoshhhhh juice boxes aaaa <3 thats toooo cutieeee aaaa omygosh--- ... i know it's not meant to be cutie but im imagining it be SOOOO cutie omygosh----
just - wow. sitting there with a lil kid juice box.--- wow.... okay imma stop yapping now and-- do whatever... (think about juice boxes)