Vein Warmers

Because of my health issues, I have to get bloodwork done frequently. The vein in my right arm cannot be used for blood draws, and after ten years of frequent use, the one in my left arm is not cooperating well anymore. There is a lot of scar tissue, and I do not envy the poor lab techs who have to try to get the needle in. One of them suggested that warming up my arm before the appointment might help. That got me thinking—since I am a quilter, I could probably sew something…

Thinking of my Dinkelmaus, I decided to make a microwaveable spelt bag and needed a way to attach it to my arm so that I would not have to hold it in place while driving to the lab. I measured my arm, figuring out the dimensions I needed, especially the circumference to keep it secure. My first attempt ran into some problems. I decided to iron a very thin stabilizer onto the fabric for the straps, and even though it only added a tiny bit of thickness, it was enough to cause issues with the Kamsnaps I used as closures. They would not set properly and kept popping out—they just did not have enough grip between all those folded layers.

I took everything apart and made new straps without stabilizer, and now the vein warmers work like a charm. I made one for my arm and another for the back of my hand—sometimes they have to draw blood from there, so I figured it was best to be prepared. Since I started warming up my arm, there has been no trouble getting blood from the vein, so these things definitely work. I cannot give you exact directions or dimensions since it depends on the size of your arm, but if you think one of these would be useful for you, just wing it—it was not very difficult.

Just one word of caution: the skin on your arm is very sensitive, so do not overheat the bag. I usually start with half a minute at 800 W, then another 15 seconds at the same power after turning it over—and even that sometimes feels too hot. Be careful and do not burn yourself!