Drawing blood for a medical test usually produces no side effects, however, at times there may be some minor side effects like swelling, lightheadedness or bruising at the injection site. It could take at least 4-5 days for a bruise to heal but if you take the following precautions, the bruise might heal faster.
What should you do:
- Keep the injection area relaxed prior to the injection. Maintain Gentle pressure with your fingers at the site and do not rub the injection site. The person should restrict from lifting heavy weights. But the small movement of the arm is advised to heal the bruise quickly because of the gentle exercises it gets
- If a bruise appears, do not use that site again until the bruise is gone. Use cold packs and hot packs on the bruise so that the effect of bruise fades quickly. Make the cold packs and apply to the bruise for 5-10 minutes every day two to three times. It will reduce the size of the bruise. When you put an ice pack, the flow of blood in that area becomes slow and due to this, the bruise reduces. After the 24 hours have passed, you can start applying hot pack on the bruise. It helps the blood circulation in a way that it clears the blood clot that is formed under the bruise
- If there is pain, you can take the medicines like ibuprofen which will help to reduce the pain and prevent the swelling. With taking the medicine, you can also increase the intake of iron and vitamins. To get more iron, eat green leafy vegetables and to get vitamin C, eat citrus fruits. Vitamin C also helps to digest the iron that you eat. Also, try to avoid taking any medicine that causes blood thinning 4-5 days prior to the venous draw. This becomes helpful to not form a bruise
- Diet plays an important role in improving overall health and the bruises. Take care of your diet if you want to heal the bruise fast. There are several foods that you eat will heal the bruise faster and provide strength to your body. Eating fruits like Pineapple, foods with vitamin K, lean protein like fish or tofu, foods with zinc like pumpkin seeds and legumes are a good way to heal the bruises that are caused by the venous draw
- If the bruise is big, it is time to relax and rest. When you are resting and not moving your muscles a lot, it helps to heal the bruise fast
In case it persists, and there are other symptoms of fever and severe pain, please consult a health care provider.