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Pain in finger/hand/arm a week after finger prick blood draw

I recently got my blood drawn via a finger prick for an HIV test. It was fine and the test was negative and the prick seemed normal and everything, but since then I've felt a bit of a pain and a feeling of almost inflammation starting from the finger that was pricked and going up my hand and up my arm. There doesn't appear to be any visible redness or swelling of the arm though. Do you think this is just a typical soreness sometimes experiences after blood is drawn? Do you think a nerve or vein or something might have been irritated? Could this be some kind of infection? Should I see a doctor or will this likely work itself out?

Thanks so much!
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Avatar universal
I would recommend that you see your family Dr about this. It's very very rare to get an infection when they draw blood but not impossible I guess. See your Dr and they will most likely check to see if you have an infection or something else is going on. If you do indeed have an infection they will probably prescribe antibiotics. I'm so sorry this happened to you. Let us know how things turn out.
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Avatar universal
They say to watch for a vein turning red, or, "a bright red streak" running up the arm...  but the thing is, there are zillions of veins in the arm, not all of them right out there near your skin so you can see them! So, yes, you could have an infection. And, yes, I second Remar's suggestion: please visit your doctor. This is one of those things where if you treat it "sooner than later" it would make a world of difference, if you indeed have an infection.
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I went to urgent care clinic and was seen by a physician's assistant. She told me the pain is likely unrelated to the needleprick and she thinks the pain will resolve itself. She also thinks it could be partly psychosomatic. My arm continues to feel inflamed and sore throughout though. She also didn't really perform any tests or anything. Should I go to another clinic and see a doctor? Or should I let it go and hope it resolves itself?
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Avatar universal
I have the perfect answer. It is called the "time limit" answer. Here's what you do. Actually, I'm not a doctor, so I'm not allowed to give advice, so we'll say it this way: Here is what *I* would do:

Pick a day in the future. Say.... 7 days. (Has to be reasonable, you can't say "tomorrow!").

So, today is Wednesday, you pick NEXT Wednesday.

If your arm is *worse* by next Wednesday, you go back!

If your arm is the *same* by next Wednesday, then you divide it by 2 (7 days divided by 2 is about 4 days), so you give it 4 more days, and if it is not better, then you go back!

However, if your arm is *better*, well, then you just watch it keep getting better, and that's that.

So, there you go, that's what I do.

If I didn't explain that good, or it doesn't make sense, post back and I'll try to be clearer.

7 days always works for me, because I think of it like this: if something "normal" happens, like I cut my finger, or hit my thumb with a hammer, it always seems to take 7 days to get better.

See how that works.

(Disclaimer: Again, I'm not a doctor, so this isn't to be considered advice, or me telling you what to do, it's just how I do stuff. You are responsible for all your own decisions. But, you know that :-)
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