Reddit user told his nurse not to warn them before drawing blood, then she faked a mole scare to make them look and stuck the needle in anyway

A Reddit user who said they have a fear of needles claims a lab worker tricked him into watching his own blood draw after he had specifically asked her not to signal when the needle was coming. The incident, which they shared on the Reddit forum r/mildlyinfuriating, later resulted in him being told not to return to that clinic location.

According to the post, the Redditor said they always tell medical staff the same thing before a blood draw: “I don’t like needles, so I’m gonna look away, and please don’t tell me when it’s coming.” They said it is specifically the initial jab that triggers their anxiety, and that once it is done, they are completely fine.

The Reddit user, who goes by the username DirtyRoller on Reddit, said the lab worker appeared to follow their request at first. After she finished preparing her equipment, they turned their head away. Then, they claimed, she asked them: “Have you talked to anyone about this mole on your arm?” causing them to look toward his arm, at which point she inserted the needle.

The worker allegedly giggled after the incident, and the patient was later told not to return to that clinic

According to the post, the Redditor’s immediate reaction was to shout “YOU F—–G B—H!” loudly. They said the worker appeared shaken by their response, and so was them. She reportedly finished drawing their blood, and they left the clinic.

They said they later received a phone call from someone at the office telling them not to return to that location. Still upset at the time, they said they hung up without explaining themselves. They said they planned to write an email to the office the following day, once they had calmed down, to explain their side of the situation.

They also noted that they do not have any moles on their arm, suggesting the comment was entirely made up to get them to look. Several commenters urged them to file a formal complaint rather than simply move on. 

One commenter, who identified themselves as a laboratory technician with blood-drawing experience, said that where they work, the employee would have been let go for such behavior, adding: “That is unacceptable behavior. The lab obviously only has her side of the story. Please make sure you file that complaint, and if you receive a patient satisfaction survey, send that in as well.”

Others raised concerns beyond the emotional impact. One commenter pointed out that patients look away for various reasons, including the risk of fainting or having an uncontrolled physical reaction, and argued that the worker’s behavior showed a failure to understand those risks.

A commenter who said they had experience in phlebotomy wrote, “Hell, in all my time drawing blood, I’ve only gotten better at distracting people by learning how to pick up on something they say to start a conversation with them so they barely even notice it’s happening. Absolute trash behavior on their part.” A similar dispute involved an Oregon teen whose arm tripled in size while a nurse allegedly dismissed his family’s fears.

Another concern raised in the comments was the potential impact on the man’s medical record. Commenters pointed out that the clinic may have already documented the incident from the worker’s perspective, and advised him to request a factual, unemotional written account be added to his file to counter any negative notes.

The man responded that he had not considered that, and said he would be upset if the incident affected his standing with his primary care doctor, who works at a different location under the same healthcare network.

Fear of needles, clinically known as trypanophobia, is a recognized medical condition. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it is defined as an overwhelming, extreme fear of medical procedures involving needles, and is classified as a specific phobic disorder under the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 

Cleveland Clinic notes that the condition can cause symptoms including dizziness, fainting, heart palpitations, nausea, and panic attacks. It also notes that people with the condition are often advised to tell the person giving them an injection or blood draw about their fear in advance, which is exactly what the man said he did. In another case, a man cracked a filling in Vietnam and paid just 19 to fix it.

The Redditor said they are not concerned about losing access to that particular clinic location, as their primary care provider works at a separate location. However, they said they intended to write to the office to ensure their account of events was on record.