One thing you can do to help the vein situation is to drink lots of water the day before. If you are well hydrated it is much easier to get a vein to cooperate. I had a nurse tell me this. She said that when a person isn't well hydrated, the vein is a little "leatherie" and it will roll when the needle hits it.

I always try to do this and my body is short the moisture anyway, but it does help a lot.

Billye