Let me begin by saying I have donated blood for over 45 years with over 70 successful donations. This does not include the many times I was unable to donate due to low iron levels. While every donation is a different experience in one way or another, I have never felt the need to issue a complaint about a donation..until now. The phlebotomist (I do not remember her name but I am sure it is documented in my donation record) had trouble getting the needle in correctly and had to adjust several times (not the first time this has happened, not a problem in itself). She started by telling me I was "squeezing too tight" on the hand stick while she was trying to make the stick. I was not. She then told me not to move my arm around. I did not move a hair. I know the drill. I never flinched from where she placed my arm. Then once she was done inserting the needle and taping things off she told me to start the on/off squeezing of the stick and counting. I have done this a million times, I have my own rhythm and counting system in my head, the same as I've done for over 45 years. Never has anyone said a word about my technique. She did. She proceeded to tell me (in a loud voice) that I was doing it wrong and stood there showing me out loud how to count to 5 and so on. This was humiliating to say the least. At some point she told me I was going to fast, to slow down and I noticed she was paying a lot of attention to my collection bag of blood. As I continued to pump she started pushing my arm down, like she was trying to make it flat as a pancake. It was as flat as it could possibly be already. She then started to play around with the site of the needle and put pressure on that spot, not a very comfortable feeling. I was about to ask what she was doing, when she asked another one of the ladies for assistance. No one came right away and she continued to play around with my arm, pushing and holding it down. I just wanted to leave at this point, but of course I could not. Finally she asked for assistance a second time and another one of the ladies came over to take a look. She said the blood was coming out slowly and they needed to get it flowing better so as not to cause clotting at the site. She said my vein was "rolling around" which was causing the problem. I say it was a bad stick to begin with. She did some adjusting at the needle site and moved my arm/wrist around until things were moving better. I restarted the process and it was ok for a few minutes then alarms went off so more adjustments to my arm/wrist and the addition of a blood pressure cuff on my arm. After that I finished the process and was told to stop squeezing, I was done. I can honestly say that I was upset at that point. I was grateful, for the firs time ever, to be wearing a mask so as to hide the displeasure on my face to some degree. It took every fiber of my being not to say something unkind to the original phlebotomist about my experience. I quietly listened to her discharge instructions and left the table. It was not the technical problems that upset me, these things happen. It was her attitude and getting on me about my counting, moving my arm, etc.. like I was a little child. It was humiliating, infuriating and insulting. I have never had this experience and never will again. I have decided to stop donating at this point. I don't need the hassle at my age.