By 8am, I had given my phone number incorrectly once and misunderstood 3 times. The day was going well. Everything according to the usual pattern of life.
I sat in the waiting area reciting my mantra... I have plenty of blood. My veins are strong. Uh yes. My veins listened to the squalling brat further along and started getting jittery. I swear I could hear them planning their escape route. I was handed a number. Has anyone ever noticed that the 6 and the 9 are remarkably similar on a white piece of card? That predicament at least provided about 5 minutes of entertainment for my fellow sufferers. The little girl pointed out that they must have it wrong. To her, it was clearly a 6.
I eventually went in. The sweet could-be-anyone's-grandma lady smiled encouragingly. "I can do this," I thought. She tied the rubber band on - thin government issue bands... it snapped. Oh yippee... off to a good start! She tied another one on. I wish her good luck and she gets her weapon of choice out. She says, "Don't worry... it's right here. I can feel it," patting the crook of my arm encouragingly. By this time, my veins are tying themselves in knots trying to get away. I can hear them, "Mummyyyyyy! Where can we hide?"
To be sure, I don't mind needles. I take injections as bravely as the next guy, even usually joking about them, and occasionally, I've even successfully had blood drawn with minimal fuss. She stuck the needle in. A little to the right. No. A little to the left. No. Pull out a little. Let's try deeper. Nope... too deep. Out again. Upper left corner behind the right hand joint. Yep... that's the way it went. I watched her face changing expressions. She was starting to worry that I had no veins. "Ah!" she says, "It's way over on the left hand side!" She nods at me as though to let me know to make a note of that for the next brave soul who foolishly thinks drawing blood is easy. She actually looks like she's discovered the answer to the secrets of life. I'm happy for her. My arm is hurting. Drip, drip, drip. She nudges the uncooperative vein. Drip, drip. *sigh* By the second vial, she had nudged the vein into little squirts instead of drips.
"Does it hurt more coming out or going in?" she asked, as she waited to see if I'd freak as she removed the needle. HUH? She can't be serious. I look at her blankly. I'd say it hurts more going in, wouldn't you? Take it out already!
Hm... the rest of the day should go well now, right? : )
Yikes!! That sounds like a horror movie!
ReplyDeleteI had blood drawn last week and not even a little blue dot to show for it. That was amazing too for most of the time I am nicely bruised after being poked by a needle. Not this time though. This nurse knew her business.
Hope your arm won't hurt too much today! And do take care ... it's not the end of the day yet ;)
ROFL ... I love the picture on top, by the way!
ReplyDeleteKisses it better with a band aid strip!!!
ReplyDeleteAdore the visuals in your words..and LOVE that pic at the top!!!!
haha! Riete, it wasn't quite a horror movie. When I wasn't cringing at her efforts, I was actually amused. Ok, make that bewildered, not amused. The last one to take my blood was good. This one... Let's just say I'm not in a hurry to repeat the experience. And my arm feels fine now. I won't bruise. My blood's gone into hiding.
ReplyDeleteKudo's to Google. I searched for an image on 'drawing blood' and got plenty of arms and nurses, but this gem was there just waiting to be used : )
Aw Heather. Dankie tannie!
ahhhhh!!! *throws chocolate in sympathy and runs screaming in horror
ReplyDeleteI am known at our blood bank as a "fast bleeder" and am very popular LOL I am in and out quickly. I used to be a "hard stick' but seem to have outgrown that our they have gotten better, thank goodness~
ReplyDeleteIs this for medical stuff for you or donating for others? I seem to have missed that!
*grabs chocolate* Jaime, for this, I may go and get my arm pierced more often ; )
ReplyDeleteMarty, just medical stuff. Once, long ago, the nurse at the blood donation place told me sweetly that they could do very well without the three drops my veins begrudgingly parted with lol Yep, they're stingy!
That is an experience I have had more than I like...having babies means having blood drawn many times during my life. I hate it. You did good!! Love the "drawing blood". Something I'd doodle here at work (imagining someone in particular).
ReplyDeletePoor little veins....I am an easy stick so, thankfully, I have never endured having someone dig around to get my blood. I have been on the operative end of those pointy little instruments of torture many times with someone who is not easy to stick, though. It is really hard to do what you have to when you know you are hurting someone. Have some more chocolate. You have earned it!
ReplyDeleteOh Tint, I nearly climbed out of my skin reading this. I can so picture it. I can so FEEL it! It's a wonder you didn't hyperventilate. I probably would have :) The nurse that tried to put in Jerry's i.v. line for his appendectomy a few years ago just couldn't get it. He finally asked if there was someone else who could do it. The guy that came along did it right the first time, altho he had more experience. Glad you came through it ok!
ReplyDeletehaha. I am sorry for laughing, but I've been through the "hunt for the vein" so much that once they stuck both arms so many times they actually gave up and told me to come back the next day. I do ok now with the water trick, but one thing one nurse told me (I have no clue if it will help you in Brazil) is to request they use a butterfly needle. It's more fine and doesn't hurt as much as they search. :) I'm glad you went, though, and got it done with. Now it's just a matter of waiting for results.
ReplyDeleteLittle bit of interest ... some nurses in the past have asked me to pump my fist to make the blood pump harder. But a phlebotomist at my endocrinologist's office said if you're getting tested for anything to do with the endocrine system (anything with hormones, electrolytes, etc.), pumping your fist can give a false reading! It apparently pushes more of certain things into the bloodstream, but he said not many people, even people drawing blood, really know that.
Kat, I didn't have too much trouble with blood when I was having babies lol Except for the one time the doctor told me I was dead - he couldn't get a bp reading - so he sent me to lie down in another room for a while. Visualisation is a very helpful coping mechanism. Happy doodling!
ReplyDeleteDebbie, it's interesting seeing it from 'the other side'. I think the ducky who took my blood this morning was very relieved to see the back of me and move onto the 'easy stick' who followed lol
Faye, didn't mean to make you climb out of your skin. That had to be uncomfortable ; ) Last time I needed anesthetic, they found a vein in the top of my foot. Now *that* was sore!
Kippy, interesting that about the pumping. Pumping is just what I did to get some sort of blood flow. Oh well =Þ Psh... I can so imagine me asking for a butterfly needle in a govt. institution while trying to remember the word for needle that I keep confusing with 'pin'. Yep... fun. Results will apparently come in 25 days (which happens to be a Sunday) and I'm to go in to collect them.
That sure is a different process than here, but I hope they SHOW something. So do they just give you all the numbers, Tint, and then you have to look them up to see what everything means, then go to a doctor if something is out of whack?
ReplyDeleteThere is a problem with the butterfly needles, though. Because they are so fine, they can easily rupture the red blood cells as they are pulled through the small lumen. The person using these must be skilled, or the blood they drew will be useless for testing and you will get stuck again.
ReplyDeleteAh, interesting, zyrxy! Good to know. :)
ReplyDeleteI donate my plasma 2x a week for the red cross, have been doing so for a little over three years. The needle they use is a 16 gauge. The blood comes out, the plasma and the blood get separated, and the blood gets pumped back into me. It takes about 45 minutes for me to give them 880 ml. I'm used to it so I suppose I have these veins that are trained...anyway, my son and I used to work for the Red Cross as phlebotomists. It was fun. But these folks WANTED to donate so maybe their veins were all up to the surface, waiting to be poked? Donno. Hope you can train yours Tint, lol.
ReplyDeleteKat, I can't train my husband and you want me to train my veins??? lol That's fascinating that they have a process right there that separates the plasma and gives you your blood back. I can't imagine sitting for 45 minutes while my blood drips into the vial. They'd be lucky to get a few tablespoonfuls!
ReplyDeleteBeing a phlebotomist sounds fun. I had to look it up =Þ
Wow, Debbie... I learnt something there today. Actually two things. I learnt about butterfly needles, why they're good and why they're bad. Love my friends!
Kippy, I'll get the results, look at them (because I'm nosy that way), then make a return appt. with the gynea. Last time I did that, I got scolded, but then, gyneas always scold me anyway *grins*
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of you today - they had a blood bank running next to the school! I died at rubber band .... here they use abelt with a clip thingie. I always walk in and tell them where to try (my left hand) but they still insist of poking and prodding both arms, slapping them about a bit, trying the right hand, running it under water, slapping and pinching until they finalllllly try the exact spot I recommended in the first place ..... and then it comes out one drop at a time and looks like tar. .... I'm thinking of getting a tattoo around the vein with a little arrow and a sign saying try here first please. :) At least it's all over now! :)
ReplyDeletehahaha! Oh Katey!! You know, I was going to add at the end of this post that I'm now considering a tattoo since I know what being jabbed with a needle feels like. Your 'bulls eye' type tattoo would be perfect. I've had those clamp things before, usually before a surgery-type setup. Funny... I automatically put out my right arm, which is the one with at least a glimmer of a vein, but she insisted on the left. I don't get blood drawn often enough to have a favourite spot. Perhaps my tattoo should say, "Try here and it's over to the left."
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ReplyDeleteMypoor dad is just like me and every time he's in hospital goesd through hell. It got to the point that a certain nurse or Dr would walk in and my Mom would point haughtily at them and start shrieking, "No!!! Not you!! Go and get someone else!!!" LMBO!!! There was a junior Dr who could never do anything right.
Just as they are about to insert the needle, I always ask them.... "Is this your first time?"....NOT a good idea because when they laugh they are shaking more and then they have to prove they know what they're doing as they slam it in.
ReplyDeletehaha... Bert... this was definitely this old hand's first time. I'm inclined to think she'd seen too many veins in her time. I think I'll find out how to say that anyway. Between Katey's idea of a tattoo and asking if it's their first time, hilarity should abound.
ReplyDeletePoor junior Dr! I'd hate to be a newbie at it. And your poor dad. He must see his fair share of needles.
It always made me crazy to watch someone ignore their patient about the best place to get blood. I figured the stickee always knew more about it than the sticker, and I always listened. Saved me time and saved the poor victim pain and made for good will all around. It was a rare thing that I didn't use the site pointed out to me (usually when it involved an IV for a medicine that required a large vein to give) and I always took the time to explain everything to my patient. Oh, and Doctors can be the very worst at it, unless they had been nurses or lab techs first...(knew a couple of those).
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