I’m not happy. I have to go the clinic. I wake up Wednesday un-well. Glucose is screwy. Need to eat but I’m nauseated. I force food down So off I go. I get there and check in. I need an injection. My blood sugar is now high. I tell the nurse lady that I know. She gets me back immediately. My BP is so low it scares the bejeebers outta them. My blood sugar is high. I’m in a world of crap. They get me on a bed thingy and go get an IV for me. In walks a young (about 12yo) dude Nurse to put my line in.
Ok, now I have bad veins. They are hard to find. I’m probably dehydrated too. So I steel myself for the poke. One poke turns into 6. I’m crying like a big baby. My friend who’s there with me is telling me stupid knock-knock jokes and snapping pix of me. She’s a goof. Finally I get my infusion and given a stale cookie and watery juice.
All in all a very crappy* day.
I’m pretty sure Junior Dude nurse may be rethinking his career choices.
Nothing, he just was a guy. If had been a girl I woulda thought exactly the same thing. I just thought it added a touch of whimsy to the situation. He was very nice and apologised profusely. It wasn’t his fault my veins are stupid. They usually hire the best nurses in this clinic. I hope I didn’t freak him out too bad.
Five years ago when I was in the hospital for a cardiac catheterization/stent they sent a nurse to shave the site (my groin). I couldn’t believe it when a little kid came in to do it. I thought it was “take your kid to work” day.
Back in the late 90s, I would have sworn our doctor was Doogie Howser. In fact, spousal unit and I called him Doogie (not to his face, of course.) He was perfectly competent and professional, but dang, when did they get so young???
As for bad veins, I can identify. When I have to have blood drawn, I warn the phlebotomist. Some are amazingly talented, others get frustrated.
Worst was eons ago when it took a pair of otherwise skilled folks FIVE TRIES in FIVE DIFFERENT PLACES to get an IV going. I ended up with a bunch of bruises and a needle in the back of my hand. Good times…
I like the hospital/infusion centers that use ultrasound to find a deeper vein in my arm. My outer veins are just scars held together by scars at this point.
When my wife had one of her miscarriages, we were away from home. And the doctor at whatever medical facility we went to, a young woman, looked so young that I was reminded of Dr. Winston and Dr. Piglet from MP&HG:
GALAHAD: They’re doctors?!
ZOOT: Uh, they’ve had a basic medical training, yes.
I call taking multiple stabs to find a vein ‘wildcatting,’ like in oil wells. My forearms have large bruises from all the bloodletting done on me before they listened to me and use the back of my hand. It should be obvious because the veins are right there.
Glad you’re more stable now. Your Adventures in Diabetes posts have been illuminating if unsettling. Your whacky pancreas concern me.
I have big, juicy veins in my arms. Everybody compliments me on them. (Thanks, I grew them myself.) However, the ones in my hands are tiny and tortuous, which makes getting an IV into them torturous. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had swollen hands from infiltration of IV fluids. I usually tell nurses to skip my hands and use my arms for IV’s, but some of them get this I-love-a-challenge gleam in their eyes and brag about how good they are at IV sticks. Alas, many have tried, many have fallen.
I’m just the opposite of nelliebly. I have hoses on the backs of my hands. When I need labwork done, I tell the phlebotomist “I have a present for you today!” Then I show them the backs of my hands. Most phlebotomists drool over them. They attach one of those pediatric “airplane” needles to the vacutainer device, and start filling up tubes like crazy.
Several years ago, they had a new kid working at the lab. I told him to use my hands, and he argued with me. I gave up, let him do it his way. Well, on those of us with fleshy arms, that damned rubber band tourniquet HURTS. And the next day, I had a nickel-sized bruise at the draw site to remember him by.
I’ll never let anyone talk me into drawing blood from anything other than my hand again!
~VOW
(PS to Beckdawrek: Hope you are all fine and dandy again!
They’ve always had trouble with me, but then this one nurse showed me this really big one they could use and to tell them to use that. It’s not in the normal place.
Unfortunately, with all the stress of the visit, I kinda forgot where it was. I just know it wasn’t the vein they used on fasting glucose tolerance test (the one with the glucose drink), which was the only one they could get to work, so they hit that vein 6 times. (From now on, if I’m gonna get multiple sticks over time, I suggest a IV.)
yeah, I commiserate …it usually takes 3 or 4 times for them to get blood from me even the veins on my wrist you can see only fill up a half of tube … my old doctor’s office refused to do blood work for me and would send me to a lab …
I’m on dialysis 3X a week through a vascular catheter in my chest. Today I had minor surgery to transpose some veins in my arm. They drew blood through my catheter and then used my catheter to administer the anesthetic. Easy-peasy. It sucks having kidney disease, but I’m so grateful they didn’t stick my veins today.
So off I go. I get there and check in. I need an injection. My blood sugar is now high. I tell the nurse lady that I know. She gets me back immediately. My BP is so low it scares the bejeebers outta them. My blood sugar is high. I’m in a world of crap. They get me on a bed thingy and go get an IV for me. In walks a young (about 12yo) dude Nurse to put my line in.
