Brutalized.
I’m sore and I just know I’ll be more so tomorrow. I had to get some blood work done today so I decided to walk the 2.8 miles to the lab for exercise. No big deal, I thought, since I used to walk that distance to my old job and still walk a mile and a half as often as possible to and from my current job. Today, though, I was fasting per my doctor’s orders. I couldn’t even drink coffee. The walk seemed so much longer than I remembered it to be. Amazing how a lack of caffeine slows down time.
The good thing - I got to the lab right as they opened and was third to arrive. That means I was seen right away.
The bad thing - the phlebotomist didn’t appear to be all that eager to be at work.
Let’s just say she wasn’t gentle. To top that off, she poked a vein that has never been used for blood work before. It’s a rather pronounced vein, which I’ve pointed out to other lab techs in the past, but a couple of them actually said it looked “too thin” to use. When this particular tech looked at my left arm, I just assumed she knew what she was doing and would use the more sturdy, but not-so-visible vein.
To this day, I kick myself for nearly every assumption I make.
After she filled the two vials and placed the gauze over the puncture, she pulled it away after maybe five seconds and blood immediately ooooozed out. She pressed the gauze down again for another five seconds, lifted it up and blood ooooooozed out even more. That has never happened to me before.
With a small laugh she said, “You’re a bleeder,” and reached for the tape to secure the gauze to my arm.
I thought to myself, “Yeah, but only when my veins are brutalized the way you just did. Thanks.”
After all that, I rushed to Starbucks to suck down an iced latte and eat some coffeecake. I wasn’t about to walk the mile back to my office so I decided to metro. Oh, but because it’s President’s Day, they actually had the platform I needed *closed* for track maintenance at 8:30 in the morning. I understand President’s Day is a federal holiday, but a lot of places don’t observe it, even in Washington DC! So, I was forced to walk to my office anyway. By the time I got there, I was ready for a nap.
Current Mood:
Tired
By Pat, February 22, 2008 @ 8:31 am
I hate, hate those fasting days. really. I can’t even drink a sip of water and my stomach’s growling like crazy :whoa: good thing it only happens once a year :heart:
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By Jenny, February 25, 2008 @ 9:50 am
wow. that really sucks. when i had my blood work done when I was pregnant with my son, they made sure to push and pull the needle in and out when the switched vials…FIVE TIMES!! Makes me never want children again! :D
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By Robmarie, February 27, 2008 @ 10:33 pm
Ouch! I haven’t had my blood drawn (read: veins punctured) in a while. Fasting really is the worst part for me, though. I’m always hungry! :sd2:
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By Renee, February 28, 2008 @ 7:32 pm
I really hate having blood drawn because one time an inexperienced phlebotomist pushed the needle through the vein and into a nerve. It was very painful and I couldn’t do much with my right hand (the one I write with!) for a long time.
Public transit was nearly non-existent here (Salt Lake City) on President’s Day. Luckily my work was closed for the holiday, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get there.
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By Wyther Wyskers, March 7, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
It would be a complete understatement if I said you had a crappy day. Wow…
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By vanessa, March 7, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
Hmm blood work done? Do you donate blood on a regular basis?
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