Today I had to have some needles poked into me due to some tests I was having done. (see I Smell Bad…) To all you phlebotomists and medical professionals out there, here are some things patients usually don’t like to hear when you are coming at them with that long, pointy, metal object:
“wow, these are really small veins”
“where do they usually find one”
“I just can’t find anything”
“we will try this one”
“try pumping your hand a few times”
“maybe if I get this tourniquet a little tighter...”
“do they ever use the hand?”
"are you right handed or left handed?"
"do your veins normally roll?"
“I think there is one there, it is really deep though”
“ooh, I found one!” (followed by several (and I mean several) smacks on the wrist, while tourniquet was securely fastened of course)
“I know the wrist is the most painful spot but…”
“just one more try then we will go get someone else to try”
“so and so is really good at this”
“So and so has already left for the day…maybe if you just came back when he is here…”
In the end I was stuck a total of five times by two different people. It happened to be twice in the crook of the arm, once on each hand and finally in the wrist. I am confident that I will have some bruising due to the fact that they didn’t just stick the needle in and retreat, they stuck it in and then they moved all around as if looking for a vein on the other side.
No comments:
Post a Comment