Of Needles, Veins and Blood Samples

Lots of tape residue, a photo by Thirteen Of Clubs on Flickr.

Just looking at the picture above makes me cringe.  After all, it was just this morning that I had blood extracted from my right arm.  It's not the sight of blood that scares me.  What actually gives me the jitters is the thought of being pricked several times before any blood could be extracted from my hard-to-locate and fragile veins.  The bend in the arm, I presume is the best place to jab the needle because that's where they commonly make the punctures.  That's not the case with me.  This morning, the nurse or medical tech found a suitable vein not at the hollowed center part of the arm bend but somewhat to the side.  Before she even tied my arm with the tourniquet, I already told her it's not easy to locate my veins.  When she found that side vein, she said it's going to hurt.  Thank you for the warning.  I need to know what to expect.  Hahaha I suppose my blood pressure went up just hearing what she said.  So when she got ready to insert the needle, I looked away.  Before that unforgettable incident with an inexperienced med tech probably two years ago, I normally look at the needle being inserted and blood being drawn out.  Not this time though.  I just needed to get through with it.  

The lady wasn't kidding
when she said it was going to hurt.  And I thought the pain is just with the initial incision.  I was wrong.  It still hurt while blood filled the vacuum cylinder of the syringe.  I let out a sigh when she finally said I could unclench my fist.  Was I ever glad when she took out the needle and covered the puncture site with cotton in one swift motion.  I thank God that this person seem to have passed her phlebotomy examinations satisfactorily, otherwise, I would have fainted hahaha!  Kidding aside, this experience, although quite uneventful really, has made my knees a bit weak and I couldn't stretch out my right arm immediately.  It still hurts even a few minutes after the procedure.  

When I got back to the office, I read up a bit about phlebotomy, venipuncture, and even watched a video demo.  Talk about torturing myself further.  But seriously, this procedure, though very common, must be administered by a well-trained medical personnel.  My previous experience has scarred my psyche somehow.  I think this is all a psychological thing, the initial fear I feel.  Just imagine doing that to a person who is already mentally or emotionally disturbed.  I guess that's why the training does not only involve finding veins and making incisions.  The phlebotomist must also be good with relating to patients, not antagonizing or intimidating.  After all, to some people, it's not just a simple needle prick or the sting of an ant bite.

Glad that it's over, at least until the next trip to the phlebotomist. Now for the results, they said I could come by the clinic tomorrow morning to get the results.  Here's hoping everything's just fine.