I held my tongue, but just barely

[Rajah]

Just got back from a doctor's appointment. No biggie, just the usual 3-month check-up to check on my thyroid and sugar levels since I'm borderline hypothyroid(ic?).

As usual, he wanted to do bloodwork. Cool by me, I like that he's keeping an eye on things.

Well, they had a new nurse in the office who after 2 tries still couldn't get even half a tube out of me 'cause she couldn't get the needle right. She wanted to try a third on the other arm, but I said no, gimme the form and I'll take it to the diagnostics center down the street where they do bloodwork every day all day and rarely miss the vein.

She kept wondering why things were moving so slow and my veins must be strange or something wierd is going on. I wanted to say "yeah, it's because you don't know what you're doing". I hate it when they release under-trained nurses and let them at us patients.

 

[cgcw]

Been there many times. You are right. Someone who knows what they are doing should be able to do it right the first time. Good luck.

 

[nativetxn]

It's frustrating, isn't it? She may just have been very nervous about drawing blood. It takes a special talent (in my opinion) to do that easily and painlessly. I'd stick with the lab too.

 

[mickeyfan1]

But I have very tricky veins, I used to donate platelets, and there were many times that the phlebotomist couldn't hit my veins. They do it everyday, and still had trouble with me. Thank goodness we have a Native American there, he would gdo the "Vein Dance" and that would work!

 

[Sonya]

My Ob has a new trainee and I shudder when I get her. Oh well, I guess you have to learn somewhere, it's not like you can practice on a dummy. But someone should really suipervise!

 

[lisajl]

I sympathize...
I have to get my thyroid levels checked every year.

I always shudder when there is someone new in the office.

Lisajl

 

[Mom2Em]

I have such horrible veins that I literally start to cry if I see someone "new" come in... I know it isn't their fault but it sure does smart!

 

[Disney Doll]

Healthcare people aren't perfect. Maybe a just punishment for her would be to take her out into the parking lot and shoot her. Geez!

Look at some of the responses on this thread. People shuddering and crying at the site of someone who is going to take blood. Try and hit a vein when all that is going on.

 

[Serena]

Maybe along with having some sympathy for the nurse, we could have some for the people that are hurt by someone less experienced than we like.
I know they need to get the experience by doing it, but I too would like someone supervising them so if they have trouble then the help is right there. My veins are difficult also, and it does hurt when they aren't experienced.

 

[jfulcer]

They have to learn somewhere, and no matter how many practice sticks they do, every arm is different.

I feel for you, Rajah as I had a difficult time when I tried to donate blood over a year ago. The nurse just couldn't get the vein to go - they eventually had to use my other arm. What's weird is everyone else was fine that she worked on. It was just my normally easy to stick arm causing the problems.

 

[holycow]

Augh! that is one of my Pet Peeves..The pain!...

HC

 

[snoopy]

I always get the trainees. I have great veins, so they send in the newbies to learn on me.

I'm not crazy about having my blood drawn, but I don't particularly mind it either. I just look the other way.

My grandmother has rolling veins, I feel so bad for those in the healthcare field when she has to get her blood drawn. She is just about the most snippy person on the face of this planet, and lets them no in no uncertain terms they have one shot at getting a vein, and if not, they need to send in someone else who can do the job. Once when she was in the hospital she made this one woman cry, like Disney Doll points out, the poor thing was probably o.k. until my Grandmother started yelling at her. Then she got all nervous and couldn't get the vein, and that was that.

 

[goofyrn13]

My guess is the person was probably not a nurse at all!!! She was probably a medical assistant.That burns me when people call themselves nurses and they aren't.Ask next time and get her job title.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I feel your pain! I have a low tolerance for pain, can't stand the sight of needles and my veins disappear when health care professionals come near!

I had a really bad experience where they had to stick me many places, many times before finding a good spot. NEVER AGAIN. So, anytime I have to go somewhere new, I tell them to get me their most experienced person cause you get 1 shot with me. If it doesn't take, too bad. I am not a pin cushion.

 

[Tina]

Yup, I know your pain - literally. I had an inexperienced "nurse" while in the emergency room with kidney stones once. I was in extreme pain and she was trying to get me on an IV - of course she had no idea what she was doing. It took her more than 5 tries to finally get my vein. I was ready to grab that needle and stab her in the head! Anyone with kidney stones knows what kind of pain I'm talking about!

Sure enough, I checked the hospital bill a month later and they had charged me (or my insurance company) for every piece that she wasted trying to get that IV in me.

 

[Rajah]

Disney Doll -- I would sympathize, except I have usually *easy* veins to get. If I were usually difficult to get, I wouldn't be objecting nearly as much. Yes, they have to learn somewhere, but at the same time, there's just not enough training today compared to what they used to get in the past. More training usually means more skill. At very least, she should have had someone else in there helping her. If she couldn't get it right in two tries on *my* arm, she needed more guidance. Occasionally, I've had to have people do a second attempt to get it right, but *very* rarely has the second attempt not worked. And I was a *very* patient and helpful patient -- I was not shaking, was not acting scared, squirming, shuddering, and so on. I was doing exactly what has worked for the other nurses/assistants/etc in the past. She just couldn't get the vein right. Now next time your arm is throbbing because of a failed attempt at getting blood -- which I get done every 3-6 months so I know the procedure fairly well, I might add--, let's see just how sympathetic you are.

Snoops -- I usually don't mind it that much, either, but I can't stand the sight of blood. Not if it's connected to my body. Once it's in the tube and the needle and thing are out of my arm, I'm fine with it, but I got rather faint and light-headed just *watching* her trying to get the tube to fill. And since she was having trouble, I had to look. She couldn't even get 1/3 of a tube in the two attempts, and I still left in worse shape than I usually do after the tube and a half they take (well, technically two tubes, but one is half the size of the other). Yeah, so I'm wimpy, but I had to come home sick because I just had to lie down after that attempt.

goofyrn -- very good point. I just assumed she was a nurse, but I think you're probably right. However I *think* the people at the clinic I'll be visiting next week for the second attempt are all nurses. They at least have more training and experience, no matter what their title. I've never had one of them miss on the first try. But, she didn't identify herself as a nurse, I just assumed. I know she works in the office and was more than a janitor , but she probably was a medical assistant instead of a nurse.

Pooh girl -- I just had to LOL at your last statement! I sure feel like a pin cushion lately. *3* allergy shots every week to two weeks, bloodwork every 3 months...sheesh, I shouldn't have to be pricked this often at this age. I just hope I never have to get insulin shots or something.

 

[Buckalew]

When DH was in paramedic school, he had to learn to take blood and start an IV. They told them what to do in class, let them practice once on a partener and then it was on to their clinicals! (well, there were a few days in between but no practicing at school) He had som supplies to practice with and went to the fire hall to ask for a volunteer. NO ONE would volunteer! (Big chickens ) So, here he was going to the hospital to start taking blood from people and he had experience doing this on one person. So, I, the biggest chicken of all, volunteered my arm and let him practice a bit. He really did fine and was grateful. Now, though, I always wonder how much experience people have.

My neighbor's new job is doing this at the hospital. She is a vet tech and had only taken blood from animals but they said to her, "No difference, come on..."

 

[Fire14]

In all fairness. I realize it hurts and i do agree with having someoine there with some experience to guide her. I am a nurse and never to this day have drawn blood, I can but have never been trained to and have choosen to work where I don't have too. And when I was in school Due to OSHA standards I could not practice on a class mate. This held true for any injection. I still remember giving my first shot to a lady what had just had a child a few days prior and the terror I felt. Granted my instructor was right there to guide me.

 

[browneyes]

I hate that too. My veins are usually compared to earthworms. I had one nurse try to put an IV in once and kept missing. She said she couldn't find the vein. I'm very tolerant, but after 5-6 tries, it kinda irked me. Luckily, another nurse came in and finished the job before I became a pin cushion.

How did your lab results come out? Or do you know yet?

 

[Rajah]

Oh, she didn't even get enough to *run* the tests. I have to go to the lab to get that done, then it'll be another week or so for the results. I expect them to be normal, to maybe a little low blood sugar (been tired again, that's usually the cause). But I can't get to the lab until next week due to my schedule, so I won't know for two weeks or so.