It's true, I hate needles!

I had to have a fasting blood draw this morning. For those of you who don’t know me as well, I am very phobic of needles. I can’t look at them without my body sending out panic signals. I’ve been stuck my needles so much in the past few years that I’ve just learned to keep my panic under control (I usually have nightmares about the blood draw later). So I get to the clinic and am led back to the blood draw room. There are several people standing around in white coats but it became apparent quickly that one was the supervisor and the only one who is not wearing a white coat is her trainee. The Supervisor looks at my arm and declares my vein to be easy and tells the trainee, “You can do this one.” The panic signals go off but I quickly began talking myself down from the panic quickly rising up in my throat. “I can do this. I can do this.” Someone else preps my arm while the trainee putts around; she’s shuffling papers & talking. So when it’s time to come to my arm, she starts to prep. “No, I’ve done the prep for you,” says one of the white coats. “Oh, thank you.” So the white coats are basically talking her through it. I just shut my eyes and took a deep breath. PAIN! Only the worst blood draw EVER! And trainee keeps apologizing ad nauseum. “Sorry” “Sorry” “Sorry”

Then comes the blood pressure cuff. And shocker, my blood pressure is high. I’m completely freaked out! She takes it 3 times with an automated cuff. My arm is aching so bad by the 2nd try that my fingers are starting to turn white. She ends up taking it 5 times and the doctor a 6th. My arm feels like it wants to fall off Oh, and at the end of the 5th try, trainee decides that my blood draw tape and gauze are in the way of her stethoscope and without a warning, decides to rip it off! I yelped because IT FREAKIN HURT! I pulled my arm away and told her I would remove the rest.

So I have to go back to have my blood pressure taken. I can’t drink any caffeine and need to avoid salty food (including the Weight Watcher meals I’ve been bringing for lunches) for at least 24 hours (as I drink my coffee). Trainee takes me up to the front to reschedule me. Monday isn’t good because I’m in a meeting. Thursday isn’t good because I have something else at the same time she wants me to come in. At this point she’s angrily flicking the scheduling pages back and forth and finally settles on tomorrow. “Can you come in tomorrow at 10?” she asked tersely. Yes, I can do that.. While she’s writing my name in I realize Heck, all I have to eat for lunch today is a Weight Watcher meal (which I’m not supposed to eat for 24 hours). Then I say this out loud. BIG mistake! Now remember, she’s already mad at me. She looks up at me with flames in her eyes (pinky swear) and says, “We were both there when the doctor told you that you were not supposed to eat one of those within 24 hours of coming in.” Obviously I must be a child. I said, “Yes, I was there. I’m just wondering out loud what I should have for lunch.” I then said, “On Weight Watchers you have to write down everything you eat so I’ve written down everything for the day until dinner.” She looks at me like I’m stupid, “Well, can’t you just erase it?” “Well of course I can, but now I have to figure out what I’ll eat instead. I can’t just run home and pack a new lunch.” I’m mad at this point because she is being so incredibly rude and disrespectful and because I’m completely freaked out by the needle poke and want to cry.

Now I’m debating whether I want to call her boss and reschedule and whether or not I want to recommend that trainee not work with the public anymore. She's obviously not the worst person I've ever had a conversation with but WTF?! To me, it's takes extra energy just to be that incredibly rude.