Tuesday, March 26, 2013

What Needles Me

So I went to have a blood test, only routine, yesterday. I dread these tests because I'm what's called in medical parlance "a difficult poke." Only once or twice in my life have I gone in and had my blood drawn on first try. I'm not squeamish about needles, thank heavens, but the older I get the older it gets. And, there's something else that bothers me about this whole process.

I have lived in my body for 100% of the time that my body has been around. I know it better than anyone else. Therefore I know that the most successful place for them to draw blood is on my right arm using the side vein. I can even point to approximately where they should go in. But ... they seem to think that my advice is simply sound and noise.

Yesterday I went through three different lab technicians. The first I told and she tried the left arm, centre vein. After failing there she prodded up and down my arms and on my hand. She left. Another came in. I told her where to try. She explored several sites and tried on my right hand. I don't like getting needles in my hand because it really hurts. The arm doesn't bother me at all, but the hand HURTS. She was unsuccessful and prodded a few more times and left. The third technician came in and prodded up and down my arms and then asked me again to show her where to try. She shrugged her shoulders, picked up a needle, stuck it in and took my blood.

All in all I was in there a very long time, had several needles and three different people come in to attempt to get blood. I wonder what happens to some who work in medicine that they become immune to the voices of patients. I wonder why they seem to think that my expertise in being 'the one with veins' is of less worth than their expertise in being 'the one with the needle.'

Anyone have any idea?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think they stop listening because they have so many people telling them particulars that don't make sense to them. For every patient that has a good sense of their body, there are probably 10 who simply don't know what they are talking about. An acquaintance told me, in all seriousness, that she insists on getting blood drawn from her left arm because it's "fresher" than from the right one. Um, okay. And then there are those who believe that blood is blue until it hits the air, and then it turns red. Yep, people older than 5 firmly believe this sort of stuff.

So perhaps, when they get directives from a patient, they just tune it out and charge right ahead. It would be better for all if they listened, but if we heard silly/crazy talk all day long, we'd probably start to tune it out, too.

Not an excuse, mind you--but perhaps an explanation.

Sue

Anonymous said...

This happens to me every time. I tell the person that no one can ever get the needle in on my hand and they should start on my arm. Every single nurse I've ever had then says something obnoxious about how good at this they are as if they are offended by my lack of confidence in their ability to stick a needle into my hand. Then they spend the next (what feels like) ten minutes digging around in my hands until they give up or I ask them again to please put the needle in my arm. Then it takes all of one second. I don't know if telling the person up front makes him or her want to prove you wrong or if it's some sort of subconscious control "I'm the professional, you're the patient" mindset. Either way, I'm not a fan.

Anonymous said...

Oh, this annoys the heck out of me! It's not just lab techs, but regular doctors too. My son has many medical issues, none of which he behaves in a "typical" manner. I try to tell them things that will make their job easier and make things easier on my son. They almost NEVER listen.

Just my opinion, but if you have a parent or patient in front of you telling you what size tube to use to incubate your child, how far down to go, and vents settings.....they MIGHT have done it a time or two. SMH!

Karry said...

Yes, this happens to me, too! I have been stuck repeatedly because they won't listen to me. Very frustrating, and they risk having me pass out, which has happened to me after being stuck several times.

Colleen said...

When my daughter died she had 23 needle pricks in her feet where they had tried to get blood.

joanne said...

I think it's simply an issue of power. Your blog made me squeamish as I read it...the same syndrome goes on for me too....there's not much sensitivy. I've been in situations several times where after many many pricks and many many nurses (no pun intended) the nurses had to succumb to having doctor's try....a lesson in humility apparently. We could start a support group!

Moose said...

I've learned to be very pushy about this. I know exactly where phlebotomists can best get blood. I make great pains to not only say "You will get best results by using a vein near the elbow in my right arm" but I will visibly point it out and call it "Old Faithful". It helps that you can feel it without even tying off the arm.

Rarely one tries to grab my left arm and start searching for a vein. I will try to pull it away and say, "No, you need to use my *right* arm."

Only once did I have to say, "Please either listen to me or get someone else here who will." The person got angry and stomped off. Ten minute later someone else came in and took the blood from right where I indicated, and said, "She told me you were being difficult. I dunno what her problem was, you were an easy patient!"


But I still feel for you. I had a hospital stay where for the first five days they had no idea what was wrong with me. They were drawing so much blood so often that my mom said, "You're not really sick, they're just using you to feed a bunch of vampires in the basement." They were sticking me EVERYWHERE because they didn't want to wear one place out. It was crazy.



David Morris said...

If your medical professionals don't listen to you, you have bad medical professionals.

Anonymous said...

I was in the hospital in January and they needed to place an IV, which is even harder than a regular blood draw. Three different people made a bunch of unsuccessful tries.

Then they brought in a new gadget, an ultra sound for finding veins, she put it on my arm, moved it around a bit, found the right vein and it went right in!! It let them find a much deeper vein than they usually could use.

Yay for technology!

Sharon

Anonymous said...

Reading stories like these make me really appreciate all the more how lucky I am to be using a hospital where the blood work staff seem to be much better at listening to patients when we tell them where to try first in finding a vein. They sometimes even ASK us where we want them to start looking.

I know this is no help to the vast majority of you, but just in case anyone here is in the Wash DC area, try the blood work department at the George Washington University hospital / (the Medical Faculty Associates division), www.gwdocs.com. There are some good physicians there also. (Not all of them ... it's a mix as it is anywhere, but some are great.)

BubbleGirl said...

I tell them which vein to draw from too, and if they start prepping another area, I firmly tell them, "No, not there, here."

I have a shiny spot that looks like the beginning of track marks, because I know exactly where they need to poke, and I tell them that this spot has never failed, and everywhere else you'll either miss the vein, collapse it, or go right through.

Last time I had a nurse that refused to listen, it took about 15 minutes (and 20 pokes) to find a vein, and another 10 to get 3 vials of blood. But that was a long time ago. I've gotten pushier since.

Anonymous said...

Nobody is going to hurt me with a needle ever again. Nobody!!!

I had too many pokes when I was smaller. I get scared and stressed if someone tries anything with needles near me. I get crazy. Now only the most able doctors are allowed to draw blood from my left arm. It is the only place where this still works without me writhing in pain. Nobody is stiking an IV in my arm ever again without it being numbed with emla cream before. Nobody will hurt me ever again with such a tool. I am grown up now. I can defend myself now, scream if neccesary or get a crazy fit.nobody will hurt me with a needle ever again if I am still conscious!!

No one will try this on me, they have to listen now! I anm grown up and can fight for myself. I am bot a defenseless child anymore!!!

Julia

Kristine said...

I'm terribly difficult to get blood from, and, unfortunately, there's no magical spot on my arm that'll do it. There's a vein on the back of my right hand that seems to be the only successful spot. I always direct the needle-holders there, and they always seem to listen to me. Maybe because a sensible person wouldn't direct them to such a painful spot if it weren't necessary! But I definitely appreciate the professionals who respect my own sense of my own body.

Purpletta said...

Colleen, I am so sorry for your loss and that your daughter had to go through that. I hope that in whatever she endured she was able to have a sense that the people around her were trying to help her. Warm thoughts -

Anonymous said...

I strongly dislike it when the medical profession dismisses you. I had surgery last year. I was reacting to one of the drugs - it was suppressing my breathing. I was in a panic - everytime I would fall asleep I would wake up gasping for air. I told them. They said that was impossible. Are you kidding me. I didn't have trouble breathing before the drug, took it, had trouble breathing. So they said I had sleep apnea. No. Yes, I know what sleep apnea is. No - I don't have it. Then they said that I just wanted attention. Dear heavens - I'm 57 years old. I didn't want to be there - I didn't want medication - I didn't even want to call them - I get enough attention (disability issues, friends and love ones) I don't need attention from medical folks except for medicine. Angry!! I had to go without pain meds just so I didn't stop breathing. Oh - I requested a pulse/sat (the finger clip that measures your pulse and oxygen levels) and sure enough - the alarm kept going off. So - they turned it off because it was bothering them. Sweet potatoes. Yes - some folks do "make things up" or "imagine things" - but lets take the legal stance - innocent until proven guilty. Sane and concerned until proven otherwise. Like Dave, I know my body too - and I know when I'm not breathing for heaven sakes!!! Oh - I looked the drug up when I got home. Guess what, one of the possible negative side effects is suppressed breathing. Sometimes you want to go back and wave the info in their faces - but it would just make them feel justified in their foul judgment. Thanks goodness my doctor took me seriously - and made a note for future. Sigh...

Anonymous said...

The lab I go to calls me "The Turnip", from that old saying that "You can't get blood out of a turnip" and apparently you can't get blood out of me either. I've been going there so long that now when I show up, they have a routine--they lay warm towels on my arms, get out the little butterfly needles that are typically used on babies, etc. There is a note in my on-line chart giving instructions. Even then, I sometimes get someone who ignores me and my chart and thinks that they know better. And going to the hospital is a nightmare. Last time I had fifteen sticks before they hit paydirt. It was awful.

Mike said...

What you say reminds me a great deal of what we went through to get life insurance for me. After all was done, I had been poked so many times that we were on a first-name basis with the person collecting samples.

I'm actually an easy poke--nurses everywhere light up and smile when they see all those veins and I always have to make a joke about vampires to get a laugh.

At any rate, my wife and I were doing platelet donations up until fairly recently. Turns out that she is very well suited for platelet donation but I am much more suited for donating red blood cells. We bean doing this as our own project, to donate together for two hours once per week. I admit that I still have to just walk in there and do a double-red donation, which I think precludes me from donating platelets with my wife. But these products are so desperately needed by others that it's time for me to hang up my ego and just do the right thing.

jwg said...

Remember that you do not have to accept care or procedures from anyone who makes you uncomfortable. As a fellow bad stick my policy is to give everyone one try and if they don't succeed throw them out. If you know a particular technician is good, request that one. If you don't like a particular tech's attitude request a different one. In other words, advocate for yourself. You already have the skills, this is just another opportunity to use them.