Kaye and Veins

[Guest guest]

Kaye,

The last time they tried to get blood from me before I got my port

in place, I think every person in that room was crying for me...

I had a nurse trying at veins in each foot that hurt to high heaven,

a nurse at each arm stabbing me...even the left arm which only 5

months before had had 2 clots in it (this for an if all else fails

only) and the doctor was trying to get my femerol artery. She missed

it a few times and hit a nerve or something and I can relate to your

description exactly..it was like a huge bad nerve tooth pain but

went from my groin all up my right side of my body....I had no

choice but to cry out in pain and demand that they all stop....then

after I got my fingernails out of the ceiling, the doctor tried and

successfully got the artery in my elbow crease...She asked the

person doing the blood tests how much blood and she drew what was

needed...

Everyone left, then the night nurse came in and sat with me. She

gave my arm a go and managed to get an IV in. I babied that arm so

much, even almost asking for a restraint so I wouldn't move it

accidentally *L*...the doctor came in angry as all getgo...(not at

me, but venting her frustrations in my room and at the phlebotomist

who came in behind her)..all because they had not asked for enough

blood in the beginning...they had all but enough for my

amylase..which the doctor said should have been the first test they

did.

The vein the nurse managed to get wasn't a good one, and burned for

1 1/2 days every time I got pain meds & phenergan, then it blew on

day 2. The managed to access another one on my other arm and that

blew within 1/2 a day... I then got my meds IM and went home the

next day.

It was just my luck because only 2 weeks before I had my central

line removed because one doctor thought it was infected and had

pulled it 1/2 out, and the surgeon upon seeing it removed it the

rest of the way, and I had to go to another hospital and wait a few

weeks before I could get a port in place.

I wish it was so easy for you...

I remember watching an episode of LA Law one evening, and a

character in the episode had a fake vein in his arm for the purpose

of deceiving the police...anyway, it's not the show I am pointing

out, but it would be good if doctors could insert an artificial vein

in one's arm to be used solely for the purpose of accessing in

patients that are difficult sticks. Would eliminate the need for

needing to use those large rare veins, and would stop the countless

painful sticks and misses we have to endure.

Something one could always ask their doctor if such an idea exists...