Medical Vespa
After a week of no riding, I made my way to a Saturday afternoon visit with a local medical facility to have some blood drawn for tests. I’ll be visiting my cardiologist for the first time since I had my heart attack last year. Only makes sense to see how the red stuff is doing in response to changes in living. Diet – check. Exercise — check. Stress reduction — check. Sleep. Well, sort of check.
Haven’t ridden since that little jaunt. Back is still stiff and there’s enough sudden weakness that leaving the Vespa in the garage makes sense.
The only thing noteworthy about the trip was the big pinch. Sitting in a chair in the lab the phlebotomist had my arm tied off with a piece of rubber tubing, wiping throbbing veins as she scrubbed skin with alcohol, all part of a familiar drill. And then, as she focused her gaze on the vein she says, “Big pinch”.
Big pinch? What? My mind races immediately wondering what is about to happen. Every other time I’ve had blood drawn they say “Little pinch”. Little. As in small, insignificant.
Little pinch. Not big pinch.
As my mind is racing I see the blood filling glass tubes. Wait. What? That’s no pinch. Didn”t feel a thing.
After a short interrogation she tells me she doesn’t like to disappoint anyone so she crys, “Big pinch!”. No one is disappointed when there’s no pinch.
The highlight of my riding week…
A good phlebotomist is worth a million bucks. I’ve had nurses and others digging into my arms over the years and there’s nothing worse than hearing,”Damn. It rolled away” as someone unsuccessfully tries to pierce a vein. Phlebotomists usually have the procedure down to a fine art and make blood drawing only mildly annoying.
I’ve been fortunate so far that my three to four times a year blood draws have all met with good phlebotomists and no problems. That’s probably why the “big pinch” was startling to hear.
Hope you find smooth roads and good phlebotomists…
Under sell, over deliver!
That was exactly her theory.
Most of the people that draw blood from me are successful first time around, although they may have to dig for a vein now and then. The problem is every once in a while there’s extensive discolouration of the area afterwards. Then too blood draws for me are fairly routine; in the hospital a daily first thing in the morning happening, beyond that maybe once every six weeks or so.
The big concern is how many vials, normal is four, abnormal is eight of which two are those big vials, twice or three times the fluid capacity of the smaller vials; oh and being type 2 diabetic, always a samply of urine.
And given the range of specialiasts who list me as a patient, I glance at the order sheet
to see all five listed; they all get copies of the results and nine times out often, a call from one of them ensues a week or so after the blood draw, usually a doctor not connected with the original blood draw.
Interesting about your sore back, see a chiropractor maybe? Be damn careful Steve, these
aging body’s of ours insist we slow down howevero ur minds keep suggesting otherwise, dammit.
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Having blood tests remains an “event” for me. As I type I’m giving blood to swarms of mosquitos that have suddenly emerged in the garden as the sun nears the horizon.
I never see the doctor’s orders anymore since they’re sent electronically to the labs. There have been times though that I was wondering why there were so many tubes.
The chiropractor has been working on me. An old high school track injury comes to visit every so often. Seems like it’s more often as I get older. I need to go slow and let things calm down. I’m running at 75 percent right now.
You sound a little disappointed that you didn’t feel a thing. Phlebotomist. I learned a new word today. Everyone I had talked to at the clinic always referred to them as lab techs.
What is the sudden weakness from? Related to the back pains? And thank you for the reminder that I need to make an appointment for sometime in the next couple of months for my semi-annual visit…
Definitely not disappointed. Always glad to have a painless experience when a needle is involved.
The weakness comes from the moment an unfortunate movement impinges on a nerve and get the lightning bolt shock along with the feeling I need to collapse.
Glad to help with the reminder. I should start a service!
Just had mine drawn last week and have to have it drawn once again. It’s hell getting old. LOL…….hope you’re back on the scoot’ in no time and up to 100%! Send some cooler weather to Florida!
The cooler weather arrived but the back is still on vacation. Little steps, positive thinking…
You should have let out a blood curdling scream when she stuck you. You know, just to keep it in the spirit of good fun.
Paul: I don’t think I’d be doing that to someone who has a good-sized needle stuck in my vein. Just sayin’. 😉
I did scream. Left that out of the post…. *grin*