I honestly can't remember if I have posted this yet or not (been a busy few weeks health wise!) but I am very lucky in that I will be having my dental surgery on June the 18th! They had a date pop up and I was the first person they thought of so called to set it up. I had the appointment with my family doctor to clear me for surgery last Thursday, had already had the anesthesiologist consult a while ago so all that was left was the pre-admission clinic which was nice and early this morning (at 8:45!! and it takes us at least 20 minutes to get there). We get there, I register and up to the PAC unit we go.
After a short while I get called in to the interview room and must admit that this was the most thorough nurse I have ever come across in the PAC area. I was in with her for over 30 minutes! For some reason my file lists a lot more allergies than I normally write down (about 3 different antibiotics and one medication that neither of us has ever even heard of!) so we had to go through those and I had to go out and ask mom about some reactions to problems I had as a young child. We went through all of my medications and the reasons I am on them. She asked about all my prior surgeries (this is actually going to be my tenth surgery in my life) and all my experiences with anesthetics. She went through my listed disorders (What's EDS? What's Autonomic Dysfunction?) and gave me all of my paperwork to take home. She then was deciding what pre-op testing that I needed done. I told her that I had just had an echo by my cardiologist about a month ago and everything was fine so I didn't have to have the EKG done. She was going over the sheet as to which conditions and disorders warranted having to have bloodwork done. She was slightly stumped on the CNS disorders and whether my ANS disorder would have any similarities but finally it was because I was anemic for years that lead to the yes, you need bloodwork. We finished up and she sent me off to the lab.
I get at the lab and registered and ask if it is possible for them to do my vitamin D level testing at the same time so I could avoid another set of bloodwork but as I did not fast they said it was against their policy (We don't believe that I fasted at the other clinic so will call that lab on Monday to ask). I waited a while and was called back. Nurse #1 (We will call her N1) went over what needed to be done and I told her that I was a very hard stick and when she asked which elbow they usually used I just looked at her and said that they didn't, they use my hand now. For some reason my left hand was swollen (having wrist issues with it lately) so it couldn't be used so after feeling around all over both arms she settles on the right hand between my pointer and middle finger. She goes and gets out a butterfly and settles in to do the stick all the while apologizing for having to use my hand. I tell her that I am always told that but that my hand is a lot less painful than the elbow for me, I barely feel the hand most times. I sit there and feel it go in and then feel digging. That is abnormal because usually it is quite easy in the hand. Then Nurse #2 (N2) enters the room and I hear "Oh you are getting lots of practice today, using a butterfly now and you have a baby up next to learn on". My heart just dropped. She was a student. Now don't get me wrong, I know students have to learn but why on me? It's already hard enough to get me, she even knows that we have very limited areas to try and it was becoming obvious that there was no chance she was going to find a vein. N1 looks at N2 and says that maybe it would be best for N2 to try and did she want to keep that needle in or try a new spot. I spoke up then and said it was hurting so N1 removed the butterfly. Of course as N2 was bandaging me up (and of course I only brought one band aid I was going to end up with tape) N1 had to go and find more butterfly needles. N2 is talking to me and she checks my arms and then asks if I want her to try in the same hand (where else was she going to go????) and I said it was fine. N1 comes back and gives N2 the butterfly so I get another poke, this time between my middle and ring finger, and N2 comments that I have very thick skin to the point it's hard to get the needle in and how unfortunate it is for me to have thick skin and bad veins so I go into the little EDS spiel. I finally ask if N2 has it and she says yes but it is coming slow. Then N1 asks N2 is she needed something and I hear N2 say no, it's stopped now anyway. N2 takes the needle out and asks N1 to get the small 'baby' vials instead of 'adult' vials so not as much blood is needed. All while this is going on both N1 and N2 are apologizing (which is very awkward - I mean what am I supposed to say to that? That's okay I don't mind the torture?). N2 finally tapes me all up and as I am leaving the room she calls out "Sorry we had to poke you twice". I go back into the waiting room and mom is just shaking her head. "I had hoped that they weren't talking to you" she said as she heard the apology for the two pokes.
So we drive home and I go to change the band aid and tape (to get the tape off asap) and notice that the first hole is quite large so not sure what really happened there. I taped them up and went right to bed to sleep for a few hours. Slightly dizzy when I got up but not too bad thankfully. This is the first time that I have actually had two holes on one hand. Usually they try one hand and if they don't get it they go to the other one but because of swelling it was out so I thankfully am going to have one bruised and sore hand in the morning. Plus have to go back again next week to do it again to get my Vitamin D levels checked :S
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