I need advice from you medical types...

[lspencer534]

In the never-ending battle to find the cause of my stomach pain, I had another CT Scan today, and blood drawing was next. Not know which test was first I sprayed my right arm veins with Dermaplast before going into the building. I don't like getting "stuck."

Turns out the CT scan was first and the tech had to insert an IV for the dye; I told him to use my right arm since it had been numbed. The CT Scan was quick, and I asked the tech if he could leave the needle in my arm since I had to have blood drawn.

That seemed to have struck a nerve with him: He said, "Of course I can, but the lab will just pull it out and insert another one."

"That's stupid," I said.

"Yep," he replied. "I've tried it,. and the lab won't do it."

I should say at this point that getting stuck with needles makes me feel sick and/or faint.

I proceeded to the lab where I asked them why I had to be stuck again. "Because the radiology department isn't allowed to let you walk out of its lab with a needle in you." WTF?

I've been in the hospital before and they used the inserted needle for everything: drips, IVs, medicine, etc. I wrote my doctor to tell him what happened and that unless this idiotic procedure is changed he can use his own blood for tests.

Tell me who's right, you doctors, med techs, nurses.

[DAB]

medicine: the customer is never right.

[Stevedore]

In the course of my medical adventures, I've found that if I get angry enough the rules can become more flexible.

[Cybercowboy]

Let's say the radiology department allowed you to walk out with a steel needle in your arm. Now imagine that you turn around and demand an MRI. They don't know about that needle! You're placed in the MRI with that needle still in your arm, they start the MRI, and the magnetic field launches that sharp bastard straight into your brain. Happy now?

[CertInsaneC5]

Originally Posted by DAB

medicine: the customer is never right.

/Thread.

[lspencer534]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

Let's say the radiology department allowed you to walk out with a steel needle in your arm. Now imagine that you turn around and demand an MRI. They don't know about that needle! You're placed in the MRI with that needle still in your arm, they start the MRI, and the magnetic field launches that sharp bastard straight into your brain. Happy now?

I covered that base with the CT Scan tech: I ran that scenario by him, and he said he'd walk with me to the blood lab and tell them that he inserted the needle, it's sterile, and has been flushed with a saline solution. They all wear name tags with their department listed on them along with an employee number.

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

I covered that base with the CT Scan tech: I ran that scenario by him, and he said he'd walk with me to the blood lab and tell them that he inserted the needle, it's sterile, and has been flushed with a saline solution. They all wear name tags with their department listed on them along with an employee number.

Let's say that on the way to the blood lab he gets distracted by Tina, the super hot receptionist. While he's not looking you stumble into a rack of medical equipment, and your stent is impaled by a hypo that he'd left there for later, when he wanted to get just a little wasted on digitalis. But, to you, digitalis might as well be deathitalis. As your heart beats four more times, you reconsider your life choices and realize having a pathway into your circulatory system so exposed was, again, a mistake. Just like that time in the MRI.

[DAB]

a few days ago you were doing engineering, and now you want to practice medicine....

i should appear in your office, not pay you, and demand that you prepare me a will and POA because everyone knows that you have a master saved on your hard drive, and you just need to input my name in several places....

[Jobaka]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

I don't like getting "stuck."

I should say at this point that getting stuck with needles makes me feel sick and/or faint.

Between boxing, home improvement projects, and yard work adventures, you've shed more blood than any 6 of the rest of us combined. How is it a little ole needle gives you such fits?

[Loco Vette]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

I proceeded to the lab where I asked them why I had to be stuck again. "Because the radiology department isn't allowed to let you walk out of its lab with a needle in you." WTF?

Because back in the day some patient had one of the recognized complications from reusing an access site and some lawyer made a career out of it :-)

[99 pewtercoupe]

Originally Posted by Jobaka

Between boxing, home improvement projects, and yard work adventures, you've shed more blood than any 6 of the rest of us combined. How is it a little ole needle gives you such fits?

There have been times in my life I have felt like a human pin cushion. My personnel record is having to get eight shots within minutes of each other (bitten by a cat and due to circumstances had to get tetanus, antibiotic and start rabies treatment all at once)
You want to really "get stuck"??? Try getting a bone marrow sample taken. That one is tons of fun. I've had that little pleasure done three times

Some of your misadventures should make getting a couple of jabs seem like nothing

Next time just have a couple of Gordon's before you go in.

[CertInsaneC5]

Originally Posted by 99 pewtercoupe

There have been times in my life I have felt like a human pin cushion. My personnel record is having to get eight shots within minutes of each other (bitten by a cat and due to circumstances had to get tetanus, antibiotic and start rabies treatment all at once)
You want to really "get stuck"??? Try getting a bone marrow sample taken. That one is tons of fun. I've had that little pleasure done three times

Some of your misadventures should make getting a couple of jabs seem like nothing

Next time just have a couple of Gordon's before you go in.

I'll add to that, getting water taken off your knee.

Next time before you go to the doctor, try taking off your favorite Barbie costume and put on your big boy pants for a change.

[lspencer534]

I need to defend myself from your "wussie" allegations about my dislike of needles.

Fear of needles, known in the medical literature as needle phobia, is the extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. It is estimated that at least 10% of American adults have a fear of needles, and it is likely that the actual number is larger, as the most severe cases are never documented due to the tendency of the sufferer to avoid all medical treatment.

Although most phobias are dangerous to some degree, needle phobia is one of the few that actually kill. In cases of severe phobia, the drop in blood pressure caused by the vasovagal shock reflex may cause death. In Hamilton's 1995 review article on needle phobia, he was able to document 23 deaths as a direct result of vasovagal shock during a needle procedure.

First, there is a brief acceleration of heart rate and blood pressure. This is followed by a rapid plunge in both heart rate and blood pressure, sometimes leading to unconsciousness. The loss of consciousness is sometimes accompanied by convulsions and numerous rapid changes in the levels of many different hormones.

The only known "cure" is inhalation general anesthesia, a risky and expensive procedure that most doctors will not order.

Fear of needles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sorry, folks, it's hereditary and nothing I have any control over.

[island14]

Originally Posted by Stevedore

In the course of my medical adventures, I've found that if I get angry enough the rules can become more flexible.

I don't get angry, but have found that if you just say DAMIT..

Then stare at them with a blank look.... they usually somehow find a way to at least make more of an effort.

I works for most all situations..not just medical... try it..

[Datawiz]

Gin

[MrPeabody]

Are you aware that there are different sizes of needles for different purposes?

I noticed that the needle they used to draw blood from me was much larger than the one used for my IV, for instance. Also. Phlebotomy is an art requiring hand skills, and whoever is doing the sticking can have a preference for needle size depending on their judgement and where on your body they are using it and for what purpose, among other things. I'm thinking drawing something from your body and injecting something into your body are different processes, and each technician can have a preference for a certain type and size of needle.

It would be like going to a mechanic and telling him what brand and type of tools you want him to use.

My wife the nurse is yacking on the phone to her sister right now but I will ask her about this when she is done.

Edit: wife says they would not want to draw blood from the same vein where dye was injected because of the risk of some of the residue from the dye injection winding up in the blood sample. Another problem is that often a vein that has had something injected in it will collapse if you try to draw blood from it and then they would just have to start over again anyway. I also read my answer to her and she said that was also correct.

[DAB]

Do you like turtles?