I hate fishing

Why don’t they listen??? Thomas is 21 years old and on average his blood is drawn 4 times a year. Blood work is to be drawn before he has his morning meds which is usually given at 7am. You only need about 5cc or a teaspoon of blood for all his blood work. Being that Thomas has never really lifted anything in his life to develop the veins in his arms; getting blood out of him can be extremely difficult. Now if I could just get those lab people to listen and understand me. For if you use a butterfly (type of needle) in the top of his hands, you’ll get enough blood for all his testing on the first try.

This morning was our bright and early trip to the lab. Of course after I try nicely to tell this woman what works with my son. She brushes me off for I know nothing; I am just an overly protective mother. She is a professional at what she does and has been doing this for years. She sticks Thomas with a needle in the arm the same place everyone else does on everyone else. Naturally she doesn’t even get a drop of blood. What happens next??? She goes fishing! She takes the needle in my son arms and fishes it over this way, and then over that way, sticks him even deeper looking for blood. Sorry, I have to stop this for this is ridiculous and has never worked.

She then kind-of starts listening to me, Thomas is then stuck in the top of his hand but not with a butterfly, but with a regular needle. We at least get to see a few drops of blood, but by now, Thomas is getting agitated and irritated. Hooray, she stops before fishing for blood!

Before her third try, I explained that I have a 3 strikes and your out rule. I will allow you, the professional, to try to poke my son 3 times for blood, and if you don’t get enough, you’re done. That’s it, AND THEN I want SOMEONE else drive out to my HOUSE, and have them draw Thomas’ blood there. It’s a lot of work, loading him and his wheelchair in the car, driving there, unloading both for nothing, then loading them back up to head for home, only to unload again to get into the house.

Finally she gets out the butterfly, she sticks it in the top of his hand, within seconds we have more than enough blood and we are on our way home.