Was she sucky? (long)

[Anakah]

I had to go to the doctor today (ick) and it was scheduled really early. Usually Im going to bed at the time I had to be there. Anyway, the doctor tells me I need to get my blood drawn, easy enough. The hubbie and I had to waste an hour in gamestop until the lunch time of the lab was over.

We got there (we were also the first ones there) and it was one min until they had to open. First, a girl and her boyfriend went in (the girl worked there) and he was carrying a puppy. I don't know why it bothered me so bad but kind of worried me about how sterile they were with things.. Its a hospital and it wasn't a service dog. I am overly picky but someone may be allergic to dogs.

Soon it was twenty mins after the time they should have opened. We were sitting right in front of the window and this lady kept looking at us and turning around and laughing (she was BSing, I doubt it was work related) basically ignoring us.

So, about half an hour AFTER the time they were supposed to open the lady finally opened the window. For some reason she was really snotty with me. She got my info etc, then about ten mins later I was asked to go back, this is where the fun begins.

I do have small veins and it is hard to get to them. Now, the doc never told me that I was allowed to have water and would be doing a urine test.

SL: Sucky lady

She tells me about the test I am like

Me: Uh, my doctor actually didn't tell me. I haven't had anything to drink in nine hours. This was a last min thing.


SL sighed heavily: You were supposed to be hydrating this whole time.

It would've been helpful to know that!!!

She then began getting the stuff together. She was VERY rough with me and hurt me several times. And I dont mean with the needle, she was rough while grabbing my arms, putting on that tie thing and very pushy. But then she did jab me with the needle really hard later. Which normally I am not a baby about these things. Needles never used to bother me.

She stuck the needle in and then pushed on it and damn I could feel it go in so deep! I actually yelped. She couldn't get my vein. Understandable. I have no idea what her job entails and I bet it is hard.

She tried my other arm and failed again. She wrapped both arms unbelieveably tight with the ace bandage that I thought my arms were going to die from lack of blood. Which I get is the point so I don't bleed but I felt they were too tight.

But the thing that I found sucky? After two tries she says this:

SL: Well, thats it. You will need to go to the main lab.

Me: Do they have smaller needles?

SL: No. We all have the same sized needles. *eye roll* But they have more people. There is only one of me.

Bascically she didn't have time to go vein hunting and gave up! WTF. The other place? Like thirty mins away! I was so confused, in pain and angry. Has that ever happened to anybody else? Get sent away after two tries?? She had like one other person in the waiting room.

I left, pissed and I did NOT go to the other lab. I was nice to her the whole time and of course bitched to my hubbie as we were leaving. But... I've never had that happen. Am I over reacting?

[Marmalady]

No, I don't think you are. Some people (and yes they do turn up in the medical profession) just don't care. I'm terrified of needles and I can tell you that after that first mangled attempt she wouldn't have got near enough to me to try again (always supposing I hadn't knocked her unconscious).
When I had to take my son for his baby jabs, I found that one nurse at the practice would invariably leave him crying afterwards, while the other would do the jab and he wouldn't so much as murmur. From then on I'd schedule his appointments so we always got the 2nd nurse.

[Anakah]

I will not go back to that lady. I will have to wait until next week to get it done and have to go to the main lab. I've been there before, they are really nice and very professional. The last guy got me in the first poke and was gentle. I don't know if she was just frazzled or maybe my veins were just being stubborn but last I checked you don't shove a patient away just because you are having trouble. I'd be fired if I did that. And she gave up after two tries. TWO.

I better not be billed for that, I am not paying anything since nothing was done.

[Seshat]

No. She was totally unprofessional.

1. If there was a reason she wouldn't be opening on the advertised time, she should have informed you and given you the choice of going to the main lab then.
If there wasn't a reason, she should have opened.

2. Service dogs and service dogs in training do not HAVE to wear vests - but some sort of signal to the dog and to the general public that they're 'working now' is extremely helpful. Based on the lack of that, and the general behaviour, I suspect you're right and it's not a working dog. In which case it has no place in a non-veterinary hospital.

3. It's common for doctors not to give patients instructions such as 'drink at least two litres of water in the three hours before the test, as much of that as possible before the last forty minutes'. Her reaction to you not knowing should not have been to criticize YOU.

4. There is no reason, ever, to be rough with a cooperative patient. (Uncooperative patients are special cases and there's a whole school of ethics there.)

Presuming your pain reactions are normal, there are only two points where a blood draw should cause any pain: some people (not all) find the constriction painful. And some people (not all) find the initial needle-pierce painful.
If the vein rolls or twists as the nurse attempts to pierce it, that can also cause pain - and 'looking for it' can be painful. The nurse should not spend long 'looking for it' - just give up on that vein and try again.

If a second attempt is required, some patients are feeling kind of woozy and 'off', so the nurse should be even gentler. The times I've needed a third attempt, the nurse has always called in the local expert. (Who has sometimes listened to the nurse who tried me, and gone for a butterfly needle and the veins in the back of the hand.)

So she did one thing correctly: she referred you to someone else.

Everything else... yeah, based on your story, she's sucky. File a complaint.

[Sapphire Silk]

Several things:

Anakah, I do think you should complain, for several reasons. One, there was no excuse to open late. There was no excuse to speak to you disrespectfully. And if she was rough, she needs to hear about it. Also, the Koban used to stop bleeding after a needle stick CAN be applied too tightly, and that is dangerous. There really is never a need to use more than a 2x2 and a piece of tape, and have the patient apply direct pressure for a few minutes, even if the patient has a clotting disorder.

However it WAS responsible of her to stop after two sticks. That's the standard: two sticks, and if you can't get it have someone else a try because the odds of your being successful are low. Inconvenient, I know. But that's the one thing this girl did right.

As for the dog: was this puppy in the patient care area? It should not have been, if it was the worker's. Without evidence it was a service dog in training (unlikely if the BF was holding it), it had no business being in this area. It's unsanitary.

[fma_fanatic]

Yes she was sucky. Don't just think about complaining, do it. I've done that a few times with the people at the lab next door to my doctor's office. I have problems with them finding my veins too. They also don't listen.

I had to give a urine test on a recent visit and I mentioned both before and after that I'd just started my period. The nurse, who I swear always looks like she's sucked a lemon, nods but doesn't say anything. When my doctors office calls a couple of days later, they're concerned because of blood in the urine. I asked if there was any note that I'd started, and there wasn't.

If I could to go another lab I would, but I am not going to pay to use Quest because they suck just as bad.

Definitely complain and make sure nothing is billed. I wouldn't pay to be poked and treated like that either.

[MaggieTheCat]

I have had so many problems with doctors, nurses, and hospitals in general that I am very leery of ever going to a new one. I have filed several complaints with various hospitals over completely inappropriate behavior their staff shows, so this is unfortunately not an isolated incident. It is definitely worth telling the hospital director, or whoever her direct boss is if you know, though.

About two years ago, when I had my first gall bladder attack, I ended up in the ER. The nurse there tried to give me an IV. She tried 4-5 times in my right hand, digging and searching for the needle. It was painful and I was scared and she wasn't doing anything to help. Finally she got someone else, who tried in a different location and got it in 2 tries. When I had the actual surgery a couple of weeks later, I warned the anesthesiologist, who was administering the IV, about the trouble the nurses had and said he might want to try a different location other than my hand. He smiled and had the IV in the same hand the nurse had tried initially in less than 10 seconds -- no pain whatsoever.

There are good drs. and nurses and there are bad ones...unfortunately, in my experience, the bad ones far outweigh the good ones. If you know of staff who you are comfortable with and trust, such as the other lab you mentioned, I would absolutely make all my appointments through them, even if it's further away or more inconvenient.

Sorry you had to go through such an unsettling experience.

[PepperElf]

SL: No. We all have the same sized needles. *eye roll* But they have nicer people. There is only one of me.

fixed.

and you know what... thank goodness there's only one of her. she sounds like a bitch.

I would say ... yes complain. Sometimes it does good... mom had to complain about some of the receptionists where she use to go for medical work. One of them was always rude - to the point that Mom really didn't want to talk to her if she didn't have to.

after mom complained the lady started acting like a polite human and stopped being a bitch.

[Gizmo]

yeah, I would complain. completely unprofessional actions on her part.

[LadyAndreca]

I was spoiled as a kid. I grew up with my mother doing all sticks and swabs necessary for labwork. She was highly-requested because she had gentle hands and made bunny bandaids using cotton balls for ears. (Now...picture if you will, the commander of an Army base, showing off his bunny bandaid to the staff...)

The worst one I ever had was during a blood drive when I was 19 or so (before they changed the mad cow rules...moo :P). He didn't listen to me when I told him my left arm has better veins (no one does anymore), jabbed me twice in my right, and MAN did it burn the whole time I was donating. Then he did such a sloppy job with the compression band that I rewrapped it myself and kept it on hours longer than they told me it was needed, and I STILL bruised.

Luckily, the lab I have to go to every few months has a very good staff. I usually have to remind them I'm allergic to latex so they change gloves, but I've never had a problem with a stick there.

[jedimaster91]

It's common for doctors not to give patients instructions such as 'drink at least two litres of water in the three hours before the test, as much of that as possible before the last forty minutes'. Her reaction to you not knowing should not have been to criticize YOU.

I run into this all the time. I'm sure there are docs out there who just don't care, but I think the more part of them really don't know the ins and outs of the procedures they order. Some tests, it's not as important to be NPO and actually preferable to be well hydrated. Others, patients have to hold certain medications, food, drink, caffeine, etc. In my experience patients who have to hold thyroid medications are the most grumpy. Followed closely by cardiac patients who a) have to be there before the bum-crack of dawn and b) have to hold caffeine 12-24 hours, NPO after midnight.

So she did one thing correctly: she referred you to someone else.

The "2-stick rule" is standard policy for a lot of hospitals. And even if it's not policy, most techs/phlebotomists follow it anyway. Think about it. IV starts/blood draws are 90% mental. How good is your confidence after you fail something twice?

[LillFilly]

I'm wondering if she bothered to wash her hands after playing with her puppy.

I'd talk to someone, she was way over the line in her behavior.

[chainedbarista]

no, she was beyond unprofessional, and needs some retraining stat. definitely lodge a complaint, so that someone will pound the necessary skills into that thick head of hers.

(Now...picture if you will, the commander of an Army base, showing off his bunny bandaid to the staff...)

now that's a commander i'd be proud to work for!

[GiggityGiggityGoo]

YES COMPLAIN. Mention her opening late and bringing in the puppy.

And hell no they better not charge you a fee.

[Andara Bledin]

Absolutely and without question complain.

Complain about the dog, complain about the late open time, complain about the attitude(s), complain about the lack of necessary instruction, and complain about the rough (possibly abusive) treatment.

None of that is even remotely acceptable.

^-.-^