I'm getting my money's worth!

[PepperElf]

i remember being in a hospital in "A" School back when I was in the Navy. It wasn't bad really - the food was better than what we had in the mess hall. but they did charge me for it. think it was a few dollars a day.

still... i was happy when the doctor let me leave. he was thinking of holding me another night until he found out i already had tickets to go home on leave. (yeah i got mono right before christmas, yay )

[Shalom]

OK, I don't get it.

I very infrequently have blood drawn, mostly because I utterly freak out and need to be sedated. Last time I had an IV, though, they did it in the back of my hand, and I found that much less freak-worthy than in the elbow. I mean, just thinking about a needle in my elbow gets me shaking and tachycardic, and the hand was like nothing. Much less invasive, for one thing. Seriously, it didn't even hurt that much. Is there some reason that hand IVs are worse than elbow IVs that I don't know about?

(Admittedly, the seven (six? don't remember) tablets of Valium I took first may have had something to do with this, but I take that much for an elbow IV as well, and still noticed a difference. They told me afterwards that the needle was plastic, rather than metal; maybe that also had an effect. Or maybe the fact that the needle had Diprivan ("milk of amnesia") flowing through it, I dunno.)

ETA: Changed my mind. If there is, don't tell me, because I'm due for a blood test at my next physical, and I was going to tell them to get it from my hand. If I "know" that it'll be worse, it probably will be, so better I don't know.

[kpzra]

IV catheters that are going to be in place for awhile are plastic. Needles to draw blood are metal, are are the ones used to place the IV that are then withdrawn. Back of the hand veins just rolls more and is generally a more sensitive area, but each person is different. When Bibbs was born, my first nurse was great and placed it on my forearm, so I could still more easily.

If the back of the hand works for you, then ask if they can use/try that first. I spent about a year straight getting IV pokes twice a month during Paramedic training, no place really bothers me anymore...lol

[Geek King]

Quoth Sheldonrs

An enema a day keeps the SP away. :-)

Just a suggestion.

Nope, biggest damn foley catheter you can find. I know a livestock vet if you needs something to really get a point across.

[laborcat]

Quoth Geek King

Nope, biggest damn foley catheter you can find. I know a livestock vet if you needs something to really get a point across.

OMG you are impossible. Funny as hell though. (I've seen some of those... yikes!)

[Sapphire Silk]

Quoth Geek King

Nope, biggest damn foley catheter you can find. I know a livestock vet if you needs something to really get a point across.

OOooooowwwwwwiiiiieeeeee!!!!!!

*hobbles away with legs tightly crossed*

[EricKei]

I'm not even gonna....Wait, yes I will ^_^

When the Dad was in hospital and uh...his pipes down there were clogged a bit, he said the catheter was his best friend. Granted, his first reaction was "You're going to put that WHERE?!! O_O" ... once it was in, he was like "I can pee again!" and never complained about it again.

As for the hand vs elbow thing -- For me, it's what I said above, and what has been said since. It just hurts more in the hand for me (personally), and my veins do indeed know the cha-cha x.x Dammit.

[Mishi]

I can't imagine staying longer in a hospital than needed! When I was 14 and in for tests to see why I was sick all the time, the week felt a month and they wanted to keep me for a minimum of two weeks. That was the only time I was grateful for my mother throwing a temper tantrum about how she didn't have time for this, needed to return to work and that if they couldn't figure out what was wrong in one week, then they certainly wouldn't figure it out in two.

Mind you, I did have two doctors come and see me after Jazzy's birth because I asked for an early discharge (go home after the 6 hour minimum stay) and midwife home visits. They had to check that I was fine with everything because I was only 18, and then laughed when I said "I just want to go home. I really hate hospitals and it's such a waste of time and resources for me to be here when I don't need to be!" The senior doctor checked to see if anyone was listening and stage-whispered "Oh thank God! We normally have a bloody hard time of it trying to convince new mums to get the hell out of here and go home already!"

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Okay, folks, let's settle down and let's keep focused on the suckiness of the situation, NOT talk of possible scare/revenge tactics. I'd hate to have to come back and shut this down.

The Medicaid/Medicare angle may be better discussed at Fratching.

[Seshat]

Quoth EricKei

And the last time they tried, they could see the vein just fine, but caused me more pain by making THREE failed attempts, whilst telling me that the damn thing "danced"! Not that I can blame the little dude, OW!

I usually use elbow crook - to the point where I have a small scar at the 'perfect spot'. It's just visible enough that I can tell nurses to aim for it.

That said, a second attempt makes me nauseous, and a third dizzy & nauseous. Four+ means I need to be lying down. (I only had that happen once - and yes, the phlebotomist went and got a senior to try me.)


If you're getting an IV, though, try to get it somewhere that doesn't bend. My husband's IV needle was in elbow crook once, and he managed to bend the needle!