I'm getting my money's worth!

[Sapphire Silk]

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]

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!

[Maria]

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.

Off-topic, I know, but I'm the same way about this stuff, both the total meltdown, and the hand being way easier for me, and I just wanted to share what I learned. Maybe it'll make things easier for you. I discovered the glory that is my dominant hand's vein, when doing an IV, and my experience was that it's not just the drugs, it really is WAY easier for everything. I've had a couple people look at me like I'm insane, but for me, it is faster, less pain, and I don't psych myself out nearly as bad. I guess my nerves work differently than most people's, or something. The lady who handles me, at my doctor's office, I told her about the IV experience being so much easier, and she stared at me for a second, then got out the pediatric tools that were, by her best guess, similar to what they'd used at the hospital. And then she taught me what tools to ask for and buzzwords to say, to get others to do it right the first time, so it's still hard, but as long as I get someone whose listening skills are operational, it's not impossible.

[ShadowBall]

Oh gack, I'm such a wuss when it comes to needles. I hate getting blood drawn; aside from feeling like shit and/or blacking out, it hurts like a bitch. But I would sooner get an IV in the elbow than the back of my hand.

I had to get an IV when I got my wisdom teeth out and because I was dehydrated (because THEY told me nothing at all to eat or drink from midnight onward, so 14+ hours with nothing in me), they couldn't find the veins in my arms. So I got stuck in both hands for some reason. I was sobbing and about ready to fucking kill everyone in the room. Once it was in, I was okay pain-wise, but my gods that hurt.

Dickbags. If not drinking anything is going to make me an impossible stick, why the fuck did they tell me not to drink anything? I swear some doctors must love to see people in pain.

[Seshat]

Because many anaesthetic drugs have nausea as a side effect, and you don't want the patient .. whited for TMI: highlight to read.
drowning in their own vomit.

They give you a set of anti-nausea drugs as part of the 'waking up' kit.

[raudf]

The only reason I stayed the extra day in the hospital when I had my son was because "hell froze over," and there was a foot of snow and a nice 6 inches of ice under that. Neither the nurses nor the doctor wanted us to risk driving in it. If I'd had to stay a third day, I'd have seriously gone stir crazy.

For IVs, I prefer back of right hand, since I'm left hand dominant. For simple draws, I prefer crook of elbow, left arm, since that's a really good vein there. I've also had nurses assure me they won't bruise me.. only to nearly freak out when it does. I'm an easy bruiser, something I warn about ahead of time. If it doesn't bother me, then don't take it so personally

[CorneliaMarieRocks]

the one time I was hospitalized they had to stick me like 4 or 5 times in both crooks of the elbows b/c apparently they'd start drawing blood & halfway through the blood would clot in the collection tubes. I had bruises on BOTH arms & they ended up having to put the i.v in the back of my hand, which turned out not so great because I ended up using that hand to push myself up whenever I needed the bathroom & by the time I was discharged when they pulled the needle out it was bent all to hell

Turned out I had an abcessed tooth & they had to do surgery to go in & drain it

[Andara Bledin]

I've never been hospitalized *knocks on wood* but my brother's girlfriend recently had a miscarriage at the 8th month (not entirely unexpected). She went into the ER, they attempted an emergency c-section, and she stayed for a couple of days, then decided she was done with the hospital. They tried to make her stay, but she wasn't having any of it and came home on the evening of the 3rd day.

I'm lucky in that my veins are easy to spot and easy to stick. I donate blood regularly, and they get me in one stick, and I'm done in five minutes.

^-.-^

[Sapphire Silk]

I've never been hospitalized *knocks on wood* but my brother's girlfriend recently had a miscarriage at the 8th month (not entirely unexpected). She went into the ER, they attempted an emergency c-section, and she stayed for a couple of days, then decided she was done with the hospital. They tried to make her stay, but she wasn't having any of it and came home on the evening of the 3rd day.

I'm lucky in that my veins are easy to spot and easy to stick. I donate blood regularly, and they get me in one stick, and I'm done in five minutes.

^-.-^

I'm a little unclear on this. Had the baby died in utero? They were probably worried about a systemic infection. Hope she did OK.