Phantastic Phlebotomist!

[HawaiianShirts]

I regularly go to a local hospital for blood tests to make sure the cancer for which I was treated in the summer of '08 stays away. I don't like hospitals. I don't like anything about hospitals except for the idea that they help people with health problems. Major kudos to anybody who can stand to work in such places.

I also hate needles. I don't mind immunization injections because they're usually quick, involve small needles, and just go into almost any random muscle. I really hate blood tests because the needle has to go in at a specific point where I seem to be rather sensitive, and it has to stay there for a while, and my veins like to stay hidden well beneath my skin. I've had to learn to put up with these needles, but I don't have to like them. As long as I don't watch anything, and as long as I have fair warning before the phlebotomist inserts the needle, I can tolerate it.

Well, about a month ago now, I went in for one of these blood draws. A phlebotomist with a rather unusual name did the work. She was friendly and cordial like most hospital employees are. As she was prepping the needle, I asked her to warn me and told her that I was not going to watch at all.

She warned me, and I looked away. Before I knew it, she was capping the sample containers and was telling me I could get my coat and go. It was the easiest, most painless blood draw I've ever had! I was barely aware that she'd even put a needle in my arm. I tried to thank her there, but I think it was inadequate.

Thank you, phlebotomist with the unusual name! You made my day that much easier.

[Dips]

Thank you, phlebotomist with the unusual name! You made my day that much easier.

It's always nice when you don't feel it.

Too bad you can't remember her name. You could request her next time you go.

You might have to wait a little longer if you request a specific phlebotomist, but it sounds like she's worth it.

[KorporateKitty]

*Shudders* needles freak me out!

[dalesys]

My mother always looked for the line being serviced by a veterinarian when she took her herd of manimals to the public immunization clinics. She said "When clumsiness determines who gets spayed, they're a lot more gentle."

She had to get a plain-clothes cop to chase me down once...
No sugar cubes or pressure sprays in the dark ages.

[HawaiianShirts]

Too bad you can't remember her name. You could request her next time you go.

Actually, I do remember her name. It's just unusual enough that I don't want to mention her here without permission. She's done my blood draw three or four times now, and she's always been good, but that one at the end of January was the best so far. I was quite disappointed to have someone much newer do February's draw because Unusual Name was on vacation. I think she deserved some time off, though.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I love it when the phlebotomists are nice to me. I've never been through something as entirely off-putting and downright painful as some of the small clinics. They make mistakes, take forever, and use the 'oops I missed for the third time, let me swing the needle back and forth while still inside your arm to see if I can find the vain' only to need to switch arms anyway...

I go to the Hospital for my regular blood works (nothing like repetition to inure you to something) but not only was the first worker I got there freindly, funny, and a WOW player (like I was at the time), but I soon found that everyone there is really that nice.

I took it upon myself to send posetive feedback as often as possible, but they've told me to stop because they usually get like, one or two, from any given person...

EVER

I'm astounded. But I don't find it all that hard to believe, in reality.

[sexiphatchick]

I used to have to go for extensive blood tests every 3 months, for a thyroid issue. The phlebotemist that worked at my doctor's office was so awesome that whenever I made an appointment for a blood test, I would always make sure Karen was going to be working that day, otherwise I wouldn't schedule it.

I have really small veins and they're hard to get. She always worked very patiently and used a butterfly needle (so it would hurt less). She was absolutely amazing.

There was one time that she had called out and I got stuck with another lady. I told her that Karen uses the butterfly needle on me and always gets it first shot. She wouldn't listen and insisted on using a regular needle. After trying it in 4 different spots, she finally switched to a butterfly. She felt so bad for putting me through that, she wanted to give me something to make up for it. All she had was a package of Certs in her pocket and tried giving me those. I just laughed it off and said not to worry about it.

The next time I saw Karen I told her about it. She made sure to write a note in my chart to ALWAYS use a butterfly needle on me, in case that ever happened again.


Thanks Karen. Wherever you are.

[Bosch]

I used to have to go for extensive blood tests every 3 months

<snip>


Thanks Karen. Wherever you are.

Yep exactly sometimes we do know things about ourselves.. And when they listen it can just make everything go so much faster and you know its less wastefull as well.

[jedimaster91]

I love it when the phlebotomists are nice to me. I've never been through something as entirely off-putting and downright painful as some of the small clinics. They make mistakes, take forever, and use the 'oops I missed for the third time, let me swing the needle back and forth while still inside your arm to see if I can find the vain' only to need to switch arms anyway...

I'm not a phlebotomist, but I do start a significant number of IVs and butterflies for Nucs. My rule for myself is I will stick a maximum of twice then it's somebody else's turn. And I always look for a good vein before the needle comes out. If I don't see one I think I can get, I'll get someone else. I also hate digging around in a patient's arm/hand and I try not to do it. Sometimes I will if I can feel the vein and I'm pretty confident I can get it.

Usually I don't mind people telling me the best place to stick them. Sometimes we can only use one arm or the other. But I kinda hate it when someone walks in and announces to me "I'm a hard stick.* <other place> stuck me <some rediculously high number> times." That just shoots my confidence all to pieces. Tell me that and I'm likely to not even try. If your veins are really that bad, do everyone a favor and schedule yourself for a PICC line and save yourself getting stuck that many times.

*And by the way, if I can see your juicy ACs beckoning me from across the room, you are NOT a hard stick, and whomever told you that you were was an idiot and not doing it right.