Veins

We've been very fortunate to find a great financial planner. His name is Gary Coleman (no, not the 'whatyoutalkinboutWillis' Gary Coleman) and he found me a life insurance company that will 'look into' offering me a policy. Because of my implanted defibrillator I am pretty much excempt from life insurance - but I consider it a very important part of our financial planning. Plus, I won't skydive if I don't have life insurance.

Anyway, today was my paramedical exam. I had the examiner meet me at my office as I didn't want to have to go somewhere to do it having already taken so much time out of the office this week. We had to crowd into the ladies room as I didn't really want to do it in my office conference room. Yes, it was a male examiner, of course - so it was odd.

He did all the normal stuff - taking my blood pressure, which is always rediculously low, getting my weight (I really like his scale), urine test, and then the ever fun blood test.

I have bad veins... actually thats an understatement. I have no idea how my appendages are healthy as my veins are so small and hard to find I don't actually know how they get blood.

When I was a child I never really needed blood tests so I never knew how bad getting blood would be. The only glimpse into this I got as a child was when I was 7 (and then again at 10 and 14) when I had to have special 'dye' imaging done to assess my kidney and bladder function. The technicians would always comment about how difficult it was to find a vein to use to insert the dye.

Fast forward to age 20 when I had my first pacemaker/defibrillator combo implanted. I woke up half way through the surgery because the vein they managed to get an IV into blew and my hand was swelling up like a balloon. I had to stay in the hospital for 2 days after the surgery and went through 9 (yes, 9 IVs). When I left the nurses simply told me to be sure I got a PICC line next time I had surgery.

Fast forward to age 27 when I was pregnant and in labor. Magnesium Sulfate is not nice to tiny veins, it hurts. Only 6 IVs those 2 days.

Getting blood has always been horrible. I don't donate anymore because the technicians can NEVER get a vein that works. I remember being in the emergency room after a fainting spell before my defibrillator implant and the technician actually had to resort to getting blood out of my foot (a la neonate style)... that was fun!

Today was no exception.

At first he tried with a normal, adult gauge needle. I told him, as he pulled it out of his bag, "Do you have a butterfly in there?" as I know I need the butterfly needles (typically used on small veins and children) "Yes, but its my last one I'm trying to save it; this is the same gauge", Um, no it wasn't and no it didn't work.

We tried both arms without luck, my left hand and lastly my right hand. I have a good vein in my right hand but I don't like to tell them about it because it runs right over a bony part of my wrist and its unbelievably painful. Well that was the only place left... and yes it did work, and yes it was painful. Not only that but it took forever to fill the large test tubes as its a very small vein.

But he got what he needed and now I just need to wait for the rejection letter from the life insurance company (I'm not optimistic they will cover me).

Another side affect of my prematurity... along with my eye turn that gets worse when I'm tired, my kidney problems, my asthma, my compartment syndrome and possibly my Long QT Syndrome.

Would I have wanted my parents to change what they did? Not for a moment.