Hallelujah Lab Lady

I've talked about the difficulty I have with outside labs (labs in general) and IV's - I've talked about "Grab & Jab" and once I even talked about "Blood Draw McGraw." So today I had my lab work to test to see how my sodium levels are doing and my liver enzymes.  My last few tests those have been looking wonky so we wanted to do a quick check to see if they were improving or if they were still wonky.

So I started preparing about a week ago increasing my water intake.  And beginning this morning - I'd drink a little bit of water out of the bottle water and add a "tiny" bit of gatorade - then drink the entire bottle of water.  I probably drank 3 or 4 full bottles of water in 2 hours plus not even 1/2 bottle of small gatorade.  I took a very warm bath to get my body temp up (helps my veins plump) and wore not one but two jackets to keep myself warm. 

I arrived - gave my insurance and usually it's here where I tell them how tough I am to get it in a few sticks, but I didn't.  I walked back with her - sat down and watched her gather supplies and then - I tell her, "Today is your lucky day."  I smiled and then told her I was a difficult stick and if we worked together we might get it in one shot, but that I would only allow two tries. I told her where I'd like her to try - and she looked - and agreed it was the best option - and drew my blood out of a vein in my hand (OUCH!). 

Hopefully it won't hemolyze for me to be called back to get blood drawn again.  However, I am thrilled she listened to my concerns and valued my words.  Hallelujah!