Sunday, October 17, 2010

IV Practice Pincushion

No Fluids For Me

Have been feeling ill all week.  Just thought it might be the new medication (cyclosporine) or quitting an old medication (plaquenil) or maybe fatigue (because I have been working some longer hours).  Started being nauseous on Wednesday, very nauseous on Thursday (to the point of quitting eating), and thowing up at work Friday and leaving early.  I tried to make it out of town but got sick again a couple of times, and decided I'd better go to urgent care.


I was able to be seen at urgent care right away, and they decided I truly am dehydrated, with orthostatic hypotension and elevated heart rate.  I told them I think I have a UTI but I can't tell because the radiation therapy messed up my nerves so the pain shows up in the wrong places or doesn't show up at all.  I also said it could be pancreatitis but it didn't feel painful enough.  The doctor ordered an IV and zofran in the IV for hydration and nausea control and some blood tests.  Then the circus started.

I am not easy anymore to "stick" for blood or IV's - and I am worse when I am dehydrated.  I know I need IV hydration BUT it is an ordeal to get a vein just to take blood for a blood test, and when they try to thread an IV it is impossible! 

The first nurse tried my right hand - I told her go for it.  She failed after partially threading an IV and blowing the vein (she was a beginner at putting in IV's so incorrectly blamed herself) and called in a second nurse.  That nurse looked over my arms.  I tell them the last time they used a pediatric IV set to start an IV.  I am ignored.  The nurse pokes my left arm and digs, no go on that vein.  Tries another vein on the left arm - gets blood enough for the blood tests (barely) and then tries to thread an IV.  Blown vein again.  Sigh.  Tries a third vein on the right arm this time, it disappears as she approaches it with a needle.  A fourth try in my right wrist that is extremely ouchy but dry hole.  Calls the parenteral nurse with the ultrasound machine.  I tell them - ultrasound techs couldn't do it last time, it was a pediatric IV set that did the trick. 

A third nurse who comes in and looks at my arms decides to get one of the pediatric nurses in to see if she can get an IV started because I am a small person with small veins.  I didn't have to tell her about the pediatric IV set.  The fourth pediatric nurse comes in, looks at my arms, said she probably could get a pediatric IV set started in my left arm BUT the parenteral nurse appears with her ultrasound machine and long long needles so the pediatric nurse does a fade while the fifth nurse tries to get an IV started. 

The fifth nurse tries three times on my left arm and twice on my right arm to get a vein to start an IV- some very deep.  As soon as she would get close to a vein it would disappear.  She got one partially started and tried to "float" it in and blew that vein.  Very interesting - she showed me the difference between veins and arteries on the ultrasound.  Very painful - at this point it is 10 unsuccessfull tries to get an IV in and over an hour of being messed with.  I told the ultrasound nurse I could have had antinausea medication and sucked down 3 liters of water by then, even if I barfed some of it back up!   She gets the hint and goes off to tell the doctor they can't get an IV started. 

I was shaking and my teeth were chattering - I think it was just too much digging around for me.  I can handle about 7 sticks and after that I get really shakey.  It is worse when I am dehydrated to begin with. Big Sigh.

The doctor comes in and says well you won't be able to get any IV fluids today even though you are dehydrated, unless I wanted them to go for the neck veins which he could order. Nope I said - had that tried before as bad as the other veins.  THEN he says - next time you are dehydrated go to the ER don't come to urgent care - they are better equipped to handle someone like you.  He said I appeared to have a UTI and he would prescribe Zofran and an antibiotic.  Boy they were really glad to see me out after that!

I now feel like I flunked Urgent Care.  Kicked out of class for being unruly. I'm in the "somebody like you" remedial course.  Poor nurses all felt bad because of my bad veins.  I felt bad because they had to try to poke my bad veins.  Not sure why my veins are bad and getting worse.  What is more, I started hiving in the arms they kept constricting with tourniquets and poking, and then my face started breaking out in long hives. My face is still swollen and I still have hives on my cheeks, but at least the Zofran has enabled me to keep liquids down and take my antibiotics.  I am more Rene Zellweger tonight than Angelie Jolie because I have puffy cheeks instead of puffy lips.

I am some better today (after a day of antibiotics) but the nausea is still pretty bad.  The Headache was not so good yesterday or today, but I think the dehydration is part of the problem.  Hoping tomorrow will be better!

Saw the A-team this week for a three month checkup on The Headache.  No new recommendations (yeah!) but Dr. Hannibal Smith suggested I see Dr. Jock Biodude again for further biofeedback training.  Told to practice my biofeedback on planes, because I reported issues flying.  I am not a nervous flyer - I spend most of my flight time sleeping.  I think the problem has more to do with carting luggage, getting through security (have to have a manual pat down because of the stimulator), and hurrying to catch a flight, and perhaps a pressurized cabin than any anxiety I might have.  I am sure Dr. Jock Biodude would say otherwise - I must have a deep seated desire to be ill and puke in a stinky airplane bathroom and biofeedback will stop it.

I guess Dr. Jock Biodude needs to make a living somehow but I am not sure if I will make an appointment with him or not.  I missed the last one because I forgot when traveling for work.  I think it was a subconscious desire not to have to sit and hear sports analogies for an hour.  I will have to check my insurance policy - I am not sure if it covers biofeedback, so its a convenient excuse for avoiding further sports talk annoyance.  Three strikes - yyyyooooouu're OUT!

9 comments:

  1. When are they going to learn that maybe we know our bodies best? When are they going to learn that it is their job to speak up if they think there is a better way to do something? In the end, you're the only one that is hurt by them not listening even though it makes sense to use a pediatric needle. It is all so frustrating. I hope you continue to feel better.

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  2. Oh honey this just makes me hurt for you. I cannot even begin to imagine. I so hope that today is a much better day.

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  3. MP: The nurses probably get TONS of people telling them they are a "hard stick" that really aren't. I just happen to really be a "hard stick". On the second stick I tell them not to feel bad, I average 3 sticks to get blood (which means it can go up to 6 sticks) but I am going to have to up my average to five or more sticks if this keeps up. :(

    Princess OEATS: I have a bit of gallows humor about it AFTER it all happens. The bruising makes me look like a really inept junkie with a very dull needle. But my chipmunk cheeks are starting to shrink so my face is returning to its normal punkinhead proportions.

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  4. Inept junkie. Lolz. I feel that.

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  5. Steph: :) If I'm mistaken for a "needle user" I would at least like to be mistaken for one that has a modicum of competency and can FIND a vein.

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  6. Oh dear one.... Here listening and sending safe hugs.....

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  7. Thanks JBR! Hoping you had a good and restful weekend!

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  8. I am so sorry! I have crappy veins (especially when dehydrated), but have never had THAT many sticks. It so frustrates me when doctors blatantly ignore patients like that! We know our bodies best, and especially with one so (unfortunately) experienced in medical affairs, we know what works and doesn't work from the past!

    So sorry you had to go through that, I hope you're much better now. :)

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  9. Emily: I think I'm going to get some of those post-it colored "flags" with the arrows (like the "sign here" stickies) and the next time I'm just going to mark the good spots by sticking one with a big arrow pointing at the vein.

    I won't go into the horror when I had to get an arterial blood gas taken in an er once. Even my arteries disappear!!!

    I am patient up to and including stick #7. After that, my sense of humor fades.

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