CT Scan Experience - Page 4

Blingqueen023 · ‎03-09-2010

@Katcat1 wrote:
@Nonametoday I had to fast -- no food or liquids 2 hours prior to scan. I have blood tests frequently with no problem and some people do not know how to do the IV properly. But I can only take so much 3 strikes you are out. lol

Don’t ever come down with cancer. You couldn’t handle it. I would love to hear the medical staff’s side of the story.

RetRN · ‎10-01-2013

I am on Coumadin and need to have INR's drawn at a mimimum of every 4 weeks. Some phlebotomists are really good and the discomfort is very minimal, others are horrible and the discomfort is significant.

When I was in the hospital when I had a stroke and was on IV Heparin I had to have blood draws every 6 hours.

I guess we do what we have to do in life.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

OP - you better hope & pray you never get really sick. Because blood draws and IV sticks are just the daily routine in hospitals. Many people go through much worse. You are really making a mountain out of a molehill. And yes, I've had cancer twice , been through chemo twice , and I know it hurts to get IVs inserted, but only a brief moment.

Blingqueen023 · ‎03-09-2010

@151949 wrote:
OP - you better hope & pray you never get really sick. Because blood draws and IV sticks are just the daily routine in hospitals. Many people go through much worse. You are really making a mountain out of a molehill. And yes, I've had cancer twice , been through chemo twice , and I know it hurts to get IVs inserted, but only a brief moment.

@151949. Very well said. I couldn’t have said it better myself. You just have to persevere like we both did through our illnesses. That’s all we can do. I am very grateful for the many nurses I had during the time I got treatment. Without them, this world would be in major trouble. They’re more important then doctors.

bootsanne · ‎01-21-2011

I've had 3 major operations all of which I had loads of complications. I've had so many CT scans I probably should have cancer by now. Hundreds of IV's and blood draws. I have really crappy, thin rolling veins and I tell the people immediately that I'm a bad stick. Some of the nurses or blood techs want to show they are experts but after 3 attempts I demand they bring in the IV team. I have never gotten angry with the nurses because I know my veins are shallow and roll. But , 2 years ago, in a large Pittsburgh trauma ER, I had undoubtedly the worst nurse ever. The pain was so excrutiating my brother and SIL had to leave the room. I told her but she would not stop until I finally told her to get away from me. And to make matters worse, at another Pittsburgh hospital, they left part of the needle and plastic sheath that broke off in an arterial vein. It formed a very painful bump on my wrist that my pcp cut out 2 years later. Now our local blood labs will only try 3 times and they make you go to another lab. Kind of crazy don't you think for people with health issues and having to drive to different labs to get blood drawn. Fortunately in the last 12 years, I've had more good blood techs than bad.

Starpolisher · ‎03-10-2010

I recently had a CT scan for my heart(had one for the lungs a couple of years ago). I'm always a hard draw. Usually for routine lab work, they use my hand with a butterfly needle. When needing to use something larger than a butterfly needle, which is usually used for superficial veins, they use a vein finder machine or ultrasound to find my very deep veins. You can usually alert medical personnel about this when they're trying to find a vein to use.

"Kindness is like snow ~It beautifies everything it covers"
-Kahlil Gibran

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

Where I worked all they used in radiology were those tiny butterfly needles - which , honestly, barely hurt at all.I can't address the OP's situation as to needle size.

Nonametoday · ‎03-09-2010

@Katcat1 wrote:
@Nonametoday I had to fast -- no food or liquids 2 hours prior to scan. I have blood tests frequently with no problem and some people do not know how to do the IV properly. But I can only take so much 3 strikes you are out. lol

KatCat1, I am not a newcomer to the medical field.

AussieLuvr · ‎01-28-2016

I have rolling, valvey veins and its near impossible to get an IV into me. I learned a long time ago during an emergency to ask for an anesthetist, and anesthesia nurse or somebody from the flight crew.

You can also ask them to try a smaller gauge needle. OR, there are nifty little ultrasounds on wheels now that they use to locate veins.

One of the best nurses I ever encountered for this (when hospitalized, my IV would "blow" at least twice a day) would have me hang my arm over the side of the bed. After a few minutes, the blood would flow down towards my hand from gravity and she would have no problem getting into the top of my hand.

Its no fun to be "that person". I gave blood once in my life, in 1978. They kept sticking me with the big needles they use and I ended up with a baseball sized hematoma in the crook of my elbow. I never gave blood again.

lovesrecess · ‎03-14-2010

Sorry you had to endure being stuck so much....rarely do they get my IVs in on the first try...what irks me is when I tell them my left arm is usually easier to find the right vein and they ignore me, try over and over on my right arm...then after poking me black and blue, they decide to try my left arm and voila! They get the needle in with no problem....grrrr!