APE: death by needle
So it's the annual physical exam right now. After totally skipping it last year, I thought I'd be a good girl and do it this year. So I went earlier today and almost regretted it.
Really tho, I have no real fear of needles or injections. When I was a kid, my severe house dust allergies (how unfortunate to be allergic to something that's always present) had to be treated by injections every week which my mom did at home. So after a while, I was desensitized to the whole injection-needles thing.
That is, until I went for the pre-employment check for Citibank (and how unfortunate that I went through this torture when I didn't even push through, haha). I never had problems with blood tests, but that particular one was painful. It was established about a year or so before that I had thin veins, thus am unable to give or donate blood (the thicker needles needed for that will just collapse and give me lots of pain and very bad bruises). I never thought it'd cause a problem for blood tests (much smaller needles kasi). But no. It apparently can. On that particular physical exam, the medtech couldn't find my vein and resorted to pushing a needle in and out. lots of times. PAINFUL. Gah.
Since then, I've looked at blood tests with disdain.
Today though, the medtech was really nice. Acknowledged my thin veins up front. We had to change arms and tourniquets. She spent a bit of time flicking my arm so that the vein will stick out. AND she guided me with the breathing so I wouldn't feel so much of the pain. And she didn't push me to fill the whole test tube. Once it got too painful, we stopped.
I appreciated that.
But still. This is simple and should be easy. Gah. Is there some way that I can make my veins thicker? Don't say weightlifting, i have no desire to look like a mattress. Sigh.
I can't even give blood. I don't even wanna imagine how it's gonna be like when I need to go to the hospital (eg. childbirth) and needles have to be stuck to my veins. Good Lord.
The good thing about the whole thing is, I don't even have to think about needles again for quite a bit of time.
Really tho, I have no real fear of needles or injections. When I was a kid, my severe house dust allergies (how unfortunate to be allergic to something that's always present) had to be treated by injections every week which my mom did at home. So after a while, I was desensitized to the whole injection-needles thing.
That is, until I went for the pre-employment check for Citibank (and how unfortunate that I went through this torture when I didn't even push through, haha). I never had problems with blood tests, but that particular one was painful. It was established about a year or so before that I had thin veins, thus am unable to give or donate blood (the thicker needles needed for that will just collapse and give me lots of pain and very bad bruises). I never thought it'd cause a problem for blood tests (much smaller needles kasi). But no. It apparently can. On that particular physical exam, the medtech couldn't find my vein and resorted to pushing a needle in and out. lots of times. PAINFUL. Gah.
Since then, I've looked at blood tests with disdain.
Today though, the medtech was really nice. Acknowledged my thin veins up front. We had to change arms and tourniquets. She spent a bit of time flicking my arm so that the vein will stick out. AND she guided me with the breathing so I wouldn't feel so much of the pain. And she didn't push me to fill the whole test tube. Once it got too painful, we stopped.
I appreciated that.
But still. This is simple and should be easy. Gah. Is there some way that I can make my veins thicker? Don't say weightlifting, i have no desire to look like a mattress. Sigh.
I can't even give blood. I don't even wanna imagine how it's gonna be like when I need to go to the hospital (eg. childbirth) and needles have to be stuck to my veins. Good Lord.
The good thing about the whole thing is, I don't even have to think about needles again for quite a bit of time.
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