Ok, I am not going to talk about depression or my aunt today. Sorry for being so repetitive the last two posts…
I guess I just write about what is going on with me.
So, here again, this is the latest. I suppose others with chronic illnesses can identify with this:
I have no veins.
I mean, I have them, but they are full of nasty scar tissue or they blow up before they can be used anymore.
I was on IV therapy for eight years after my initial diagnosis with my immune system disease (CVID). I now do a subcutaneous infusion into my tummy with four needles across the front every week. This is much better.
However, all of those sticks for IV’s that lasted all day, plus all of the ER visits and hospital stays, has wreaked havoc on what were never great veins.
After one of my surgeries this year, I woke up with a IV in my foot. I had bruises all over in the usual spots so it was easy to figure out what happened. It was just strange.
The last few weeks, whenever I have been in ER, or in a lab, no one can get any blood.
This is discouraging.
So, over the course of the last two days, I have been the office of the liver specialist twice. Yesterday the phlebotomist could not get a drop out of me and gave up after three sticks. I was getting a little woozy and had to sit a bit and drink some water.
She was actually in this morning, on a Saturday, so I went back in. Luckily, she managed to get enough to drip out of my two AC’s (the big vein in the crook of your elbow area) to fill three of her four vials. She said that would just have to do.
I try to be cheerful, chatty and tough about the whole thing. I mean, what else can I do?
I did come to the conclusion that between the bruises from needle sticks and my weirdo immune system rash, which has produced disgusting scars, I need to cover my arms when I get ‘dressed up.’ I have a lovely wedding to go to today and I hate to subject anyone to my horror show arms. I bought my first ever shrug…
Try explaining the clothing term, ‘shrug’ to a guy! I think I will be ‘shrugging’ a lot in the future!
What I need is a port-a-cath. That is a direct line into into a vein in my chest that is implanted by a surgeon. The problem is that it runs right next to the heart and if it infects, it can lead to death. Apparently this can happen rather often with people who have damaged immune systems.
Yeah? Well.
I am pretty tired of all the PRICKS!!!
I mean, STICKS!!!!
Really, though. I am not a vein person.