Saturday, June 12, 2010

Not my lucky day

I'm having a pity party. Care to join me?
Here is my sad tale of woe.
A week ago I had some out patient surgery.
( It went fine, thanks)
It did however require an anesthetist and the starting of an IV.On my left side, they made three attempts to get the IV going. No joy. 2 on the top of the hand, one on the inside of the wrist which was quite ouchy. Then they gave up and moved to the other side. Both hands have extensive bruising and swelling from blowing the blood vessels. It hasn't been a big deal, just inconvenient.

Then yesterday, it was off to my primary for a long scheduled semi-annual check up. I have thyroid replacement meds which require monitoring . The tech in the primary's office was annoyed at all the swelling and bruising .... no place to work. She even looked me in the eye and said, " well I'd hoped to get out of here on time til you showed me this mess". I volunteered to leave without the needle work but that didn't happen. We did have a bit of a chat over where she would be sticking her needle. We didn't agree. She called the primary back into the lab and after placing tournequets on both sides they decided left hand was the best shot. I suggested we wait a week and I'd come back then. I should have left. I didn't, I sighed and gave up. They collected half a tube of blood before the vein blew still needing 3.5 more tubes. " Probably hadn't had time to heal yet" they postulated. "We'll have to look at the other hand".
This time I said " I think we are done for today."

After all, it was the last appointment on a Friday afternoon. They would not see the labwork before Monday anyway so I said I would stop in first thing Monday morning and they could have another go. They didn't like it but this time I was firm, kept my body parts to myself and left.

This morning, I did inside domestic things while the sprinkler was running in the walled garden. Between laundry loads, I decided I would go out and dead head the annuals and maybe cut a bouquet and make a pretty arrangement. I didn't know there was a yellow jackets nest out by the deck steps. I found out when I went to cut some pink carnations. A swarm of them came to announce their displeasure with my threat to their homestead. So they attacked.

They won too.

They are in my garden, I am not.
There is not a beautiful flower arrangement from our garden in the Keeping Room.
I am not in the garden because,I am inside with tea bags pressed to my injured flesh from the
yellow jackets attacks. I've read all the first aid stuff on the riskier symptoms of multiple stings. (3 )What to do if the stinger punctures a blood vessel. ( one on the tortured left hand)
What to do if the stinger punctures a joint space. ( one on the tortured left wrist)
What to so if you feel an odd sense of weightiness or tingling in an extremity. (monitor)
What it does not advise?
What to do if one of them cleverly flies up your pant leg without realizing this led to a dead end for wasps. Which one cannot sting ones way out of. No matter how frequently the effort is made.

Thank God there is no video.

9 comments:

chick'ry said...

quelle horror! smoke those bastards out of their hole! and then, take on the yellow jackets. ;-)

so sorry FIshy. so sorry.

Jenny said...

Oh! Oh! I'm so very sorry. I was stung by (only) a bee when I was 37 on my Mother's deck and I went from 37 to 7 in nano second. IT HURTS!!! How many times were you stung? I also have small veins and dread the the needle in my hand trick. My Mother advised me to ask for pediatric needles before going to other veins and so far, so good. Take extra good care of yourself right now Fishy. I wish you drank vodka. :-)

xoxo.

fishy said...

Chick'ry,
I bombed the assailants with chemicals. Turns out they built a nest inside the drain holes of a pot on the deck steps. The deck war is on. I will not yield my walled garden and deck to these jackets!

Boxer,
I get the return to 7 thing. I seriously wanted to wail out loud.
Three stings doesn't sound like much but it will command your attention. Does vodka pair well with antihystimines and ice packs?

Thanks for the comforting y'all.
I feel much better now.

Kymical Reactions said...

whaaaa? Owie!! I'm so sorry!! First, I know too well about idiot lab techs who can't seem to get a needle in deep enough to draw a full tube of blood. I've left places before looking like I've just lost a horrific UFC fight. pfft.

I just started thyroid replacement meds. I have an autoimmune issue that causes certain levels to go extremely high or drastically low. They can't treat for one or the other, because treating for low when it's high and for high when it's low, well... you know how that goes. So - verdict is to take this pill that is supposed to gradually kill it altogether, and be the replacement hormone forever. YAY! (rolling my eyes.) I'm just ready to feel better, and I don't know how long it's going to take. :(

I've never been stung by a bee or wasp, and I'm sad for you that you were attacked. Tell Mermaid you need here to come home to kiss it and make it better.

Buzz Kill said...

I know the pin cushion feeling from needles. They say my veins run deep and a lot of nurses have a tough time getting blood out of me. I have to have blood tests every 3 months (cholesterol) and sometimes it takes 2 - 3 sticks to get any blood. The nurses that do have success use the smaller butterfly needles if that helps.

I don't think there's much you can do with the bigger IV needles. Those things sting too. The last time I had one of those they gave me anastesia (for a colonscopy) that put me out for an hour. I woke up feeling great, best sleep I've had in a decade. It was worth all of the "flushing" I had to do the day before.

fishy said...

Kymical Girl!
Here's hoping the thyroid replacement does indeed make you feel better soon. Use to be the belief was it took about 6 months to get them properly calibrated. Do read the stuff on long term effects of thyroid replacement/ thyroid insufficiiency especially as related to later in life brittle bones or osteoporosis. Get on those supplements NOW and stay on them forever. What the docs don't tell you, can definitely hurt you in the long term.

My advice, stay well away from yellow jackets, those critters are vicious.

Buzz,
you had to endure a flushing procedure AND a colonoscopy to get a good nights sleep? I'm speechless .... but not without thoughts on this subject! Yes they use nothing but pediatric butterflies on me and still no joy on the withdrawals. Looks like in my case they get the vein, but the vacuum tube sucks 'em closed. I did not go back today. Insead I called to say I would come in once my flesh had returned to normal size, shape and color.

Do you get yellow jackets in your part of the world?
they are not like other wasps, they are like MIGS!

Unknown said...

Oh Mama Fish!!!!! I'm so sorry! Wish I was there to fix it!!! Love and hugs!!!

Aunty Belle said...

them bees is lookin' fer sweet meat, thas' all.

Amen to Boxer Babe--the pediatric needle is the WAY TO GO.

moi said...

Ouch! I feel your pain.

I've been stung by yellow jackets more times than I can count and while I have never had a reaction beyond a short lived bump, the pain is unbelievable. Like sharp stabs of fire. I hate killing anything, but if one gets in the house, I'll swat it dead if I can't get it to leave.