Running around like a madwoman

Today was the last day I had health insurance.  Thrilling.

So I spent the day getting a blood draw, doing physiotherapy, and getting a massive amount of drugs from CVS.  I basically had the pharmacist go down my central profile and put through anything that would go through that I don't already pay out-of-pocket for (I pay OOP for my quinine sulfate, so there was no sense in getting that one refilled today).

The blood draw was... interesting.  They had a new woman today.  I was hesitant.  As loyal readers know, I am no stranger to blood draws.  But my veins can be a little tricksy.  My left arm is pretty shot from my 2008 stays in hospital since the IVs kept infiltrating and blowing all my veins.  So they insist on sticking my right arm, which annoys me since I carry my bag on my right arm because I open doors with my left arm and use my phone on my left side. 

Anyway... the two regular ladies, J and M, know that I don't mind how many times you stick me (really, I don't - if I minded sticks, I couldn't be me), but I hate hate HATE when they go in, miss the vein, and then start digging around with the needle.  I'd really rather you just pull out and try again.  That digging around shit just pisses me off.  But I got a new lady.  I didn't even ask her her name because she annoyed me from the beginning.

Have you ever met someone and their face just annoyed you? or their voice? or just the way they walked?  I don't know which it was, but SOMETHING about this woman annoyed me right off the bat.  First, she has no inside voice.  "DO YOU HAVE YOUR PAPERWORK?"  "no"  That's right.  I whispered it, as if to compensate for her yelling at me, despite being three feet from me.  J told her that she had it.  New Woman (NW) tells me to take a seat in Chair #1.  I do, and fervently hope that J or M will be in soon to take my blood.

A few minutes later, NW comes in and says, "GO SIT OVER THERE.  SORRY," and points to Chair #2.  There's a slight possibility I sighed and rolled my eyes.  Chair #2 sucks.  It isn't padded.  And it's in a dark corner.


NW comes over.  Doesn't verify my name or DOB.  Great.  My luck, she's sending off the wrong test.  I'm probably getting a PSA done, and I don't mean a Public Service Announcement.  We do the elaborate blood draw dance (she applies tourniquet, I squeeze fist, she palpates, sanitizes, palpates again, sticks, I release, she draws, applies gauze, I apply pressure, she applies tape), and I leave.  I make it a point to say hi to M and tell J to have a good day on my way out.


I then walk to CVS.  Almost to CVS, I feel something...  odd on my arm.  I look down and realise that the blood has soaked the gauze ALL. THE. WAY. THROUGH.  This has never happened to me before.  So I go to CVS, tell the pharmacist what I'm trying to accomplish today, and squeak on to physiotherapy.  Once there, I tell Kara (the awesome Patient Service Rep) that I have A Situation.  I ascertain that she does not get grossed out, come around her desk, and show her what's going on.  We scoot to the restroom, she appears with the first aid kit, and she fixes me up.  Whew!


And I now have a big-ass, day-glo bruise.  I have NEVER looked like this or had an experience like this after a blood stick.  NW is never touching me again.  Mind, it didn't hurt at all.  But what if I had been wearing a Kyle Busch shirt, yo?


The rest of my day...?  Well, it didn't get any better.