Blown Veins, Blown Patience

Anyone with chronic medical problems is all too familiar with difficult to find veins. Whether they be from dehydration, malnourishment or scar tissue....IT HURTS! In my personal experience there seems to be no shortage of nurses looking to make me their trophy of success for the day. They want to be able to prove me wrong when I tell them that they won't have any luck with that arm. They also don't want to have to tell the doctor they weren't able to get a line. The doctor has a list of things to do that do not include stopping to do IV lines on a sickly patient.

I've been told by ER doctors to refuse an IV if it is not necessary for the illness I am being seen for. I thought I could muster up the courage to stand up to them next time. But I'm generally VERY sick if I'm in the ER. The last few visits have been for pancreatitis, hundreds of gallstones requiring emergency surgery or other metabolic issues that require an IV line to treat. I also have had 4 major surgeries in the last 18 months and there is no way to get surgery without an IV. Each hospital visit or blood draw could take up to 7 tries. They eventually go for the weird spots after I've told them each and every poke of the previous experience I've had (where they, too, had to go for a strange area to find gold).

I am a veteran at needles of all sizes but I have not been very good at standing up for my rights as a patient. After querying my doctors, I have determined that the doctors would not mind asking a physician or anesthesiologist in the facility to come and do it for you in your vein of choice. But I will not hesitate in the future to demand this. I will wait as long as I have to, within reason, to get someone to do an exterior jugular line. For those who aren't familiar this is in your neck. Yes, your neck, like a horse and they use a larger gauge needle. But don't fear....an IV is likely going to hurt regardless where it goes and the neck might have success first try. I'd rather have a little more pain and only be poked once.

The vein is larger and often not scarred up as much. In school they teach you to do it in the more common areas and that is what you become comfortable with. But those who are comfortable doing it in the neck are probably better at it in general. It's just harder to mess it up like the more delicate veins in the arms/hands.

So next time you are being poked on...stand up for yourself. You know your body best when you are a frequently sick patient. You find yourself dreaming up ideas of doing your own IV's at home so you can be more comfortable. You cover up your bruises in embarrassment of being gawked at by strangers. You can rest assured that there are other areas that are the first options for you even if they aren't favored by the nursing staff.

Please feel free to share your own experiences with IV lines, PICC lines, blood draws and the like. Remember sharing is helping others become aware!

-Shara
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