So, my physiological reaction to sharp things stuck in my arm played it's part in what turned out to be a rather unpleasant, but highly satisfying first venesection. I didn't actually faint, but that was solely due to the wonderful work by nurse Amanda and the other staff. I was made very comfortable, given tea, a cold washer for my head, and cooled with a small handheld electric fan (nicknamed 'sweaty betty').
In a room with several others receiving similar treatments, and some with problems far worse than my state of overall good health, it turns out I required more attention than all the others combined. I was the 'troublemaker'.
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| Note to self: remember to shave arm hair near needle area before next visit. |
Pulling the tape off was more painful than the needle, which seemed so absurd to me I was actually laughing at the time.
The whole process took about 90 minutes (about 25 minutes was spent bleeding) and that included the time waiting for them to be satisfied I wouldn't faint on the walk between the hospital and the car.
The rest of the day I was feeling quite fatigued - much like you would feel after strenuous exercise - but I managed to get the things done that I would usually do.
Now that I know the routine, hopefully I'll deal with it better next week.
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