04 July 2006

Blood! Aargh

We had our annual physical exam a couple of weekends ago. It was not something I look forward to every year. Not because I'm hiding an illness. It's the blood-letting part that I dislike. Everytime we go through the blood extraction process every year, I pray that Medical technology has already come up with a way to study whatever they have to study in the blood without having to get a sample. But every year I have to sit still while they get hold of my cold, numb finger and prick it. I've watched too many Star Trek sickbays, I guess.

This year was even worse. They're no longer coming to our office as they have done years before. We have to go to their office to complete the check-up. And guess what. Instead of the usual prick on the finger, they now need a syringe of blood! Arrgh.

So one Friday morning found me at the office of our medical insurance agency, waiting for my time to face the needle. A couple of agonizing hours later, they called me in. I looked at the chair where I'm supposed to sit. Great. It's situated so that they get the blood on your left arm. I wanted it to be at my right arm. But wait... that's not my dominant arm so it might hurt more. So I hesitantly sat and looked away while the nurse tied up my biceps to get a vein.

A short while later I felt a sting. And then it was over. Whew.

"Is something wrong mister? Do you feel dizzy?", the nurse inquired.
"Yeah, you took too much blood, and now it has left my face" I wanted to say that but instead I said, "Sorry, I fear the sight of blood."

The nurse shrugged as she patched the wound with a couple of bandages and then I was free to go.

I carried the bandage for the rest of the day like it was a battle wound. My colleagues wondered why I didn't want to remove it but I simply shrugged and said, "why not?"

Later that night, I finally removed the bandage. Aargh. There was a gruesome black-blue violet thing happening under my skin, like there was an internal hemorrhage going on. The spot lasted for a week and a half. It's gone now, but that sort of thing happens, my colleagues related later on as they stared at my battle wound, that the nurse doesn't know how to extract blood. It figures.

Another annual check-up over. And I'm not looking forward to next year.

13 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:28 pm

    ako din twing annual PE laging kinakabahan sa karayum, pero dahil 10 years na ako dito nasanay na ako, ang di ko nalang nakasanayan ay yung pinaghuhubad ng doktor at pinatutuwad.

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  2. Anonymous6:31 pm

    hehe, ako rin... di na sa natatakot ako, pero iba lang talaga lagi yung feeling pagtutrukan ka na ng karayom... although kaya ko naman tingnan habang tinuturukan ako...
    buti na lang this year di na pinasok nung doktor yung daliri nya, pinatuwad lang ako at tiningnan nya na lang... :)

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  3. Cruise at Lino, alam mo di ginagawa sa amin yung pinatutuwad. Does that mean hindi comprehensive yung exam namin?

    I really don't like needles. And blood associated with it.

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  4. pre ung blue thing sa arm mo sign na yun na mapuputol heheheheheh.
    musta na pre

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  5. WAT! You're such a big baby! (grin!)

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  6. hi cruise, lino at kuya nick...wala yan sa medical exam namin, he he. may screening pa sa internal organs kaya fasting muna tapos xray na may ipapainom na die para lumobo ang tiyan, ang sakit grabe!
    at meron din yung tinutusok ang pwet para macheck kung clean at walang you know...grabe di ba?
    although di ko pinapa gawa yung tusok - pwet, ayaw!

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  7. i think getting a bruise after this means that the nurse did a skanky job extracting your blood. i had that done twice last month. i'm a brave girl! the first one didnt leave a mark at all and was painless. yung sumunod, hala! para akong may libag sa likod ng siko for 2 weeks! bad trip.

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  8. Ok lang backpacker, after learning that my arm will come off soon hehehe

    I guess I am, Phil! :-)

    Jairam, parang medieval times pa nga rin ang exams ngayon ano?

    Dessagirl, yung akin 1.5 weeks. ang wierd nga e. I thought I was having internal bleeding.

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  9. Anonymous1:36 pm

    Watson, then imagine what pregnant women go through during monthly visits to the doctor. And if I remember right, every week during the last month of pregnancy. They take up to 2 vials of blood, plus you have to give a urine sample in this small cup. It's not easy especially if you have this huge belly infront of you.

    I look away when they start pricking me to take the blood.

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  10. buti di ka nawalan ng malay :D

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  11. Don't feel alone Wat...I've seen big burly military types pass out at the sight of needles going into their arm. I used to donate blood every 90 days for years, and as a military brat and then as a marine and airman, I received hundreds of shots. I think I could do it myself now. I've even talked young medics through the process of finding and sticking one of my arm veins; they are small and deep and difficult to penetrate. Ho hum!

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  12. Fortunately I have thick skin and a higher than average threshhold for pain. The sight of blood doesn't phase me mostly because I got to see lots of it when farrowing pigs on my parents hog operation.

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  13. Anonymous2:27 pm

    Very cool design! Useful information. Go on! » » »

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