I'm IV proof!!

So how many puncture wounds can you find in these pictures?? The last picture actually has two; one is on the wrist one on the hand, to bring the grand total to 6 sticks. Now what, may you ask, causes one to be stuck by a needle 6 times?? Well there is one hole due to blood work, four holes made in attempt to find a viable vein for an IV and one hole that the IV actually decided to work in. Just imagine how much fun that was!!!

Here is the real low down on what happened. I have been getting sick a lot, four or five times a day, and the medicine that my doctor was prescribing me wasn't getting the time it needed in me to work. I had been in touch with my doctor almost every day letting him know what was going on and how the drugs weren't staying in and neither was most of my foods and liquids. Finally yesterday they had either had enough of me calling and complaining or they were getting worried too, maybe a little of both, and they told me to go and have some blood work done and then head over to their office to see the doctor.

I went for the blood work around 9:45am and was at my doctors office around 10:15am, they took me back to a small room, weighed me and took my blood pressure. (I was down 5 lbs. from last Friday and my blood pressure was 132/89, high for me.) After talking to Dr. Filer for about five minutes he decided to hook me up to an IV and try and rehydrate me, get some color back in my cheeks. He said he was going to try and get two 1000mL bags in me and that it would take about an hour. So Sue, the drug lady, went back to get the bags and all of the other paraphernalia and we were ready to begin.

Well stick one came on my right hand, she had the needle in and turned the drip on and I got this immediate stinging because, as I learned later, the vein was blocked and the fluid was just stretching the vein, ballooning it. On to the left hand, again problems with my veins, I guess when you are dehydrated your veins shrink so getting in there seemed to be a problem. This process went on again on my right wrist and then back to my left hand again, until finally they got the process to work in my left elbow area, where the blood had been taken about an hour before.

Needless to say this process took quite a while and by the time I had absorbed about 1 and 3/4 of the fluid it was 2pm and I was not only stir crazy but also nauseas and tired. The day was almost finished when Dr. Filer came in to let me know that before I went home I had to go back to the lab and have one more test done, I might have a kidney infection. UGH!!! Ok fine, just one more little side trip and then I can go back to my bed, lie down, and forget about this day. So around 2:30pm I was finally back home, full of fluids, and about to pass out. I did throw up again, only once though, and I think it was just as much the tired as the nausea on that one.

So now I am home, fighting with the nausea still, but thankful for the fight being in my own home. So far this morning the Zofran is working and nothing has made a repeat appearance. I am still both hungry and nauseas at the same time, which makes things interesting. Hopefully this stage will be peaking soon and then on the decline so I can get back to somewhat normal living. On the plus side I did learn yesterday that if I have to get IV fluids again that Dr. Filer will call a home health care nurse to come to my house to do it, yay for my own bed!!

Alright, saga over for now. I will talk to you all soon!!!