I restrained myself from hugging her...but I pretty much told her about 20 times that she was my favorite!!
She calmly did her perfect job, got the 4 tubes of blood w/ no problem.
As we walked out of the office, Max looked relieved but pale and shaky from worked up nerves and Glenda looked like she was going to mark "creeper" by my name! I kept turning around...wanting to give her "thumbs up", a hug,...I was grinning...maybe waving...possibly doing the "cabbage patch" dance or "the hammer".
I could not figure out how to make her understand how wonderful she was at her job...and how important it was that she BE wonderful at her job!!
Phlebotomists...I am sure that is one of many overlooked and underpaid, thankless jobs out there!!
I dedicate this post to all of the wonderful and skilled Phlebotomists.....HOORAY and THANK YOU!!
WHY? you ask, are you torturing yourself to read this?
because of my son's experience yesterday.....
He has been sick and giving blood about once a month (taking Glenda "the fabulous" for granted)...
Yesterday...apparently....Glenda was not there...another lady came to draw blood.
She was very lovely, very nice. She too was calm and did her prep work just like Glenda....BUT
I noticed her hands were shaking and she had super, long, fake fingernails that seemed to get in the way of her "job". She even busted through her latex gloves on a few finger tips....but did not put new gloves on...
She put the "rubber band" (tourniquet) around the first arm... HOWEVER..as she was stretching it out...
SHE SNAPPED MY SON IN THE CHEST...she was apologetic, my son gave a nervous giggle and of course I laughed out loud because that sort of humor is right down my alley....like FUNERAL humor!!
WHO SNAPS A PATIENT WITH THE TOURNIQUET???? HILARIOUS! RIGHT? even if it is my son....
Next...she feels for a vein with her finger that is protruding through the glove. I am thinking "what purpose is the glove?"
She sticks the needle in and fishes around almost making a full circle IN his arm. At this point, my son is squeezing the mess out of my hand and I am sweating....
Oh yea, I hate needles!!
She removes the tourniquet....moves to the other arm...
Oh...it gets worse!!
She makes sure not to snap him this time so she grabs hold of both ends of the "rubber band" with great force and wraps it tight around his tiny arm. His arm IMMEDIATELY turns purple....
She finds a vein, sticks in the needle...fishes around...does the 360 degree thing....tears streaming down my kids face...I am sweating...getting a little weak...THEN
"Oh no, I blew it out..."
I first look at the arm....NO LIE....the needle has come out ABOVE where she had stuck him...it had gone through!!....and yes she had blown out the vein...
I look at Max his eyes are huge, and he is in "distress"....(he later told me he thought she meant she "blew up" his arm)
She pulls out the needle, barely touches his arm with a cotton ball because her nails are in the way and puts a band aid on (me forgetting to tell her he is allergic to band aids because I am trying not to sway and trying to figure out what to do).
She says.
"I can't stick him again."
"You have to come back tomorrow."
"Drink plenty of water."
Grabs her stuff and leaves the room.....
Needless to say, I made phone calls yesterday....which brings us to my moment at the top of the post..
GLENDA, THE BEST, THE APPRECIATED...and now slightly scared of me...
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