All By Myself

I did something today that I've never done alone before. It is something that most adults do without an audience. I had blood drawn without my mommy or hubby being present. This is not a big deal for most people, but for someone with a needle phobia, it is a big deal.

I try to avoid needle sticks if at all possible. Sometimes, that's not possible. I am petrified of needles. Anytime I have blood drawn, I plan on spending at least twenty minutes at the lab. The actual procedure takes the usual twenty or thirty seconds. It's the recovery phase that takes about twenty minutes. I always request to lay down for the procedure. After the phlebotomist does her thing, I have to remain lying down for about ten minutes. After that time, I sit up for a few minutes and then lie down for a little longer. I'll make my way to the chair in the room and sit there with my head between my legs for a few minutes. Then, I'll stand for a minute to make sure I can walk without passing out. At that point, I'm usually ok.

Today, I laid on the exam table for about four or five minutes. Then I sat for a minute and then I moved to the chair. After sitting down for a minute, I walked out of the doctor's office and headed to the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, I realized I got up too soon. My lips went numb, my hearing became muted, and I started seeing spots. I made it to the lobby and found a chair. I was on the verge of hitting the floor, but I sat for a few minutes and allowed my blood pressure to get a little higher. While waiting in the lobby, I began sweating. That's usually one of the final things to happen before I get ok. Once I got up, I was good. I walked to my car without incident.

I have always been like this. I don't know why, but I'm petrified of needles. It's not so bad that I avoid medical care totally, but I usually think twice before visiting the doctor's office. This summer, I was stung by a bee. It was at this time that I discovered that I'm allergic to bee stings. I kept telling Justin that I was fine. He encouraged me to go see a doctor. I tried to get the doctor at the urgent care facility to allow me to take the benadryl orally. He smiled and said, "Um, no." I guess I had so much adrenaline pumping through my veins, that I really didn't have my usual reaction to the injection.

I hope I don't need blood drawn anytime soon, but I hope it gets easier the more times I have it done. I really wish I could donate blood. I'm healthy and I think my blood would useful. Maybe I'll be able to one day.