Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Saturday, October 11

Blood and guts

I went to the hospital on Thursday night.  I thought it was really silly.  I had been experiencing some stomach pain in my lower right abdomen, and it got really bad after dinner that night.  As we got home, I threw up (sorry, had to mention!) and I felt a whole lot better.  I kind of assumed that I was fine after that, but a nurse that I talked to on the phone for advice told me that I should go in anyways to get checked (thinking about the possibility of appendicitis).  So of course we get there at like 9pm and didn't get to leave until 2am, and the doctor didn't find anything wrong.  Very silly trip.  

I did, however, find out on the trip that the idea I had been having about trying to get over my phobia is a pretty bad one.  I have this phobia of needles (I used to get sticked all the time in junior high and had a bad experience) and I thought it might be a good idea to donate plasma, using a flooding technique to get over my phobia.  However, when I was at the hospital, they made me give blood and it was awful.  I just have this problem giving blood because apparently my veins never want to do it.  He stuck me in my arm once and couldn't get enough, so he had to stick me in the hand.  I became more nauseous prior to/during the giving blood experience than I was when I came in to the hospital.  At least I learned that I'm never donating plasma.

2 comments:

Jake Rohde said...

First of all, you would use psychology jargon ("flooding technique") in a blog meant for normal people.

Second of all, don't forget that 5 of those 6 hours were spent waiting. Waiting in the ER waiting room, waiting for people to come to take your blood and give you an IV, waiting for blood tests to confirm that an X-Ray is okay, and waiting TWO HOURS STRAIGHT for a doctor to come in and say, "Oh, and by the way, you're fine. You can go home now. But leave an arm and a leg, and sign over your firstborn here on this line."

Elizabeth said...

Oh yes, and we also shouldn't forget the pain/nausea medications they gave me which made me instantly out of it- slurring my words and not being able to understand normal conversation.