Last week, I needed to have my blood drawn and an IV for a test. I was greeted by a friendly technician wearing a mask who inserted the needle to prepare the blood and IV. As soon as I sat down, he said, “Use your left arm. It's always hard to draw blood from the right arm.” He then inserted the needle into my right arm. I looked at him quizzically while he felt around. After three touches, he muttered something. Maybe he couldn't find a good vein. I see.
The same thing happened the second time he tried to put the needle in my left arm. Eventually, he left the room to get a nurse who quickly put the needle in. The photo above shows the bruising from one of the techs' attempts. What surprised me more than the techs' incompetence and failure to immediately seek help was that I didn't insist on trying my left arm first and having someone else see me after the first attempt failed. I know this is often difficult because my veins are small and/or recessed.
Of course, there's the assumption that he's the expert. I want to be gentle and make him think, “Come on, give me one more stab. You can do this.” Meanwhile, I'm mentally scanning to make sure I don't pass out, something I did before this procedure. The only good news I have is that I will never let this happen again. Advocating for yourself doesn't just mean making sure you get the care you need. It means expressing what you know about your body with as much confidence as you would poke and prod someone else. I encourage you to do the same.