2590 Blood and bother

Friday, September 18, 2009

Chronologically gifted - "old"

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The blood draw today went pretty well. The phlebotomist met me at the door, and I said, "Bet you're not happy to see me." She responded, "Bet you're not happy to see me!"

When I took my jacket off and she saw the bruise from last week, she was super sympathetic and apologetic. "I knew you bruised, but wow, that's terrible!" I told her not to feel bad, this one is pretty good.

She decided to try the back of my hand instead of the arm. I said ok. I was a little apprehensive because on other occasions in hospitals, when they try to put an IV in my hand, the veins spasm and it feels like my hand is being held in a fire until it's removed. I can feel the flames licking. The worst is waking up after surgery with an IV that had been inserted while I was out cold, and waking to my hand on fire, and nobody will remove it.

Anyway, I was willing to try, this is different from an IV. She used the tiniest pediatric butterfly, and it felt like I'd been stung by a hornet at first, but then it was ok. It didn't hurt at all after the first sting, and she got everything she needed.

That vein is now all swollen, looks like a fat blue earthworm under the skin.

Tonight I'm going to dinner in Albany. The place is the New World Bistro. There's a "New World Home Cooking" locally, and I hoped and assumed they weren't related, because I don't like the food at NWHC, and although I've been there often with friends who do like it, I've learned to just get a salad.

Well, when I looked up the address in Albany, I realized with horror that I have eaten at the place once before, after a movie, and it seems like the same menu, and I had ordered an overpriced salad, and the house-made salad dressing was poisonous. I ate less than a third.

It's too late to cancel with a clear conscience. I wonder if they can ruin a hamburger.
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