I remember the best thing about being in the hospital was they could stick me right in the iv. Other than that, being in a hospital sucks. And I have good veins. I wish I could send my big obvious veins through the interpipes to you, sj.

Thanks, laga. Hopefully it won't be as bad when I am not dehydrated. I wasn't allowed any liquids today before the tests which sort of made my small veins non-existent. Usually I am sure to hydrate well before I am supposed to have bloodwork.

ita and sj, you need to come to the clinic here. I've told every tech I've had in the last five years--you might as well start with the back of the left hand. It goes: left inner elbow, right inner elbow, and finally the back of the hand, so let's just start there, okay?

I went to this clinic a year ago b/c three techs at the practice left me bruised and still couldn't find a vein that didn't punk out. I told the lovely Russian woman my sad story, she made a "Phfft" noise, tapped the outside of my left elbow on the first try, and manages a good tap in the same spot every time. I'd marry her, if we weren't both, already.

Patriotism swells in the heart of the American Bear.

Try telling that to Stephen Colbert.

I much prefer the hospital techs to the clinic techs. The clinic gets all the new graduates, and the hospital has the folks who have been doing IVs at 2AM on unhappy patients for years.

Phlebotomists are the best. Not that I've ever had a problem. I even have a great big freckle that could be labeled "needle goes here" they should rent me out to teaching hospitals.

Beverly, I love when I find someone like that, but it is rare. The hematologist's office is pretty good, but I think women I was dealing with today were nurses, not phelobomists, so that was part of the problem. They looked scared of me.

I don't know if these are lisenced phlebotomists or not, but all they do is draw and test blood. I guess practice on all types of veins helps one's technique.

actually they go through a lot of training -that's why you want one

I have better luck with nurses than phlebotomists. They send in the nurses that get IVs on babies, because that's how small my veins are. There are a few that have tricks, like going for my fingers, which hurts like a bitch and tends to infiltrate, but it's better than nothing.

Also, don't phlebotomists just have to get blood out? It's different when you have to get stuff in, especially if it's over a period of time.

I just really like the nurses that get all "I'm not going to let you beat me!" and will stick me over and over again. Sometimes it takes 9 tries. It's simpler if it's the same person. I don't even begrudge them if they have to take a break. Sometimes it takes half an hour or more to get the line.

And the ones that know how to use the ultrasound to find deep veins are extra special.

So, yeah, I ask for specific nurses by name.