Ouch.
Kyla | Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 10:13PM My dear sweet KayTar has had many, many, MANY blood draws in her little life. These are the facts about KayTar and blood draws:
1. They hurt. She will scream.
2. KayTar will FIGHT you (and me). You might want to bring in 1-2 extra adults to help with restraining our little peanut.
3. Her veins roll, but you can usually get a good stick in her hand, if she is properly restrained.
I say this to EVERY phlebotomist, EVERY time and yet....and yet, we still have days like today.
KayTar didn't want to go to the doctor today. She wanted to stay at home with her brother and play games and go swimming. Genetics is non-negotiable and our follow-up was already a bit delinquent, so we were going. Once she conceded defeat, she started in with the, "Okay, but no pokes. No shots. NO NEEDLES." I said, "I don't think there will be any needles today, but I can't promise yet." So she repeated the "NO NEEDLES." refrain all morning. Of course, the new geneticist wanted to run a couple of lab tests. Here come the needles, kiddo.
After we finished in the clinic, she said, "We're done now, right?" I sidestepped the issue by saying, "Not quite, let's go downstairs for a bit." Once we got to the proper floor, we stopped in the bathroom (yes, I was procrastinating) and realized I had to tell her what was next. "KayTar, we have to go to the lab now." She looked at me and said, panicked, "But they will not POKE me, right? NO NEEDLES?" I had to tell her, "I'm sorry, KayTar, but yes, they will have to give you a poke today...BUT THEN YOU GET A SURPRISE!" (no, I'm not above bribery) She started sobbing. I checked her in at the outpatient lab as she pleaded with the clerk, "Don't let them poke me!" Poor kid. There was a wait, so thankfully, we were able to go eat and get her mind of the impending DOOM for a bit.
Once we came back, it was our turn. The first thing the phlebotomist said was (I want to punch him in the face just thinking about it now), "No, don't be sad. I PROMISE not to hurt you." He promised my kid he would NOT hurt her, immediately before he was going to stick a needle into her arm. And then, shockingly, he HURT her. He did NOT get a good stick in her antecubital vein, KayTar DID fight him, he DID root around in her poor arm as she screamed bloody murder, before he finally gave up, took the needle out and gathered reinforcements. Another phlebotomist came in, LISTENED to me, restrained her properly, and got the stick in her hand on the very first try, and guess what? It STILL hurt. It always hurts.
So please, well-meaning phlebotomists around the world (especially those of you with 15 years of experience), do not lie to small children to make your job easier. When you stick them with your needle, it will hurt and they will cry. Don't coax them into the chair with false promises of safety, because the next time the child will remember and it will be 100 times harder to get them into the chair. Use gentler words, if you'd like, words like poke, pinch, or sting, but don't make promises that we know you cannot keep. It just damages the tenuous trust that has slowly and painstakingly been built my tiny little patient and the medical professionals for care for her on a regular basis.
When Josh got home tonight, KayTar told him all about how she got a poke and it hurt and THAT MAN was a big LIAR who LIES. I have to admit, hearing her tell the story was pretty entertaining.
Reader Comments (6)
Have you ever tried using Emla cream? Putting it on twenty minutes or so in
advance of a stick, and asking for a butterfly needle, might make things much
easier and more comfortable!
You know, we have used EMLA cream for various procedures and even IVs, but they never have in the outpatient lab...I don't know if it is due to the time constraints/patient volume in the department, but I think I'll ask about it next time!
Emla has worked for us, but really only as a psychological distraction. I have managed to sell it relatively well... But the good news is that sometimes it improves as they age. My oldest, 11, has always needed to be restrained and has screamed bloody murder for every "intervention", to the point we have rescheduled. Last week we went for bloodwork and he looked away (while shaking, after removing shoes and splashing cold water on his face) and announced he no longer needed to be afraid of needles! I shed tears of relief and he walked around the whole day proud as a peacock.
You can keep a tube of Emla at home in the refrigerator, and put in on with a piece
of saran wrap over it ahead of time if you know you're going for a blood draw.
I think there's a faster-acting version that labs where kids are seen ought to keep on hand.
Dentists know comfort is valued. It's time that approach spilled over to other procedures that can be made easier on the patient. Consumer demand could drive this simple shift in attitude.
She is the funniest little thing! I don't know how you and J keep a straight face half the time.
Oh my goodness. I have never posted here before but I read your post and wanted to scream at the phlebotomist. I have a 7 year old who has had numerous blood draws and I finally drew the line and refused to let one of them even be in the room with us during them for those very reasons. He would tell my son that it wouldn't hurt or that the worst was over. He would tell him to 'be a big boy, don't cry, it's not that bad' (mind you he was 3 at the time). Now my son walks in and tells them he wants a butterfly needle and they will generally listen to and respect his request. (((HUGS))) Sorry you had to go through that!