Main Vein...where were you at when I needed you?!

So, I looked down at my hands earlier and what do I see?  I lovely, thick, straight, fat vein on the top of my hand.  All I could do was shake my head...

See, the other day I had two fears going into surgery.  1.) Having an IV put in, and 2.) Being catheterized.  You already know about what happened after the surgery when I almost had to get catheterized and my life flashed before my very eyes.  But I don't know if I told you about the IV debacle.

We had an awesome nurse.  I mean, AWESOME.  She was so awesome, she sat in the floor cross-legged to help me put on my support hose.  She also "shopped" for a vein for about ten minutes because she was trying to find and work up the best vein she could find in my arms.  She rubbed, smacked, massaged, squeezed, and did everything but beg my veins to cooperate.

See, the problem was that I wasn't allowed to have anything to drink after midnight the night before the surgery AND I'm a nervous pee-er thus resulting in me being very dehydrated by two o'clock in the afternoon.  My veins were like those styrofoam noodle things they use at P.F. Changs in their Lettuce Wraps.

After "shopping" for what seemed like HOURS, and me getting woozy from her rubbing up and down on my veins, Kristi, the awesome nurse, finally decided there was nothing she could do but use the vein located outside the crook of my elbow.  Yep, the outside of the elbow....

Luckily, they used a 22 gauge needle (nothing else would have fit anyway) so it could have been a lot worse.  It hurt like hades.  The worse part was that when she stuck me, I apparently decided to expel half the blood that was in that arm, all over myself and the blanket she had wrapped around me.  I didn't KNOW this was happening though, thank the good LORD (I faint) but I did look down and see a bunch of alcohol wipes soaked in blood where she had tried to stop it/soak it up a little.  I gave myself whiplash I looked away so fast.  According to Rik, he was trying to stay calm (and did a great job of it) but was a little panicked trying to figure out a way to get her more towels without alarming me of the situation.  haha...  Such a sweetie.

I didn't realize that I had bled that badly until they took the blanket away from me in the OR and I saw the big blood stain that was the size of a bowling ball.  Thank goodness I was laying down when I saw that.

I just can't believe right now, I have these beautiful, pulsating veins in my hands begging to be stuck and filled with cool, nutrient-rich electrolytes and yet they were no where to be found a few days ago!   Where were you guys on Tuesday?  I mean really?

Here's a cute picture to wrap this pointless post up.....because it just makes me happy.    

Arrrrriiiibbbbbaaaaaaaa!!!!

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

2007