Blood tests freak me out a little bit. I am quite an anxious person and it's the lead up to the blood test that is the part I don't handle well. I get so worked up that I hold my breath in anticipation of the sting of the needle and sometimes faint.
The last few I've had done haven't been too bad. The phlebotomists at the lab are lovely, they talk to me and tell me to breathe which helps a lot with my anxiety.
Yesterday was 7dpo, and my Dr had given me a referral for a 7dpo blood test. So before my dentists appointment I went to the pathology lab. Both phlebotomists were with a patient when I arrived so I just took a number and sat down in the waiting room. There must've been a problem with one of the patients (I think the person before me must've fainted) so the nurse practitioner who works there did my blood test.
She started with barking questions at me.
"Are you pregnant?"
"Why is Dr D testing you for immunities as well as hormones if you're not pregnant?"
"Seven day past ovulation test? I've never heard of that!"
"How long have you been trying? Thirty years ago, my first son was a honeymoon baby. People put off having children for far too long if you ask me"
"What are these notes on the back of the referral, why does it say around cycle day 28? I thought you said it was a a 7dpo test. That should be day 21, not day 28!"
Oh my god. At first I wanted to die from embarrassment, I don't know how many times I had to say "No, I'm not pregnant" then by the end of it I was so angry I just wanted her to shut up and get the test over and done with. It was the worse blood test I've had, including the one where I embarrassed myself by fainting as I was walking out of the lab, hitting my head and making everyone at the lab panic.
"I'm not pregnant" I really hate saying those words. It hurts me to say those words. So usually I tell my husband that it's not our month. Or that my period arrived. Or I say it in a way that is kinder to myself. Even if I'm ok with my period arriving that month, saying those three words will make me break down and cry every single time.
I'm glad that I finally ovulated this month and had the blood test done. Just one more test to go on cycle day 1 and then a few days later my husband and I will go back and see Dr D and get the results of the blood work, my scan and my husbands sample.
I am so so so sorry this happened! My issues with needles are vast as well, and I actually have to lie down so that I don't hit the floor. The worst one for me was when I was miscarrying the first time (having not known I was pregnant until the miscarriage started), and I sat there in the lab with the nurse saying, "I have a good feeling about this one!" All I could do was cry. Sometimes, there just are no words. Hang in there.
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