Love Bite From A Stranger

Bruised forearm after having blood drawn from there

No, not really. This is a bruise that developed after I had my blood drawn at the UMMC yesterday. After having an untrasound of my kidneys and bladder and dropping the urine off at another laboratory, I went to have my blood sample taken. It was for renal profile and creatinine clearance. The laboratory technician looked like she was in a hurry and stressed out.

I like to watch when the needle is inserted into my vein. The pain usually felt like a light prick and does not bother me at all. Likewise, this time but the needle went in too deep and there was no blood. She pulled it out a little and blood began to flow into the tube. When she was done and pulled the needle out, I cringed a little more than usual at the pain.

I have had my blood drawn many times and some of these technicians are so good that I hardly felt a thing after that. However, there was one time in Penang when the technician forgot to remove the torniquet before pulling out the needle. A small stream of blood gushed out right after the needle.

Anyway, when I tore away the paper tape and cotton wool after leaving UMMC, there was a relatively large patch of blood on the cotton. The surrounding area where the needle went in had a bruise. It also itched and ached. The bruise is still very apparent as I type this entry.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

2 thoughts on “Love Bite From A Stranger”

  1. Most probably from your account,she must have pushed the needle in and out the other wall of the vein, thats why she managed to draw blood upon lifting the needle and the subsequent large blood spot as a result of the bleeding.
    I hate having needles poked in to draw blood especially when done the wrong way.
    Looks like you managed a gallon’s worth of urine in a day!!

    Peter:
    I have gone through almost painless phlebotomies (I just learnt that word!) and those that felt like being stabbed. This is one of the latter. I don’t think there is more than 2.5 liters of urine there because that was about the amount I drank for the entire period unless I could produce more than I took in.

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