Charlie had to get his monthly labs drawn today, to check his calcium levels and such. He is getting to the age where it is truly heartbreaking to see him in pain. You know that
pouty face that is so cute when he's just pouting a little. Well imagine that times one hundred. It didn't help that the women at the lab didn't seem to have daily experience with extracting the blood of a little baby. They kept saying that babies have such little veins, and I know they do, but at Children's Mercy we never had this problem, and they drew labs daily. They stuck him once and he screamed as soon as they put the
tourniquet on his arm and he didn't stop until we got home and he fell asleep. At the first stick nothing was coming out, they probably didn't have it in the vein. So they had to start all over again on the other side, this time in the back of the wrist. They got it in a vein but the blood was coming out so slowly it took quite awhile to get enough in the vial. Meanwhile he had been really crying and just staring at me like mama do something. The whole thing took twenty minutes or so of just trying to get enough blood. Then he wouldn't be comforted by me holding him or with his pacifier, not until we got home and he was exhausted from crying so hard and so long. When he woke up he was fine, maybe he had forgot at least until next month.
But before our appointment I snapped a few photos of the two of my kiddos together. Then we went and played at the park with Papa until it was time to get lab work. And the whole time Charlie was inside the hospital crying, Marley was in the car crying with Papa because she wanted to come in with us. She cried herself to sleep too. I see some
resemblances, think they might be related?
oh that just breaks my heart. why can't these lab technicians get it right the first time. poor charlie. i think we heard him crying all the way over here!!! :) you have darling little peas in your pod that's for sure. do you believe it?! you have TWO kids!!!! so wonderful. i love these photos too. beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh that is so sad... wait until Marley has her 4-5 year shots... that is the WORST. I seriously ached for her and ran her straight to the store to get her a prize. It was bad. I love the last pic... my favorite of the bunch... but boy, your babies are so so so cute.
ReplyDeletepoor thing...what a trooper, though! i love the last photo. adorable!
ReplyDeleteHi there!
ReplyDeleteThe blood draws are the worst :( My daughter, Mary, needed them every 2 weeks for a while there, and it was just miserable. A couple of things that helped - I asked for a prescription for this numbing cream (something like Lanacaine, only stronger) and I would apply it a half hour before the lab work. Also, since Mary's veins were impossible to get (the surgeon even had trouble while she was sedated!) I started insisiting that they just do a heel stick (later a finger stick), but have two phlebotomists do tow heels simultaeneously. So, I would apply the lanacaine stuff before we left for the lab, once there I would ask for two heating packs to put on her heels, then I would get the two nurses to do there thing. For over a year, that's how we've done it. I didn't want them digging around for a vein, only to resort to the heel stick eventually. This last time (at 15 months) we finally tried for the vein in her arm again, and Praise God! they got it :)
Sorry for the book. Just wanted to offer some ideas from someone who's been there. I'm praying for Charlie, and you too, Megan.
Peace,
Gabi (a friend of Julie Ruby's daughter in Lombard, IL)
Your pictures are so beautiful. I can't get enough! : )
ReplyDelete