{January 17, 2011}

Today's photo might not be very inspired and the light is awful (despite using the Instagram app on my iPhone), but it is an important one I want to remember. Megan got her very first blood test, at age 11, this afternoon. I also had to have blood drawn as well and let Megan decide who was going to go first--she chose me. Hopping up in to the chair, Meg sat to my right side and watched it all. My blood draw went smooth, just as it always does. Then it was Meg's turn. Unfortunately, unlike me who has great, easily found veins in both arms, Megan's veins like to "hide." The tech did her best to get Megan's veins, or even just ONE, to stand up--she moved the tourniquet, she switched arms, she put a hot pack on the crook of Meg's arm and begged the vein to behave--but alas, none of it worked. So we were at an impasse. The tech could either attempt to go for the one "tiny, flat, hidden" vein on Megan's left arm (the right arm was out as the tech couldn't find a vein there), or she could draw from the more easily found and felt vein...which was much lower (on Meg's forearm)...and much more sensitive. Now having had multiple IV's in that spot I knew that this was going to hurt a lot, yet I tried to hide this from Megan and remained calm for her. When the tech got ready to stick the needle in to her vein, I looked at Megan and told her to take a deep breath in, then blow it out. I did this with her and waited for, what I was sure was coming, the crumpling of her face in pain. But it didn't come. Megan didn't even flinch, although after we had left the area she said, "That REALLY hurt!" I sympathized and told her I knew it was going to and felt so bad that the tech had to draw from that spot. Here I had been assuring her that the blood draw would hurt less than the shots she got last week only for that not to be the case. The tech put a rainbow heart band-aid on Megan, and she has specifically requested I inform all of you that she hates the thing! hahahaha Her arm is still sore but she handled it like a champ! Poor kid, between shots and now this I think she's done with needles for a long time.

On to the pic...{click to view full size}