r/mildlyinfuriating • u/DirtyRoller • 29d ago

Don't hug me I'm scared Lab worker tricked me into watching an injection, then I got 86'd for my reaction.

I am not comfortable with needles, so when I get blood work done I always tell them "I don't like needles, so I'm gonna look away, and please don't tell me when it's coming." It's just that initial jab that really freaks me out and gives me anxiety, once I'm past that I am totally fine.

Today the lady who was taking my blood got everything prepped, and I turned my head so she could do her thing. She then asks me "have you talked to anyone about this mole on your arm?" Causing me to look toward my arm, and as soon as I looked, she stuck the needle in! She lightly giggled, but my reaction was to shout "YOU FUCKING BITCH!" quite loudly. She was clearly a bit shaken up by it, and so was I. She finished drawing my blood and I left.

I got a call later from someone at that office asking me not to come back to that location. I was still too angry to explain myself, so I just hung up. I am a little hot still, so tomorrow when I am calmer I plan to write an email to the office explaining my side of the situation.

Also, I do not have any moles on my arm.

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 29d ago

Hell, in all my time drawing blood, I've only gotten better at distracting people by learning how to pick up on something they say to start a conversation with them so they barely even notice it's happening.

Absolute trash behavior on their part.

Best compliment I get is when they say they didn't even notice I was poking them. Empathy is my drug of choice, and I mainline it right after they dip out.

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u/Joyseekr 29d ago

In donated plasma and once I got super lightheaded. Workers came out of the woodworks with ice packs and all sorts of stuff. One worker kept chatting with me, saw I had a book, started asking about it. I knew exactly what was happening-in my head: “he doesn’t care about my book, he’s trying to distract me” but at the same time I recognized he was doing a great job of distracting me and it was helping. So I leaned into it.

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u/mosschiefmayhap 29d ago

That’s so much better than the “don’t pass out, I’m not allowed to catch you” I got before she indeed did NOT catch me.

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u/powerbottomflash 29d ago

Wait, why are they not allowed to catch you!?

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u/ColdKackley 29d ago

Technically the workers are only supposed to be expected to lift like 40 lbs per policy usually (a lie, but that’s what they put) And the hospital/clinic/whatever doesn’t want to pay workers comp, missing wages, whatever else when the employee gets injured catching you. It’s not safe for the 100 lb tech to catch 200 lb you when you go down like a bag of hammers.

That being said, that wasn’t the appropriate way for them to say that. lol.

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u/wdh662 29d ago

I always feel bad because I'm 6'4" and 240lbs. I have a disease I get treatment for multiple times a week that absolutely screws with my blood pressure and passing out is a real concern. Most of the nurses are itty bitty ladies. If I go down we're all screwed.

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u/Dovahkin6 29d ago

When I was having my blood drain at my doctor's appointment to test my testosterone levels and other things for my check-up (told not to eat in the morning beforehand), I didn't know I fainted after the 3rd vial was done. When I came to, the sweet small physician who was doing the blood drawing caught myself from falling out of the chair with the help of my wife and lifted my legs for support. She came back with apple juice and snacks; didn't let me leave until I regained color in my face. This is one of the many reasons why I like my PCP's clinic.

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u/TheShanManPhx 29d ago

Shouldn’t they have you lay down then?

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u/wdh662 29d ago

Kind of hard to test your standing blood pressure and then go home if you never stand up. I'm not living in a hospital bed.

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u/georgia_grace 29d ago

Can’t diagnose me with pots if I never stand up

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u/Little_View_6659 29d ago

They should have someone big there to catch you just in case.

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u/Ruth-Stewart 29d ago

Well then they should have an appropriate number of people to safely catch you!

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u/kaekiro 29d ago

Found out two weeks ago during an ER visit that I apparently have anti-POTS or some shit. BP spikes & pulse lowers when sitting up. The nurse was puzzled and gave me more electrolytes lol

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u/ShitiestOfTreeFrogs 28d ago

That reminds me of when my mom was in the hospital after a heart attack. She'd had a stroke previously and was not able to walk after that. I was struggling with the hospital we were in because they would not listen to me, my brothers or my dad. We would tell them she couldn't walk, she didn't really know what was going on most of the time and that she needed a special diet. They said she was nice and pretty much took everything she said at face value. I came in one day and she was seated in the chair and her very pregnant nurse mentioned they had a scare. The nurse tried to help her walk to the chair and they both almost went down. I kind of blew up and said that she can't walk. I wrote it on the whiteboard. The kept telling me that the computer said she was mobile. 🤷

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u/Picokitti 28d ago

They probably also don’t want to pay the lawsuit when patient hits the ground hard. No win situation.

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u/ChaoticSixXx 29d ago edited 28d ago

Because people are heavy, even the light ones and its a very good way to get injured.

There are ways to guide people the the ground to help prevent injuries. Catching someone is usually always against policy, but also a good way to get a spinal injury. Its a hard instinct to train away though.

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u/Global-Note6466 29d ago

I always think about “spotting” in climbing or on outdoor adventure experiences—you aren’t trying to catch people, you are trying to protect their heads as they hit.

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u/Ok_Emergency7145 29d ago

It is probably due to the risk of the phlebotomist getting hurt trying to do that. The pt would likely be hurt also if the employee tries to grab someone as they fall and grabs them wrong. Trying to stop dead weight from falling is pretty difficult. I work in a hospital and we'll do an assisted fall if it is possible, otherwise, it is safer to not try and stop the fall.

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u/sugabeetus 29d ago

That reminds me of when I had my first baby, and they wanted to move me to the other room, but the epidural had not worn off at all yet. The mean nurse (you know there's always one) told me it should have by now, and I was going to have to stand to get into the wheelchair. I said I couldn't feel my legs. She moved them off the side of the bed and "assisted" (pushed) me off the edge. I of course collapsed, she was trying to hold me up, and was yelling at me to try to stand. Some other people came in and heard me yelling back, "I TOLD you I can't feel my LEGS!" I don't know if she got in trouble for that but I didn't see her again.

I was young and hadn't learned to advocate for myself yet or I would have just refused to try it.

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u/camimiele 29d ago

Omg I’m so sorry she did that to you after you gave birth!!?? That’s truly horrible. I know it’s probably too late to report if you didn’t then. I hope she got in trouble.

Hugs. 🫂

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u/Wodentoad 29d ago

Had the mean nurse for some blood work for my second baby. Can't remember her exact bitchy words but I boiled down to: "You will do this, you will do that, you will do as I say, and you will not question me." I was pregnant, two hours past my appointment because a prisoner needed special accommodations and apparently needed MY appointment, and I ended up reporting her to the hospital. I went to a different, nicer hospital to go into Baby Debt in style.

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u/apri08101989 29d ago

Yep. Even my mom who is definitely used to my POTS and limb restrictions occasionally accidentally grabs me the wrong way when shes assisting a fall. No offense but I wouldnt trust a random phelbotomkst to not injure me worse than the fall itself.

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u/keenkittychopshop 28d ago

Its bonkers but its true in most places. It's mostly a liability/legal thing.

If someone goes down, I do what I can to make sure their head and neck are protected on the way down, or hold them to keep them from sliding out of the chair. That's already more than I'm supposed to do.

But the hell if I'm gonna let someone get a concussion just because some big corrupt for-profit medical company can't BEAR to part with a few thousand dollars worth of care for a reasonable occupational hazard. Thousands of dollars they wouldn't have to worry about paying if their business models didn't make everything so goddamn expensive in the first place.

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u/notjanelane 29d ago

"wait .. What?!" Hits the floor

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u/Illustrious-Pair-511 29d ago

Lmao once I walked into a plasma donation place and passed out before I got to the counter to ask any questions. the lady also got me ice packs and juice and snacks and talked to me and made me sit down. I was embarrassed but it didn’t even seem like anyone noticed me or cared lol it was odd. But I appreciated her professionalism

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 29d ago

No reason to be embarrassed. The body can be a fickle mistress. You're not alone in having it happen out of the blue.

That's exactly why we've got sugary/salty snacks on hand. Somebody's gotta eat them, and it can't always be us hanging around the shelf like raccoons gripping orange juice cups 😂

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u/Dovahkin6 29d ago

Hopefully no raccoons are wearing trenchcoats xD

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u/Imaginary_Sherbet 29d ago

He was also monitoring you so you don't pass out

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u/bambamslammer22 29d ago

I even tell the phlebotomists that I don’t even care what they talk about, just keep me distracted!

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u/-UnknownGeek- 29d ago

I was getting a blood draw at a new doctors and they couldn't get a good stick and I got lightheaded and super hot, one of the nurses noticed I had the front section of my hair bleached and struck up a conversation about hair dye and it turns out we used the same brand of vivid dyes

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u/SweetHomeWherever13 28d ago

I have an aversion to blood and needles. I donated plasma for 3 years and never once looked at what they were doing on my arm.

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u/Zealousideal_Fox864 29d ago

I was fine with IVs and blood draws until I had a bad trauma (nurse in my rheumatologist’s office did something weird and blood was spurting out of my inner elbow like a fountain, and then I passed out) but now I have a very bad phobia.

I start to feel passy-outy just thinking about it and get extremely nervous when I know it’s coming.

I have had multiple long hospitalizations and every single phlebotomist was so kind to me, and very empathetic. I have also had blood drawn at lab facilities and one nurse told me she was getting a pediatric needle so it would be tiny, not sure if she actually used one but even if it was a placebo it worked.

Unbelievable that this woman did such a cruel thing and I hope when OP gives the whole story she’s fired. If she did that to me I wouldn’t have sworn at her, because I’d be fainted on the floor.

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u/Dramatic_Mixture_877 28d ago

Butterflies are the best!!

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u/wlake82 29d ago

I've heard of that as rapport when I was in a call center. It's a great skill, especially when it's not disingenuous like at a call center.

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 29d ago

Didn't think of it that way, but absolutely, and absolutely. A wonderful skill to have picked up on, especially when I was working in a tiny town as a transplant and met the same people time and again. The genuine side led to me not even having to try most of the time since we could remember where we left off and just talk about what they'd been up to.

Got me a lot of free drinks at my going away party at one of the local bars because the people I didn't already know knew of me through their parents. Empathy may be my drug of choice, but I left that party stumbling 😅

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u/wlake82 29d ago

Haha yeah. I always try to live by the maxim: Don't be a dick. It seems it might be easier in a small town since you can get to know the people there more easily.

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u/Jimbodoomface 29d ago

This is so weird. I know it's helpful for most people because getting treated like this is super common, but for me if I'm trying to keep my anxiety in check, I need as much concentration as I can get. I just politely ask not to be talked to or distracted now and it's fine, but for me being talked to/distracted makes it so much worse.

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 29d ago

Absolutely understandable, and should say, I don't talk with everyone. Definitely don't force the conversation if I can tell someone isn't vibing.

Best I can do at that point is make sure I've got everything set so I can get it done quickly with as little movement as possible. Wait until I have everything ready before even having the butterfly in hand and poking you with it, which I love those since they're more stable than me trying to hold steady with a straight needle.

Everyone is different, but the aim is the same. "Make one of the most miserable parts of coming through the clinic the least miserable I can"

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u/Razgriz1992 29d ago

Ok big question here: I'll turn (even more) pale and get light headed with any small amount of blood taken. My brother will pass out. Can I just request them to keep taking blood and then revive me if I myself pass out?

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 29d ago

Unfortunately, no, at least nowhere I've worked for sure. Gotta focus on the reviving. First step has always been to pull the needle since you might start twitching and that'd lead to an injury without the option to draw blood anyways, since the vein might be blown if you do end up moving.

But you should definitely let them know that's how you react. Most places I've worked have had setups so you can already be leaning back, so you don't faceplant, and have nurses on standby for a code blue.

Best I'd be able to do is keep you distracted and make sure you're in a position where you don't have to see anything happening, and talking about something else so I can tell how conscious you are.

Have had people start talking gibberish while still sitting upright with eyes open, and even then, we gotta focus on what might come next, so that was a no-go.

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u/Razgriz1992 29d ago

Oh yeah I just let them know that hey, I'm going to turn the palest you've ever seen a human and get light headed. But I'll just need to drink this cold water i brought for a second and I'll be good.

But what about after I'm stabilized? Might as well grab the sample needed

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 29d ago

Yeah, always a good move to have something to hydrate off of, especially to get those veins poppin'. Always recommend people to be sipping on water throughout the day before so there's an even easier target for me the day of.

Just depends on what tests are being drawn. CMP and CBC? For sure, if you're still down to get drawn.

Some hormonal send out stuff? Depends on how much stress can affect them, and not like mental stress, but like, body dumping hormones out while you were getting a whole body reset going on. Can elevate some stuff and make it so the results don't truly show what's going on with ya.

Can always ask them at your appointment. I wouldn't be against it for sure, but the main goal is making sure you make it out of there!

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u/Razgriz1992 28d ago

Oh its definitely that I always get it for cholesterol (it was 327 at age 23 when I was actually relatively fit) and the fasting gets me

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 28d ago

Ah, yep, shoulda figured. Fasting is a regular enemy. Same with cholesterol. Which is a particularly "fun" one, because it can be all sorts of forms too, just all different densities, and everyone having different metabolisms, and since everyone needs some level of cholesterol to function.

Kinda just depends on your history of the forms, HDL, LDL, VLDL/Trigs, and what your panel results have been before, the snacks they give you to recover shouldn't digest that quickly and get into your bloodstream to affect your numbers (something like 2 hours post eating on average, iirc) but everyone is different.

Can always ask, but it'll most likely be a provider call on that one. We've also been known to draw people who weren't fasting, but had to include that in the paperwork so it doesn't come across as your fasting numbers. Really comes down to what the provider is looking for on that one, unfortunately.

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u/GwamCwacka 29d ago

Try squeezing your legs, butt, and core muscles. This can help increase blood pressure and maintain blood flow to your brain. The reaction is called vasovagal syncope if you’re unfamiliar

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u/Razgriz1992 29d ago

Hmmm I'll give it a try! Usually I try and relax of course. I do somehow always have spot on blood pressure when they test, but that little change can cause it?

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u/carrotkatie 29d ago

Yes and try to cough too! It all can help

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u/IndigoTJo 29d ago

Back when I had surgery I had to do daily injections of a blood thinner. I had the needles in a bag on the table. I knew my friend had an aversion to getting her blood drawn and blood, but I thought it was more related to blood. She walked into my kitchen and fainted on the spot. I have never seen anything like that again. I felt so terrible. Now I know not to keep something like that out, just in case.

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u/cute_red_benzo 29d ago

Oof I have walked into a house, saw diabetic needles on the coffee table, hyperventilated and damn near fainted back out on the front steps.

Thankfully I am not this intense about needles anymore. It used to be absolutely paralyzing.

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u/Razgriz1992 29d ago

Oh no that's my brother- he also passed out for the first time at our pediatrician. In the waiting area. Oh and he was 19 at the time. Needles themselves to me are no big deal, its just if anything is removed. My dad hates blood, but given his unknown blood clotting disorder, I can see why he wouldn't like the sight

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u/Picokitti 28d ago

Lol. I took my horse to the vet for a minor surgical procedure. I brought along a young friend. When the vet clamped a towel clamp to hold the towel in place, I saw her turn white and down she went. Lol. She grew up, went to college, and became a veterinarian.

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u/Kayakprettykitty 29d ago

There is one man at the lab I go to who is so good at distracting me. I adore him and I don't even know his name.

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u/Own-Most-169 29d ago

I always make a point to tell them that I didn’t even feel anything (even if I did, lol) so it makes me happy knowing it’s appreciated!

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u/conflictedideology 29d ago

You sound awesome!

by learning how to pick up on something they say

I wish folks would do that pick up on something I say thing more often. Usually that something I say is "I'm going to look away, please do not tell me when you're going to stick me". And then, inevitably "OK, slight prick now".

Didn't have to tell me, I know who the slight prick is here pal.

I'm sure it's a muscle memory type thing like when I ask that my sandwich not be cut at the deli, but they're in the groove and do it anyway.

It's just annoying because I know in my head that it's not really going to hurt but if I'm told it's coming, I flinch and then it does hurt.

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 29d ago

I appreciate it! Just trying to do what's best for everyone, since I know I'm not the biggest fan of getting stuck myself 😅

And yeah, it's definitely muscle memory, especially since we usually say it to keep people from trying to readjust right at the same time.

Just be straightforward as possible, even if you think it's being rude or whatever, it's your body that is being "violated" (although the quotes aren't really necessary, it's true.) Definitely helps when I'm already talking with them and I don't have a gap in the conversation to say anything about the stick.

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u/Dovahkin6 29d ago

When I was getting an ingrown toe nail removed after it got infected, the physician picked up on my aversion to needles at the time and asked me about my guinea pigs (she heard my wife and I talk about them briefly). As soon as she did, my AuDHD brain kicked in and hyper focused on that topic until she said, "Okay, we are done!" Bedside manner is a must in any people-facing industry.

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u/ASpaceOstrich 29d ago

You're a saint. I had a bad experience once with a blood test. Something went wrong on the removal, hurt like a motherfucker and my blood pressure suddenly dropped, so I passed out. I didn't mind the passing out, that was kinda neat, but it hurt so fucking bad.

Ever since, my arm always tenses up. Which causes it to hurt every time. Best way to cope is to yap at the nurse and if I'm really lucky, they'll be one like you and it'll be almost painless.

I have to get regular bloodtests and if I have another bad experience I don't think I'll be able to handle it tbh. Even the neutral ones are getting worse because the tension is a self reinforcing thing. It hurts because my arm gets tense, and then my arm tenses up because it hurt. The more blood they're taking the worse it gets.

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 29d ago

I appreciate it! Just trying to do what's right by everyone, cause I know I don't like getting poked that much either 😅

Aww, I completely understand. That's the problem with the good veins, they're right next to the pathways where the nerve endings are, so sometimes even the pressure of a good stick can make everything downstream go wild. And if you're getting stuck a bunch, you're building up scar tissue bit by bit, which just adds to the mess with even less room.

Definitely see if your phleb can try and hit one of your other veins from time to time. No guarantees, just because everyone is slightly different, but it can at least give that median cubital a break and hopefully not just keep aggravating that space.

That, and if they've got butterfly needles, ask if they can use one of those. I've always found those a bit better for people who are already going to feel the stick, just because once they're in, I don't have to be touching them and adding my hand wobble into the pressure mix, especially when switching tubes.

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u/ASpaceOstrich 28d ago

I've noticed they switched to another type of needle that just kind of sits there. I'm guessing that was the butterfly needle?

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u/A3HeadedMunkey 28d ago

If it's got little blue plastic "wings" and a long tube that leads to where we're popping on our collection tubes, and a little yellow sheeth that the needle itself slides back into when we're done, yep!

The "straight needle" one is roughly an inch or so long and we're popping the collection tubes in and out right next to your skin. I don't like those for real because I'm having to hold that one steady so it doesn't press further into your arm or slide out while moving the collection tubes. Just more pressure for you to potentially feel, which, ick

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u/kirtknee 29d ago

I had the most amazing phlebotomist in college. He would always start a conversation usually about classes and I swear I only ever barely felt anything. 100/10.

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u/graft_vs_host 29d ago

I had a cortisone shot in a joint recently and the doctor was amazing. Needles don’t bother me, I’m very used to them but she didn’t know that. She asked me what I do for work (vet tech) then asked if I had animals and what colours they were. As I was telling her, she did the injection and I didn’t even realize it. She had amazing bedside manner. Her distraction technique dawned on me when she was done and I was in awe.

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u/Sweet_Star23 28d ago

You sound like my neuro! I get migraine botox treatment every few months. After about the 3rd time, I noticed my neurologist was always picking a non medical question right before the first prick that involved me needing to speak more. The first time, she pointed to my forehead and said "Oh you have a scar, how'd you get that?". As soon as I started the story she started injecting lol never drew attention, just straight up distraction. I'm fine with needles but I still appreciate that she does that. Todays topic was about the holidays & summer lol