A day to remember - April 5, 2010

Today was a crazy day. We had expectations, but they weren't met.

I also fasted from midnight the previous night hoping and assuming I'd do my biopsy...

We met with Dr. Raad at MD Anderson at 8:30am to get registered at the hospital and to set up the biopsy. Running back and forth with doctors/nurses for over 2 hours, we were able to miraculously get registered fast. Like I said in my previous post, on average, it takes a patient 3-5 weeks to get registered at the hospital. God was working on my case.

It kills me to know that such an important and busy physician would take 2-3 of his busiest hours (Monday Morning) to help a fellow friend. What sacrifice is this? I was really touched by everything this man kept doing as he was pulling me out of the pits. I regard Dr. Raad as an angel sent from Heaven.

After doing a brutal blood test (the mark stayed on my arm for over a week - it was only 3 tubes), insurance called us while we were in the Biopsy waiting room and told us that we had to do everything at St. Luke's because they are my Primary Care Providers although I had connections at MDA. They were not going to cover me at MDA. This was disappointing but we were OK with it as we were hoping to transfer and be referred to MDA later on, after exhausting St. Luke's possibilities.

It was upsetting to my stomach that I had fasted all day and ended up not doing the biopsy, due to insurance....

I get admitted into St. Luke's at 8pm after waiting for 5 hours in the Admissions Center. Our tough times had just begun as we didn't know anyone in this hospital to help out...but it's OK to go through what other patients go through. Why am I better treated anyways?

As I get into my hospital room (Yellow Elevators - 16th Floor - Room #1609), the nurse comes over and welcomes me.
Here are a few pictures of me that night right after check-in:


She also immediately wants to stick me with an IV to draw blood (6 tubes) and inject fluids into my body. I remembered the brutal blood shot I took that morning at MDA, so I was inclined to wait a bit to get over it mentally, but we just went ahead and got started with the process.

1st stick: It was loooooong and painful and she wasn't able to draw blood! I was so upset it was a failed prick....but agreed a few minutes later to try again.

2nd stick: I told the nurse to call her colleague, as I was skeptical about her IV expertise. She shaves some hair on my upper hand and sticks me. She was moving the needle left and right, up and down to find the vain. Im looking at my father while all this is happening and Im asking him if we're almost done and he's not able to answer....so I start stressing out. It was soooooo painful, once again. Im not a weakling, but they were killing me. They fill 2 tubes with blood, and then all of a sudden, I see both nurses holding my arm and squeezing it to force the blood out. Can you believe it? They finally gave up on the 3rd tube and took out the needle after moving it around. The pain was unbelievable. By far the worst sticks I had seen to date (with the exception of one about 10 years ago). I was already sweating, and needed a 15 minute break. I was really tense by that time.

3rd stick: You're probably thinking I have bad vains or were too stressed...well, let me say that you'd be able to see my vains even if you were a few feet away from me. I have good, solid vains, and during the first 2 sticks I wasn't even nervous, thus not affecting the nurses from doing their job.
The 2nd nurse decides to stick me on my under-arm and I was afraid of that location because the skin is sensitive there and I knew Id get hurt. This stick was the most painful and the most memorable one. Not only is the needle long (because we're using it for the CT Scans the next day), but she kept moving it up, down, left, right to find the vain 'flow' to the point where my dad got so furious and told her to remove it immediately!! The needle wasn't 'fitting' right. The nurse then tells me to twist my arm as she twists the long needle so that she can remove it. This is insane. This IV experience so far was unlike anything any of us had seen. It was ridiculous. I then asked for an IV Specialist, or an IV Therapist, as they call them.

Here's a picture of me stressing out after 3 failed needle pricks....


There are 2 other pricks you don't see, on the other side of the arm:


4th stick: The new IV Specialist didn't seem too nice, but I didn't care as long as she did her job and got me out of this mess. It had already been 2 hours since they started this IV process. The nurse decided to put the IV on my under-arm, not too far away from the other prick and I explain to her how sensitive that area is, but she doesn't listen and insists on that location... She does it and finishes my blood test, but I was in soooooo much pain after she finished. She then asks me "Do you want me to remove it, and then I'll re-prick?". It was beyond me. I told her "Are you serious? I wouldn't lie about my pain, but it's hurting a lot. Ive had IV's before and this one isn't like the others". I waited about half an hour for the pain to go, and it didn't. She had stuck some intense tape on my IV. Nothing was going to remove it, but my hand was already all red, and it was very uncomfortable....Turns out for the next few days, I had my hand hanging in a specific way as I couldn't fold it, move it or anything....I felt the pain all day everyday! I decided it was better than a 5th murderous prick!! Maybe not the best decision after all? Who knows.

Tonight was my first night on Narcotic medicine and sleeping pills. They helped despite my pain that kept increasing.

Sleeping time: 5 hours.