Needles, needles and more needles.

It's a somewhat somber Monday here at the Infusion Center...maybe because it's Monday, maybe because I'm surrounded by people that have some sort of chronic or fatal illness...
I would actually put my money on the fact that it's Monday, because patients like me are used to this.

Non-sick people are usually a lot more uncomfortable here than the regulars.   What most of us have to deal with, from nurses that can't find a vein, to rotten side effects of these meds, would scare a regular person to death.

But not us. We are an army of long sleeve wearers.  We drink water like its going out of style, to stay hydrated enough ensure the "vein ninjas" don't have to fight to hard. We know the generic names of damn near every prescription medication, and where we can get it the cheapest. We choose Doctor's offices based on their office staff's ability to pre-authorize MRI's and expensive medicines.

So, this morning I got a pair of grumpy nurses that don't know me.

Even though I'm a regular here, I got the nurse I don't know, who apparently likes to run infusions as slow as possible.  I am supposed to have an epidural injection in my L-spine this afternoon, but at the rate this is going, I may have to re-schedule.

Situations like this always suck.  When you can tell, by body language and demeanor, that your nurse either doesn't like you, or doesn't want to be there.  This is the part where I feel like I can't communicate with them about why my drip got run so slow, or even ask what time they think I will be done.

I'm not the kind of person to really care what other people think of me, but when I have to come back, week after week, and you never know which nurse I'm are going to get, I try not to rock the boat too much.

So, because of my anxiety at the moment, I'm tormented about whether or not to call the pain specialist's office and reschedule, and torn between if I should or shouldn't ask the grumpy nurse if I would even be done for it. 

I'll just make my husband, Doug, ask her when he gets here with my breakfast.  He's SO MUCH BETTER with people than I am.  He has a way about him that just puts people at ease.  Me, well, not so much.

I took a Phenergan before the infusion started, and my eyes are getting heavy...will write more when I come out of my coma...