The blood draw chronicles

I went to the clinic yet again today for my final daily blood draw to check my estrogen level after the trigger shot. And to check that I have HCG in my bloodstream to ensure I gave myself the shot properly! Today's supposedly a good day because there are no injections, but to me the blood draw is infinitely worse.

The blood draws have been really getting to me over the last few days, and I'm also a bit freaked about the IV I'll need at the egg retrieval. You see, I only have one spot on my left arm where it is easy to take blood from. It's an area maybe 7-8mm long. When I first read about the IVF procedure and read that daily blood draws were a pain, I thought people were referring to the pain of having to go to the clinic every day. Because having one blood draw doesn't hurt much, right, so I never thought that they would ever be bad. But no, they are literally a pain. My "blood drawing spot" is now permanently scarred and is a dull, bruised reddish purple shade after the last two IVF cycles. Heh, at least I don't have to camouflage it any more after a blood stick, because it's permanently ugly now. And after a few daily sticks, the area gets very sensitive and further sticks fucking hurt. It looks like someone has taken a knife and made a vertical incision up my vein because all the blood sticks line up. My vein screams in protest every time someone new sticks it. It is taking longer to heal each time because of the daily assaults so I spend the morning with a swollen lump there. My arm becomes pretty much useless for a good hour, as it just throbs and feels so heavy yet empty of blood. And they don't even take that much out, so I know it's not actually empty of blood!

Over the last few days I have asked, begged and pleaded with the nurses to take blood from somewhere else. They have tourniqueted my right arm. They have slapped it and smacked it. I have squeezed little balls to try to make the veins pop up. And they never even attempted it. They all just gave up and said they'd have to switch to the left arm. Last cycle I had one nurse who managed to get blood from my right arm, and how I wish I could have had her this time. She would have taken the time. She was experienced enough to do it. But no, I was not so lucky. This morning, I offered the backs of my hands to the nurse. Now, having blood taken out of the back of your hand also fucking hurts, as I also found out last cycle, and leaves a big bruise on the back of your hand that lingers around for days. But I was desperate. I was willing to put up with it because at least it would have spared my left arm. And I have to have an IV in my left arm tomorrow, people! Oh the agony. But the nurse said they didn't have any butterfly needles left, so no go, as the other needles were far too big to use in the hand. No butterfly needles? In an IVF clinic that size? Aaaagh. I think that's downright criminal. So she stuck my poor left arm. I had to drive back from the clinic with my arm in my lap like some stroke victim. It hurt to steer, and it hurt to indicate, and I'm a good girl so I like to indicate when I'm changing lanes. Bah humbug. This better all be worth it.