Horror at Greenwood Clinic

I just got home from the worst Doctor visit experience of my life. It was a pretty epic morning. Here's my story:

Background Information:
*11 Days "Late"
*Slow onset of Abdominal/lower back pain starting at 8pm last night, peaking at its worst between 11pm-12pm (Pain range 8/10)-Was not a happy camper.

It all started when I called the Doctors office to make an appointment. It usually takes at least a week to be seen, so I was going to set one up for next week. The receptionist asked for my symptoms (listed above) and then promptly told me there was a 10:30am opening for today.

While sitting in the front reception area waiting to be taken back for my appointment, a nurse called out my name and told me to head to the Lab first and do a urine and blood test, then I would be in to see the doctor. I walk over to the Lab, and they sent me to the bathroom for the urine test. A few minutes after that, they took me to the blood drawing section. (This is where it starts to get really bad.)

There were two phlebotomists, one of which was taking some blood to the back, and the other unsuccessfully trying to stick a butterfly needle in a man's hand. He was holding a cotton ball over the spot she kept sticking, and "letting known" his discomfort. The other nurse came back in the room and went over to relieve the other nurse to see if she could give it a try on the man. So, the nurse having the problems went to the sink to wash her hands and came over to me. (Uh-oh.)

She seemed very first-day, nervous. She "announced" her name to me, then went to the receptionist to get my paper order. She then came back and asked what my name was, having forgotten to ask me while she was busy telling me her name. Once everything was sorted out and she knew what blood was needed, she had what I'm calling the "Tourniquet problem". She put the tourniquet around my left brachium, and felt my veins. (This is usually the arm I get drawn from... Excellent Veins.) After much deliberation, she decided to look at my other arm... just to see if there was a particularly GREAT vein. She finally decided that both arms would work just fine, and since she had already moved onto my right arm to just stay there. She proceeded to tell me that the tourniquet was her least favorite part of the whole process... and tightened it and took it off and repeated this SEVERAL times until she was satisfied. (The whole thing took 5 minutes, no joke!)

Once ready to "poke", she put the needle near the cook or my arm as if to position it, and had a very shaky hand. Then... IN goes the needle.

Ok... let me just pause and tell you, my mom is a phlebotomist, and my brother also learned to draw blood while doing nursing. I had a troubled-sickly past with many trips to the doctor and hospital for various tests ranging from MRI, to EEG, and others. NEEDLESS TO SAY... I'm NOT afraid of needles. I'm used to the "Slight Pinch", and it doesn't bother me.

Back to the story. SO... IN goes the needle. ..... And it hurts like hell. Whatever she did, she didn't do it right, and wasn't getting any blood either. As SOON as she took the needle out, my vein POPPED up like a bubble right where she stuck me and turned a sick purple color. This freaked her out. She slapped a cotton ball on it right away, then after a few seconds of calming herself down started muttering things like "vein just popped out of the way" "needle missed it" etc. I tried to reassure her, because I know how "nerve racking" (no pun intended) learning the trade can be, and even though it hurt, it wasn't to the point of tears or anything. She asked if she could try again and I said yes. She put the needle in again, and the blood started to fill the tube.

Then the weirdest thing happened... I started to feel sick. Then started to feel REALLY sick. Then I told the lady, "I feel light headed" and BOOM.

I was out. That's the last thing I remember. I have no idea what happened from there to when I woke up (because they never told be). All of a sudden my head is pointed up at an unrecognizable ceiling and there are about 5-7 people holding me back and saying "Ashley! Ashley! It's ok, it's ok. Can you hear us?"

I don't know if you've ever passed out before, but when you "come to" (for me at least) it's like amnesia. You don't remember what happened, where you are etc.

So... I was FREAKING out. I thought I was having a bad dream, but I couldn't make it go away. I kept trying to open my eyes, and caught blurs of arms, and scrubs and people I couldn't make out. Conscious thought was starting to come back to me, and I processed that I was not asleep and this was really happening. Then a series of images when through my mind as possible reasons why I was there. I thought I was in the emergency room having just had some terrible accident. Car accident maybe?

Then I started to be able to open my eyes a little more, and one face stuck with me as being familiar. (The phlebotomist). So I started processing what was happening, how I knew her, and it came back to me that I was just at a doctors appointment, getting my blood drawn for some tests. At this point, the swirl of everything sort of stabilized enough that I fully opened my eyes and said "Yes" (they were still calling my name.) At that single word, I saw a few people sigh in relief and walk away. There were still a couple nurses holding me back in the chair. I closed my eyes again, and felt them moving my arm. Then I heard one of them say "Don't put her arm there, there's blood all over!" At this I willed my eyes open again and saw the nurse who was going to rest my arm at my side bringing it back up to rest on the stand, and... blood. LOTS of blood. All over my arm.

Any brief stabilization of the swirling was immediately gone, and I immediately felt a fresh wave of nausea and slipping......
I started shaking uncontrollably, and managed the word "VOMIT!" I was dry heaving, and felt like each time was "the" time I was going to lose it. Through my rolling-open-and-closed eyes, I could see someone holding a trash can and swaying to stay on spot with me. Luckily the heaving passed and I leaned my head back against the wall, breathing shaky breaths. Someone came up to me and said "I need you to drink this sweetie" and I opened my eyes to a cup being held out to me. It was cold water. I took a couple sips, then they were gently moving my head between my knees, putting my feet up on a stool, and putting a cold paper towel on the back of my neck.

At the touch of the wet paper towel, I became aware of how HOT and sweaty I had gotten during this ordeal. I felt like I was burning up... and drenched! Someone was gently patting my back and said "Wow she's sweating up a storm; She's really hot." They made me sit back up and take two more swallows of water, then return with my head between my knees.

Whoever figured out that putting your head between your knees when you are dizzy makes you feel better was a genius. At this point I started rapidly regaining consciousness, and started to feel better too. After several minutes of sitting like that I announced I was ready to sit up. Luckily the nausea had passed, otherwise what I saw next could have done wonders of evil for my state of being.

There was blood. Blood all over my arm. Blood on my t-shirt. blood on my other arm. Blood on the chair. Blood on the floor.

I have no idea how that could have happened with a simple blood draw, and unfortunately I never found out. All I knew, was that whatever happened was a big scene. Epic. Not your normal "passed out while giving blood" event at the Lab. Some people are afraid of needles, or for whatever reason pass out. It's a frequent thing. But for me?... It wasn't just a pass out-wake up, drink some water, you're fine. It was much much more. And, there was all that blood everywhere. (And just for the record, I've never passed out while giving blood before.)

Anyways, turns out they didn't even get enough for the tests they were to run, and the (who I'd like to call "better" of the two phlebotomists) stuck my other arm no problem and filled up two more viles. It was so simple and fast, like how it should have been. After all of this, she escorted me to my doctors' office. I was feeling better (in control) by then.

The doctors visit was typical. Nothing like the Lab. The Dr. came to the conclusion the stomach pain I had last night, and have been having problems with the past 2 years is a Peptic Ulcer. She prescribed me some prilosec for it. The funny ending twist was she tried to get ahold of the lab to see if they had gotten enough blood to run the H Pylori test for the Ulcer. Apparently they didn't answer the phone, or said they didn't have enough. So the Doctor sent me back to the lab to give more blood. Scary thought.

When I reached the lab window, the receptionist looked up at me, and I said "I'm back!" ...Her eyes bulged. I think she was thinking I was joking at first, but then when I insisted the Doctor sent me back to give more blood, she was shocked. (Obviously they didn't want a repeat.) I sat down and waited for a few minutes, when they she finally announced, "We think we have enough. You can go."

So there you have it. This concludes the, by far, WORST doctors visit I've ever had. That was one 3 hour ordeal I wish never happens again....