The tech is a vampire (long)
By NJ Chicaa
@NJChicaa (125864)
United States
January 7, 2026 9:48am CST
Well actually the hematologist is. The tech showed up and said that he needed to draw blood from me. Okay fine. Then he showed me all of the tubes and the list of stickers that was longer than a CVS receipt. I was like "you have GOT to be kidding me" but he assured me he was serious. The hematologist wanted all of that blood.
Luckily it just required one stick and then he basically sucked the life out of me. 
We counted up all of the vials and the grand total was TWELVE! 
He said he had never had to draw that much blood from one person at one time. It is a good thing that I'm not afraid of needles or blood. We were joking about it the whole time.
I texted my ex about it and said "I haven't even met this doctor yet but I'm not a fan." With that in comes the hematologist. He asked what questions I had, what I had Googled, etc. I was like "what was up with all of the vials of blood?" He said that the various tests take different amounts of time. Some take a day, some days, and some weeks. I also asked what treatments there were, if there were any dietary things I could do, etc. He said he needed all of the data in order to be able to answer that.
He said that the platelet level test results would be back in an hour. As long as they were the same as yesterday or better than I could be released. If not then I would have to stay for another day which I really don't want to do. He made sure to tell the nurse to call his cell phone immediately as soon as the lab results were in.
OH WAIT IT GETS BETTER! The tech showed up and asked if I had an IV. I didn't put 2 and 2 together and I was like "one of those drink packets?" He started to life up the arm of the gown. Then I got it. Honestly I had forgotten it was there since I haven't been hooked up to anything since yesterday afternoon. He said that he used the wrong vial for one of the tests so he had to draw more but he was going to try to get it from the IV so he didn't have to stick me again.
He flushed it with saline and then the blood began to flow. I said "make sure you fill that entire thing up!" He said "this one is a waste" and I was like "oh the saline". The 2nd one was a waste too. He used the 3rd. So all in all he drew 15 vials of blood from me in 30 minutes.
Again we were still joking about it. I told him I never wanted to see him again. He said if there is another mistake he is going to make them come down and tell me. 
We counted up all of the vials and the grand total was TWELVE! He said he had never had to draw that much blood from one person at one time. It is a good thing that I'm not afraid of needles or blood. We were joking about it the whole time.
I texted my ex about it and said "I haven't even met this doctor yet but I'm not a fan." With that in comes the hematologist. He asked what questions I had, what I had Googled, etc. I was like "what was up with all of the vials of blood?" He said that the various tests take different amounts of time. Some take a day, some days, and some weeks. I also asked what treatments there were, if there were any dietary things I could do, etc. He said he needed all of the data in order to be able to answer that.
He said that the platelet level test results would be back in an hour. As long as they were the same as yesterday or better than I could be released. If not then I would have to stay for another day which I really don't want to do. He made sure to tell the nurse to call his cell phone immediately as soon as the lab results were in.
OH WAIT IT GETS BETTER! The tech showed up and asked if I had an IV. I didn't put 2 and 2 together and I was like "one of those drink packets?" He started to life up the arm of the gown. Then I got it. Honestly I had forgotten it was there since I haven't been hooked up to anything since yesterday afternoon. He said that he used the wrong vial for one of the tests so he had to draw more but he was going to try to get it from the IV so he didn't have to stick me again.
He flushed it with saline and then the blood began to flow. I said "make sure you fill that entire thing up!" He said "this one is a waste" and I was like "oh the saline". The 2nd one was a waste too. He used the 3rd. So all in all he drew 15 vials of blood from me in 30 minutes.
Again we were still joking about it. I told him I never wanted to see him again. He said if there is another mistake he is going to make them come down and tell me. 6 people like this
5 responses
@FourWalls (81666)
• United States
7 Jan
Wow. Has he told you what he’s looking for, or just yapping in vague generalities? My doctor was pretty up-front with me when they found the ovarian tumor, telling me it was “low malignancy potential,” but still that I’d have to have a vertical incision “on the off chance that we do have to call in an oncologist.” I appreciated the honesty, as opposed to, “Oh we’re going to operate on you because it’s Friday.” 
(The only weird thing about all of that was they told me, in 1995, they’d taken my appendix with the hysterectomy…and it turns out that they didn’t. I didn’t discover that until last year!!!)
Sorry for the rambling. I want you well and back at work picking up coverages. NOW. 
(The only weird thing about all of that was they told me, in 1995, they’d taken my appendix with the hysterectomy…and it turns out that they didn’t. I didn’t discover that until last year!!!)
Sorry for the rambling. I want you well and back at work picking up coverages. NOW. 2 people like this
@NJChicaa (125864)
• United States
7 Jan
@sallypup The dehydration and low electrolytes was due to spending all of Monday and early Tuesday alternately vomiting and looking like I was preparing for a colonoscopy. I had muscle craps, a headache, and abdominal pain.
Not sure about the low platelets. That's what the 12 vials of blood drawn this morning was about. It will give the hematologist information about possible causes/treatments. This morning the level was improved from yesterday.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (165190)
• United States
7 Jan
That's what I call the techs who siphon blood out of me, too. I've never had to give that much blood all at once, though.
I can't watch them stick needles in or the blood coming out or I might pass out. I was watching one nurse and chatting with her when she started drawing blood and I got dizzy, passed out and fell off the table they had me perched on. When I woke up, three tiny ladies were trying to pick me up off the floor. I started laughing and told them I could stand up if they'd give me room and they told me I couldn't because the needle was still in my arm and pumping blood all over the floor. They had me roll over so they could remove the needle and then helped me up. They needed to steady me because I was still dizzy.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (210187)
• United States
1h
I hate needles. I hope they left you some blood to function with. I hope they release you soon.
1 person likes this
