There has to be a better way

Yesterday was infusion day for me.  I don't so much like infusion days.  I left for my hour plus drive to get to the hospital feeling pretty good.  That was not to last long I tell ya.

SO I get there and for a change they are seriously busy, but moving faster than they ever have.  Confused me to no end.  Oh well I am sitting in my chair waiting for the nurse.  I started reading and relaxed a bit.  Well the nurse came over to get my cannula in.  It took 4 tries this time.  I am so sick of having to be poked numerous times.  First on was a lovely nurse who got a flash, then nothing.  I was happy for her to take it out cause it hurt anyway.  The second person to try was the doctor in charge on the infusion room.  He went straight through my vein <sigh>.  The third was the "Expert" at least that is what they said.  She went into the hand and nope not a drop came out, no flash.  Then the best lady in the infusion room agreed to do it.  I told her I wish she could just do it every time.  She told me to just asked for her or another one of the women.  She was like, look just tell them you don't wanna insult or be rude but you would just prefer one of the two of us.  She was like, there is no reason for you to be poked 4 times if we can get it in the first time.  So they were in, not in a vein they like using for infusions but in none the less.  Of course after the 4 needles I was feeling pretty crappy.

Got the infusion over with and had my vitals checked.  Well my blood pressure had shot through the roof during the whole event.

There just has to be a better way to do this.  I have NO IDEA what it is but I am over the poking and prodding especially when I tell them where to go and they won't.  I think I know my arms and veins better than them.  I get that they don't want to use the inside of the wrist or the inside of the elbow, but if they can get it in, in one go isn't that better than me looking like a pin cushion when I get home.  My son asked me last night why I had so many bandaids on.  So I had to give him an explanation.  Just told him that it took them a while to get mommies medicine into her.  Luckily I don't seem to be as bruised as I was last time.  I had a bruise that didn't go away for a month after that one.

Today I am tired and in pain.  At 8 am I had to roll over and take some pain killers before I could even think about getting out of bed.  I am fuzzy headed and feel like crap.

So below I have added some pics of one of my last "good" infusions.  I took them to post on my RA learning and support site.

Like I said, THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY.