Blood-letting 101

I finally gathered all the necessary stool samples and took them to the Lab Corps lab on Wednesday, where Brian also had mega-blood taken. He squealed like a stuck pig. The lab tech and her assistant both had him held down, and my heart was just breaking for his pain. They got 5 vials of blood, and needed 2 more when the “well went dry”. I am not sure of the medical nomenclature for it – if the vein was “blown” or what. They just said they would have to try the other arm.

Both the lab tech and assistant couldn’t get a vein in the other arm after two sticks. Unfortunately, we would have to come back at another time to complete the blood-letting. I just couldn’t fathom continuing the torture for the lil guy at that moment.

Then I noticed his arms, both of them had hundreds of little red spots all over them, everywhere on his arms and hands below the tourniquet lines. The lab tech told me that it was normal with infants, and would go away. Poor guy. My heart was breaking.

Spots covering his arm below the tourniquet line...

(Side note – knowing that the blood draw process would be an ordeal, I deliberately timed it so that he was hungry when his blood was drawn. After the squalling subsided, a warm bottle was mucho immediate comfort for him, and he napped well. Plus- I try all the time to build a bonding attachment where I can provide many facets of comfort to his pain.)

We went back to the lab the next morning, Thursday, and they placed a little heating square on his arm for 5 minutes to make the process easier to find and get a vein. It worked well, and we were done. However, the lab tech that day told me that the red spots were from a latex allergy to the gloves that the lab tech wore the previous day. What? Did they even know? Two people in the same office were contradicting each other.

They told me that one of the blood samples needed, a newborn screen, would need to be taken but that we would have to go to the hospital for that lab procedure, they don’t perform it at the labs.

More torture… ugh….

After verifying everything with the pediatrician's office, we got to the hospital and they were very competent and quick. The lab tech was experienced in pediatric lab, empathetic to me as the parent and warm and loving to baby Brian. She quickly looked at Brian’s arm spots and said that the tourniquets were much too tight and these were blood blisters that surfaced all over. The newborn screen was from a stick in the heel, and about 8 or so samples squeezed from the heel.

If I could do it again, I’d only go to a lab that specialized in infant and pediatric lab work. Like the ped hospital. I just went to the lab that I was told to go to. I remembered (hindsight is 20/20) that my sister Betsy (Registered Nurse) told me once that anything that has to do with the health or safety of my child that I should ask more questions, demand only the best, and not be afraid of starting some conflict whenever necessary to ensure that my expectations are met. Shoulda, coulda, woulda...

So in a week or so, we’ll have his blood titers for immunization assessment, HIV, Lead, Hep, and all the various and sundry lab tests and results. I’ll share if there’s anything out of whack.

I remember Jordan had a lead count a little high that was attributed to the ceramic bowls they used in her orphanage in China. Sometimes, like the lead test with Jordan, the results are the same for all the children in the orphanage environment. Other times, the results are very specific to a child for different genetic or personal reasons. A friend of mine was told that her adoptive Chinese daughter was positive for HIV. It was several weeks while they did retesting only to discover that it was a false positive test, and she wasn’t HIV pos after all.

If there are any results that are outside the norms, I’m having them retested – by a pediatric hospital lab.

I'm still learning 'parenting' everyday. It is a journey - that's for sure.

Brian's arms spots are almost gone, and he is doing well. He just has a few venous bruises still and the spot from the heel stick. Thank God these little people are resilient.