We took Anthony in for his blood draw last night.*
He didn’t just get one poke. He got three.
My husband went in with the two technicians—allegedly, both trained phlebotomists—while I kept myself busy in the little room outside. My inner dialogue went something like this:
“Mother Mary, pray for us. Mother Mary, pray for us. St. Anthony, pray for us, Hail Mary, Mother Mary, Holy Mary, Mother Mary…”
My prayer, you could say, was a bit disjointed.
But it was prayer.
Meanwhile, they tried valiantly to find Anthony’s little vein. First one little arm…which didn’t work.
John brought him out for me to nurse him.
And then the other little arm…which didn’t work. I nursed him again while we reviewed our options. They told us that we could try one last time (with a different phlebotomist), or we could just call it a night and go home.
We decided to give it one last shot. (Ha ha! There’s a pun there.) After all, dealing with advanced Lyme disease would be much worse. The new technician bustled in—a heavyset Black woman with beautiful hair and a sense of purpose. “Let’s see if we can get enough blood doing a heel poke,” she suggested, and that is what we did.
It worked.
Poor little gimpy foot! I don’t know why they think that having cute band-aids takes the hurt away. That was still my son that you made bleed.
Don’t get me wrong. I am thankful—very thankful—for the woman who got the job done.
And you know what? Her name was Mercy.
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
*Thank you, by the way, for your helpful suggestions and your encouragement. This is (one of the reasons) why I love the blogosphere.
Oh Margaret, this made me cry and I don't even know why. I expect to know asap when you have the results.
As a Mom with a daughter who has had lyme's, I'm so glad you had Anthony tested. The side effects can be life long if left untreated. Just keep praying for the best.
Funny side: When I left my then 3 year old son walk with the nurse back to surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed the nurse was named Mercy. Made me smile then and now remembering. I guess God just knew that Mom's need a little extra assurance.
Poor Baby Boo. I hope that's the worse part his little rash.
When college boy was a baby he made a trip to the ER for dehydration from a stomach bug. They had to strap him down to get an IV in (did they do that to Anthony?). It was awful. And I think it was worse for me then for him.
Oh.my.goodness. Glad you all made it through. Thank you Lord for Mercy!! Now you wait for the results? Peace to you.
Margaret, I know how terrible it is to watch a little one go through any kind of medical procedure. It is nothing short of emotional torture for the parent.
Having endored brain surgery with my two year old son, I know the aches and pains of a mother's heart when her little one is sick.
I humbly offer you the following suggestion–When your little ones must undergo a battery of tests for scary things, pray for those families that must cope daily for those with seriously ill children (like those with cancer, brain tumors, etc.).
This always helps put my concerns in perspective.
P.S. I'm praying for the health and safety of your little one. Lyme's is a scary thing!
God bless you.
Aw poor little Anthony. I had to watch them draw blood from Ben's heels too many times when he was hospitalized with jaundice. It's not easy.
Poor baby. Poor mama!
Prayers for Anthony!
I love how big he's getting, his feet are even chubby baby feet now!
Oh, that sweet baby. Please let us know immediately.
awww poor little buddy.
I <3 good phlebotomists, even though not even the super good ones can get my veins anymore…
I know how you feel with those heel pokes. Matthew had low blood sugar when he was born, and they checked him every 2 hours: if below a certain number, they supplemented. They wouldn't let him out until he was above that certain number twice in a row. Luckily, we still got out in 4 days.
Good job, Margaret!
Oh, how scary! Prayers for you all!
Now, I know you take him camping and everything, but a mama knows every square inch of her baby. You would have noticed if he had a tick on his wrist puffed up for any length of time, right?
Either way, early detection and treatment is the key. M. went through treatment this summer. The night she started antibiotics she spiked a fever of 106!
Thank you Lord for Mercy! 😀 Sweet baby with the big smile. It has been a long while since I have had a chance to visit your blog, I had been reading about a year (lurking.) All the best – It is best to know now, untreated – Lyme disease is very scary.
I have heard also that if one can't find a vein in a babe, they'll go into the scalp – so thank goodness for women like Mercy!
God be with ya'll 😉
Awww, poor little guy. When will you get the results?
When Madeleine was 2 months she had an 8 day stay in the hospital (long story), and when first admitted she was poked 18 times (no joke!) to get an IV started. I remained calm and strong through the first 15 pokes, and then I couldn't take it anymore, left the room and wept and wept. Oh the agony!
They finally got a vein though…in her head. 🙁
He looks no worse for the wear. Of course, in 25 years he'll need intense therapy to get over the trauma of three needle sticks….. Only kidding. I wholly agree – a little discomfort now is a small price to pay than if Lyme's is detected too late.
I'm glad you went in. I know it seems hard, but it's for the best. And those deer ticks are very small, we never saw any on our ds.
Keeping my fingers crossed & you in my prayers.
Poor little guy — but it's good you had him tested. So better safe than sorry! Give him a snuggle from us.