Dept. of I Am A Wuss

[kaffy_r]

Exeunt Sutures

In about three minutes, BB is going to remove the skin biopsy sutures from my back and forearm. I am not looking forward to this. News in 3-2-1 ...

... aaaand, we're back.

Yeah, it was definitely something I should not have sweated. One pull that wasn't pleasant, three removals that I couldn't even tell had happened.

Proving yet again that I am every emergency room staff's personal nightmare — the twitchy whinger who flinches, complains and squeals long before any medical equipment has actually touched epidermis.

Comments

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Anticipation is often so much worse than reality with these things - if nothing else, one can grit one's teeth and cope with reality, you can't really do that with Anticipatory Dread.

Glad it wasn't too bad, anyway - good on BB for doing it for you!

[kaffy_r]

You're right. The only thing you can do with anticipatory dread is grow it to Brobdinagian heights. Which is definitely not the right thing to do.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I missed that you were getting these biopsies. When do you expect to get the results?

[kaffy_r]

The biopsies are for research purposes. From what I understand, although I may have it wrong, she'll check the genetic makeup of the little me-plugs, and check the same thing in biopsies taken at six months, 12 and 18 months. Weird as it seems to me, she thinks that the medicine she's put me on, mycophenolate, may somehow affect something having to do with the genes.

Wow, that sounds really unlearned, and it seems very odd to me that a medicine could actually affect the genes — but that's what I think she said.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Well, one of the meds I had with the stroke two years ago changed my DNA. Then when I stopped taking it, it took six months to change back (although I still have some of the weird hair). I can see that would be similar.

[kaffy_r]

I had no idea that such could be the case with something as central as DNA, which tells you more about my scientific acumen than anything else.

(The medicine turned your hair weird?)

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's called cytoxan and had been used for cancer for years, but recently someone found that it lets those of us who take very large amounts of prednisone to taper without withdrawal. Strange hair, ridged nails, and weight loss are the primary side effects, but then your body takes a while to go back to normal. I was wondering about the weight, but it's been stable at 280 (from 328) since September.

The weather guy for the local NBC is telling us that most people, including him, didn't recognize the earthquake (5.9), but I sure did. I knew exactly what it was and got Loki & me into the hallway. Junie dashed for her safe place which is in my closet. The Capitol, Pentagon, and Homeland Security all evacuated.

This area hasn't had anything this big for at least a couple hundred years, but I've been in a 6.5 in 1965 and we'd practiced getting out of our little extra buildings, which we did, and the building fell off the concrete blocks. It ruined an experiment I had in there, but nobody got hurt.

Ah, folks in Canada felt it.

[viomisehunt.livejournal.com]

Just happy you're okay.

[kaffy_r]

Thanks. It really was a tiny operation, barely worthy of the word, but, as azalaisdep said, anticipatory dread makes things like that far bigger than they need to be.

[viomisehunt.livejournal.com]

While yes-- I totally agree: anticipatory dread makes it worst; surgery is an invasive procedure. Therefore when it comes to working environment, universal precautions, and anesthesia, there are no Tiny Operations, just procedures which are more complex than others. Because surgery is invasive, we should expect, and be reassured that our medical team will adhere the same care and precautions for a biopsy as they would major surgery. I hope you were comforted by your medical teams competence at least.

My BP always goes up the moment I enter a Doctor's office. Strangely, the anxiety almost lessens the intensity of pain-- which is my usual complaint when I go to the Doctor's office lately.

[carbonel]

I am a former healthcare professional. I'm still interested in most things medical. Nevertheless, when it comes to me getting poked for a blood draw, I've learned I'm much happier about the whole thing if I look away when the phlebotomist is doing the actual draw. Not sure why, but it's true.

(The same used to be true when they poked me for blood donations, but now they don't want my blood because I've spent too much time in England. Boo.)

[kaffy_r]

I don't watch my blood getting drawn, either, and not watching while BB removed the forearm sutures worked like a charm. On the other hand, I couldn't look while he was removing the back sutures, and the one pull that was a little unpleasant was one of them.

They don't want your blood because of ... thinks ... bovine encephalitis, or whatever the proper term for mad cow disease is? Am I in the ball park?

(I used to give platelets on a regular basis, and fell out of the habit. I should probably get back in the habit again.)

[carbonel]

Yep. I allegedly might have been exposed to BSE aka bovine spongiform encephalopathy aka mad cow disease. I will grant that I actually did eat some beef during my time in the UK, but they won't take blood from British vegetarians. And why is six months the magic number?

Is dumb.

[kaffy_r]

It does seem ... uhm ... overly cautious, doesn't it?

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Make sure the doctor thinks you should give platelets. I can't give anything for two reasons: I'm a bit short myself, and I take meds that can't be whirled out of the blood.

[kaffy_r]

You know, I hadn't even thought of that. You're right; I'll have to check with the good folks at LifeSource. If I can't give, I'll be very disappointed.