I hate it when I am made to feel like my body is an enemy

[cosmolinguist]

Always a good sign when your reaction makes the phlebotomist feel bad!

I don't like crying every time, I'm not even that upset, it's just a thing my body does! I hate having to perform social rituals of appeasing other people around this!

She was very nice but, like, telling me her veins aren't good either and she has to get blood taken from [an unusual part of her body] made me nearly barf and could be triggering for other people so...

The point where no blood has yet been taken is stressful enough, it doesn't feel like a great time to mention that even if her intentions are solidarity.

(Thinking about it after I got home, it was triggery for me too. Particularly for something that happened almost exactly a year ago, which also doesn't help.)

Then they wanted my blood pressure too. The phlebotomist went to get a machine, there wasn't one in the room, and someone else came in with it and did it.

Or tried to.

I've been going to the gym so when she tried to use the too-small blood pressure cuff on me, we both noticed it. it barely velcroed together and when she started the machine, the cuff just popped open like I am the goddam Hulk or something.

She was like "I don't know if we have a bigger cuff...." and I was like what in this whole building?? Fat people just can't get basic healthcare here at all?!

She said "I didn't know I'd be doing blood pressure or I'd have brought my own machine from home, it has a larger cuff."

The only suggestion she could make to get my stupid blood pressure taken is that I make an appointment with her and she can bring it that day!

And I can't even do that until three weeks from now!

So now I have another appointment, luckily no needles, but she's gonna weigh me too for BMI reasons.

Comments

[otter]

Medical "care" is so ridiculous. Sending hugs if you'd like them. I had to go to two clinics Wednesday morning - the place I was getting lab work done didn't have any vaccine appointments available for several weeks and I just wanted to get it all done in one morning.

[mst3kforall]

I’m sorry, this all sounds so awful:-(

[anankastick]

What an awful experience! I don't know if this helps, but we have a couple of manual BP cuffs laying around, and I think some are a little bigger and thinner than the ones I've encountered on machines. It might be possible to order one in an extended size and have it on hand in case for medical visits if this kind of nonsense is a common occurrence. Not something patients should have to even think about, of course, and I hope there is an avenue to express that, if you want!

(Now that I think of it, a lot of medical assistants doing vitals here in the US don't actually know how to take BP manually--dunno how likely it would be that whoever you see in the UK would be able to do it reliably.)

[cosmolinguist]

*a lot of medical assistants doing vitals here in the US don't actually know how to take BP manually--dunno how likely it would be that whoever you see in the UK would be able to do it *

I was a health care assistant in a hospital in the late 00s and we were taught to do blood pressure with a stethoscope and a manual...thingy. The digital machines were starting to be a thing then but we were Not Allowed to use them because they were apparently so unreliable. Fast forward a few years and nurses are using them at my doctor's office and they might have been improved or whatever but they sure look like the same machines!

It's a good idea to look in to getting a bigger cuff ourselves, it might be useful as a household, thanks for the suggestion!

[anankastick]

Yep, I had a nursing assistant license a few years back, and we learned to take it manually because the machines aren't always reliable (or always available--since you've worked in hospital, you probably have some familiarity with the phenomena of those going missing and/or not ever being charged!). But from what I've seen and heard--at least where I live now--programs aren't teaching it anymore. Some offices even use wrist cuff machines, which are really easy to use, but hopelessly inaccurate. Sigh.

Good luck!

[hafnia]

It's fucking wild to me that they didn't have a larger cuff, like — not even a, "oh, medical fatphobia, of course", but just — I know a lot of cis dudes that work out regularly and as such are jacked, they wouldn't be able to get their BP either and that feels like a huge oversight! what the fuck.

[barakta]

Cis dudes going to the Dr? There's a stereotype about that never happening and if they show up, Drs should treat them a bit like farmers, with extreme seriousness...

I think some of it is just corner cutting on kit, GPs low on funds, stop buying enough equipment and cut and cut and cut corners till there's only crap left.

I was in a UK hospital recently, 1 working thermometer and 2 decoy broken ones on the whole ward of 12+ patients. I am fairly certain the agency lowest-paid/treated "healthcare assistants" were breaking stuff left right and centre cos my partner had to intervene to stop them breaking 3 of my attached medical aids cos they hadn't been trained and didn't have the patience to work a problem so would just force connectors or clips and damage them in the process (drove my engineer partner a bit nuts, she hates pointless breakage). So once stuff breaks and no one repairs/replaces it it creates this culture of fail and then everyone just gives up and accepts everything is just shit and broken cos trying to fix it becomes too hard... No GP staff should have to bring stuff in from home, but it's probably easier than asking the practice manager to buy compatible bigger cuffs, although may not be medically legal as home kit won't be calibrates like the practice kit has to be (my stepdad ran a UK non NHS medical practice till Feb this year, yearly calibration of all his kit was a requirement, including the wooden ruler for height).

[futurejake]

Sorry you had to deal with that :(

[silveradept]

Ay. That's a terrible situation to have to deal with, and then having to reassure someone else on top of it is a thbbbpth.