Down for the Count

I went to my gastroenterologist appointment to check up on my liver on Monday. The appointment was fine. It started at 11:30, but the Dr. was in a "procedure" until about 12:30, so I waited an hour. He basically told me what I thought may be true. I may have hemochromatosis. I had anticipated that this may be the case. He requested that I get some blood taken for testing that same day. He also ordered me some testing for my gallbladder, to rule out anything regarding my stomach pain. I do testing for the gallbladder on Monday. BTW hemochromatosis is associated with abdominal pain. SO, I went off the the lab to get my blood drawn. That's where I met crazy Rhonda. The phlebotomist you don't want to request. She took her sweet ol' time doing whatever she was doing, not getting to me quick enough, by this time it was 1:45. I had not eaten since 7:30. I was watching ancient people wheel their oxygen in with them, sit down, and search for veins to give blood out of and wheel out. Sheesh. Rhonda, t-t-t-today, JR! Finally she comes and gives me a big shout for joy at how manly and protruding my veins are. Why, thank you. This should be quick because I do this every freaking time I come to the dr. nowadays. Looks like we have 6 huge viles to fill, so, this is familiar to me, Rhonda, please stop marveling at my obscenely large veins and stick me a good one and get the ball rolling. Except, she didn't stick me a good one. She stuck me a bad one in my lovely, bulging vein. No blood came out. So, she summoned it with a few love pats. Gush. And it hurt. And I TOLD her it hurt. Then, I felt the blood move out of my head and slowly down my body. Blackness. Luckily Brent was with me and it was so nice to see his sweet face when I awoke and then I look over and see Rhonda calling me out of my sound "sleep". They drag me out of the chair I am slumped in and wheel me down the hall. I am completely dazed. Someone is putting a cloth on my head and Brent is telling me the crazy lady said she "knew this was going to happen." So they go to retrieve Dr. Lippe, put oxygen up my nose and let me lay still for 5 seconds. Then, she, and you know who I am talking about comes in with her "blood tools" and says to me--"I didn't get enough...give me your other arm." A little frightened, not so much of giving the rest of the blood, but of the tone in Rhonda's voice, not to mention her graceful technique. Brent asks, "you sure that is the best idea now?" She assuredly tells us she would have continued even while I was out had it not been the fear that the needle would have ripped my arm completely open as I fell out of the chair. Goody. Take the blood and wheel me outta here! So, the rest of the day I slept in the princess bed, queasy as all get out. Brent put on Legally Blonde 2, it was just a nice to listen to Bruiser Woods as I dreamed. So folks, that was my day. Pretty entertaining.
In all seriousness, I am so glad it took a month for me to see a specialist. It gave me time to pray and ask for prayer. Thank you to all who have emailed, called and come over to tell me they are praying for me. I felt it-I was totally and utterly at peace with anything he said to me. God has given me such a calm despite the unknown. No matter what it turns out to be, I am blessed to the fullest! The worst thing that can happen if I have hemochromatosis is that I will have to give blood all the time. Not a bad treatment, as long as I don't get matched up with Rhonda again.