This girl has balls !

Feb 04, 2013

I cannot express just how proud I am of myself. Today I just completed my ABG test or better known as the dreaded arterial blood gas test !  I cannot believe that I made it through !

Now, I was most scared of this test in particular simply because I  heard all the horror stories.  Trust me, they are only stories.

I begged and pleaded with the nurse, which I happened to end up with a big, hairy male nurse ! That made me even more nervous. He was very nice, and had a soft touch.  At first I asked him to do the test in the crease of my inner arm, where one usually has blood drawn. He did, but it wasn't a good stick because he wasn't able to get much blood. So, then I panicked knowing that he would have to stick my right wrist.

To be totally honest this did not hurt as much as it sounds. I would not lie to anyone, since I know how nervous I was before the test.  It literally feels just like a regular blood draw, but once the syringe is inside the skin I felt a pressure type of feeling.  He did tell me that the arteries unlike veins are wrapped in nerve endings so I may feel some discomfort when the needle made contact with the artery. 

After the test was complete, it only felt like I had been bumped really hard in the wrist. I took 2 Advil's and about 20 minutes later, I forgot all about the pain. Now, I only can tell if I press on the site.

I hope I may have helped someone who is scared of this procedure !

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