Sarah sat in the exam room waiting for the doctor to bring her the after-visit instructions so she could get the lab work he wanted. She had taken a test at home and was not happy with what she saw. She told him about it as he examined her and agreed to order some blood work to confirm what was going on. He also ordered other blood work to see how she was healing. He took time to examine the other injuries she had to ensure nothing had to be revisited and everything was otherwise healing appropriately. She was anxious and knew it would take at least a few days for the results to come back.
Because she was extremely nauseous that week, he sent a prescription for something she could use to her pharmacy. She figured it would be ready to pick up by the time she left the office. He had also advised her on some things she could pick up to help her with her symptoms while she was picking it up so she could start feeling better. Sarah had already made an appointment for a week later so they could go over all of her results and see if they needed any work up. She did not want to view the results without being able to talk to her doctor about it.
A knock startled her as a nurse walked in. "Sorry to startle you, Sarah!" She closed the door behind her. Sarah nervously chuckled and scratched the back of her head.
"It's ok. I know you did not mean it." The nurse stepped up to look over her arms to find a good spot for the blood draw. The medical staff knew of her injuries and always checked in on her when she came for an appointment. The nurse took extra care identifying a site, knowing of her needle phobia and the circumstances of her injuries. She looked into her eyes and gave her a hug.
"I'm sorry, Sarah, but I have to take a few tubes of blood today." Sarah nodded and took a deep breath.
"I understand." She took another deep breath. "Can I lay down?"
"Of course!" She helped her adjust the exam table so she could lay down before she grabbed her supplies out of the drawers. "Is your pain improving at all?"
"Some yea. I just can't keep hardly anything down." The nurse gave her a sympathetic look as she placed the tourniquet on her right arm.
"You were doing so well. I hope you aren't getting sick on us."
"Me either. I really don't want to go back to the hospital. I just got back to going to work."
"Well hopefully the lab work gives us good news then and you don't have to." She pulled on some gloves and started wiping the site with an alcohol pad. "Ok, I will try to be quick, cause I know that this bothers you." Sarah closed her eyes tight and bit her lower lip as she advanced the needle into her skin. "Deep breaths Sarah. Do not hold your breath." She tried to do as she was instructed while trying to suppress the flashback that was pushing its way into her consciousness. It felt like forever as the nurse collected the tubes of blood.
Sarah let out an even bigger breath she didn't realize she was holding as the nurse placed a cotton ball on the site and removed the catheter. "All done!" She opened her eyes and watched as the nurse wrapped the site with an Ace wrap and the cotton ball. "What juice do you want? You look a little pale and we do not need you passing out on us."
Sarah chuckled. "Whatever you have is fine, thanks."
"Ok I will be back. Stay laying down for a minute and relax." She threw away the used supplies and grabbed the tubes of blood as she stepped out of the room. Sarah closed her eyes and focused on breathing, a technique she learned from Rachel during one of her therapy sessions to help her relax. She did not practice it as often as she should, but it did sometimes help.
The nurse returned with a cup of juice and a cookie. She set them on the counter and lightly nudged Sarah. "You awake, Sarah?" She opened her eyes and accepted her hand to help her sit up.
"Sorry, I was just trying something to help me relax some."
"I hope it helps ya. We all hate to see you coming in so often, even though we like ya." They both laughed.
"I don't like coming this often either." She accepted the juice cup and smiled at the cookie. "You did not need to find me this."
"Helps your sugar. And you deserve all the treats. It's a sugar cookie so it should be bland enough for your stomach." She checked the wrapping on her arm to make sure it was no longer bleeding. "You need to still take it easy. You are still physically healing."
"I know, I just…" Sarah paused and took a bite of her cookie. "Oh, I don't know."
"We are pulling for you, Sarah. Whatever you need, you just call us. We will work you in, get you whatever you need."
"I appreciate it." The nurse helped her down after she finished the drink and handed her jacket to her.
"Confirm your appointment for next week with Julie in the front when you check out. Don't forget to pick up that prescription and give it a shot. Call me if we need to change it, ok?" Sarah nodded. The nurse gave her another hug. "We are all praying for you, Sarah. We really want you to get better." She walked with her to the check-out counter and made sure everything was set.