Many of you know that I have never dealt well with needles.  I used to pass out, and although I have gotten past that, I still cringe at the thought.  This hospital stay has not been easy for the needle-phobic side of me.  At this point, I look like a cocaine addict, with pricks, bruises and blown veins up and down my arm.

I have had a bit of IV drama since I arrived for my "long-term" stay at the hospital, but last night was an all time low.  The original IV that was placed in my right arm had caused me quite a bit of pain running along the side of my arm.  The nurses said there is a nerve that runs right along that vein that was probably being aggravated as the medicine pumped through it.  We iced it for a few days and it got better.  But a few days ago the actual entry site of the IV started to swell and hurt.  So, last night they decided to take the IV out of my right arm and change it to my left arm. 

This is where I became a human pin cushion.  A nurse-in-training was putting the new IV in and after two tries and a blown vein, the other nurse took over.  It took them three tries to get it in.  Each attempt was quite painful so by the time they got it in, my arm did not feel so well.  In their defense, they felt horrible and kept apologizing.  Then the pain running along the nerve came back.  Last night I had to attempt to sleep with ice packs wrapped around both wrists - one for the new IV pain and one on the arm where the old one was.  I feel like I had two broken wrists (actually the wrist that is free is swollen enough to kind of look like I have a broken wrist too!).  I guess if the pain of the new IV doesn't go away, they will put in a PICC line, which is a bit more invasive and complicated, but more permanent as well.  Either way, I have to have some sort of central line to administer the magnesium sulfate (and fluids).

Ok, so enough of my needle complaining!  I do have some good news.  I was approved for a bedside massage for back and neck pain.  I called to get it scheduled and they fit me in tonight!  Yeah!  Hopefully that will relieve some of the tension along my spine.