I dread

I'm not bad at blood taking and cannulation, so I do get called a lot to help out especially with difficult ones. But who knows my hidden hatred for such patients? The sorts of patients that i hate are: 

1. Nephro - cannot use one hand because needed for AVF formation; needs blood taking daily to monitor renal function and VBG, stays in hospital for ages because they just don't get better. Worst ones are when AVF failed on one hand already, another hand not allowed to use, leg veins already ruined by other house officers - how and what do you want me to do?

2. Obesity - Obese patients should be barred from coming into hospital. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to see or do anything through those thick subcutaneous tissue? Same applies to oedematous patients.

3. Relative - who refuses to go out, who peeps through the curtain when I specifically asked you to go out and wait faraway. Yes, torture session of your grandmother in progress and I don't think you would derive any pleasure from seeing me poke her for 10 times and I asked you to go away for good reason.  

4. Patient - who tries to be helpful by moving around, thinking that they are smarter than me, who demands for left leg instead of right when I have another 5 new patients to clerk in, who kicks and jumps, who has ridiculously low pain threshold, who moans and groans non-stop when I am doing you a service and trying to save your life (be informed that any plea, prayer or piss would not stop me from doing what I do, which is usually to persist until I get it, even if I have to poke you 20 times). 

I value my relationship with my colleagues. I try my best to be a good team player. I am usually willing to help out with anything whenever I can, but doesn't mean that I don't dread it. But sometimes I wish I'm not, so someone else can be called to help, because I am spending ages to deal with these difficult bloods. A difficult cannulation will take at least 20 minutes and I'd much rather be doing something else. As well as a pair of good hands, I think I have good brains as well and I'd like to use it more often rather than just spending so much time picking up other people's mess.

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