Written by MotherSuperior on December 06, 2008, 02:50:45 AM
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Just had my impacted rotten abscessed wisdom tooth pulled out at a clinic for what has supposed to be IV sedation with old friends like Fentaynl, Midazolam and a few others(Ketamine as I am pretty tolerant to Midazolam by virtue of a cross tolerance with diazepam which was once 100mg+ daily never mind the roye's and all the other crap I was doing once). What a friggin carry on. The anaesthetist who talked shop with me for a while as I had seem him around my area of work, well I told him I had bad veins, really bad veins.... of course he asked 'why' of course I did'nt tell him the true reason why but like every short person blamed genetics.
'No problem boss' in his strong Indian dialect 'you surely know that were the best for people with bad veins'. Of course they were'nt?!!??? maybe they should be but their not the 'best' in my experience. Foolish man forgets the proximity of ITU to theatres at my former area, we shared 'smoking speak easys' for a while which included the male changing room in theatre, funny how everyone turned a blind eye to those naughty smoking surgeons, anaesthetists and so on. Oh yes, there good but far from the best. 'The best', the people who can get a vein no matter what or those brilliant phlebotomonists or the TOP, a paediatric consultant- these guys are 'the best'. Even an HCA in UCH scared me a while back though by cannulating someone with veins as bad as mine. Seems since he did this course and the management said this mere Health Care assistant could insert IV cannulas he had been doing it quite a lot in A+E. I have been amazed by a junior houseman who got a vein in my arm I did not believe was even there anymore. Then I have had some pretty dismal experiences both myself and with patients from even 'top cannulators' that just did'nt have the magic on that occasion and poor patient went away after pissed of staff member had really tried and virtually had to be pulled off.... the last few they wiggle about these long Venflons in the flesh magically expecting something to appear and it fecking hurts!
So, the only thing between me, those IV drugs and the painless and what I saw as 'a pleasureable' way to rid myself of that fucking tooth that had caused me pain for so long was..... my rotten veins, once were good but alas no more. So this guy reckons himslef? ok lets hope he's in form and the veins God's are appeased(with no offerings of fine amps or anything else lately other than some dodgy scag a while back I don't think they are appeased).
Pulls out a blue Venflon, ok, it could me worse, it could be a green one(21g versus 25g) but then it could have been better also(30g butterfly). It's certainly better than the 14g ones I'd used on me and friends to mutalate ourselves with body piercings though I think I would have been out that place quicker than shit through a goose if he had brought out one of those..... I did'nt mention, surgery on me scares me, a lot.... dental surgeons really scare me shitless. So I was shaking a bit, sweating an praying kind of thing... The amps on the table ahead just staring back at me, almost seem to me mocking me.
So he is feeling my arms, all smiley faces, perhaps they knew what was to come. He said there were so many veins he did not know were he should go first, I suggested the best ones maybe? He smiles, 'sure, no problem boss, sharp scratch'. My wincing in pain gives way to his smile falling of his face.... I said to him that many veins looked good but these veins were the worse, best to try obscure ones and or obscure places like just under the bicep as that normally works.
Right now I was just wincing more as he was twisting it in and out, ouch fuck-ka-de-ouch, hoping to find the long gone vein.
He tried another, this time where I said but not exactly.... I tried to tell him but too late 'sharp scratch'. Aaaah. Theres a vein... oh yes I thought BUT he could not pull back on it WTF of course the painful in-out ensued and nothing happened except pain.
A few more of these random, fruitless but very painful attempts ensued. He used the same cannular throughout, I have a picture of how needles blunt even after only one time, I wonder what his email is. As time went on, I was sweating and shaking more... this shit hurts! I just want him to get a vein and put one of those amps in... fucking STAT.
The amps were mocking me, no matter, I'll cannulate myself if needs be.
This guy is either not so good or having a bad day. I know I was beginning to have one.
The dental surgeon goes to work on my other arm, I told them my right arm is really barren vein wise but told them a couple of places I knew that were ok.... don't know why as they never went exactly were I said.
I was REALLY beginning to sweat and get uneasy, I wonder if they'd let me canulate myself, no! against rules! I know you assholes, remember we were talking shop... I worked with you guys on rare occasions, or are you afraid that a Nurse is gonna get a vein that you could not despite a dozen painful tries. If I was a doctor they'd let me do it but I don't know that handshake.
Eventually and 15 minutes later, they to, were sweaty and pissed off, blood everywhere except in the fucking cannular, well if he's such a hit shot, surely he knows how to do a central line, or even do a pocket shot or hows-about a femoral line.... big hole there so you see exactly were to go(obviously in the cold light of day explaining that could have been hard but then I just wanted my medication and after this well deserved it). Nope he could not do those(be bothered) for such an operation.
Oh great, now what.... they going to do a 'cut down' like in the US jails/deathrow inmates when they have problems with these things(which is all the time as I hear).
There not going to do IV sedation Just cause between them they could not find a vein after all those attempts and they would not let me have a try(I would of used a new cannular of course) and they had something against butterflys(ok, there not as patent I think but this is not major fluid transfer) and was only willing to use arms.... pah... they were going to use something else. What I wondered?
'Relative anaesthesia' ok, finally something I should know about but don't have a clue.
'Whats that', I asked in low spirits feeling the loss off those splendid IV meds and the loss of a sure fire way not to feel my gum being cut up, my impacted rotten wisdom tooth being demolished thence pulled out..... it was not so much that, I knew the Lignocaine would take away the pain I just didn't want to be aware of it happening to me, no fucking way do I....
'Gas, waffle, waffle, waffle, boss' oh right it's come to this, Nitrous and Oxygen. I knew some Americans who had a great deal to say about Nitrous but then they have a great deal to say about everything.
They felt it was stressing me out them hurting me, which it was but for someone that used to be into more than a bit of body-piercing and has a big tattoo on the back and more to the point used to spend HOURS looking for veins in those arms it was not the end of the world if the reward for such patience was a combination of midozloam, Ketmaine, Fentanyl all IV and adjusted for my opiate/benzo tolerance.... allegedly. A medically supervised k-hole.... why that bastard tooth was getting it's come-upponce was a life experience.
Some other time maybe..... maybe they were short on Venflons which is why they could only use a couple on me(one each) and not change them. Maybe they were so blunt by veins just spat them out, their used to better.
I have never tried gas, so on went the mask. That sucker was AIR tight and wow that guy had strength holding it on my face like a madman holds a pillow over his cheating wife. I could barely breath and started to panic. Slowly I began to smell something. I was a bit panicky at first, then a few minutes later it was like being pissed but just the nice parts.... I thought to myself.... right I'm gonna make them pay now... their gonna give me so much gas that I'll feel nothing. So I tried my usual game I play in theatre before ops of not being affected by the drugs..... they did not seem to care.
Then I actually started feeling REAL REAL REAL nice, it was like a 'hit' but that hit stayed. I felt so lovely and beutifull, it was great. Then I was rudely pulled out of my slumber when a dental instrument was taken out of my mouth and it was over. Cool, did'nt feel anything bad, just the opposite although my gob now was numb, so was half my face.
Oh yeah, I did say with the gas 'use as much lignocaine as you like, I don't want this to hurt guys, please'.
They complied, so it seemed. I could barely hold spit in my mouth, I was speaking like John Merrick but that gas, that wonderfull gas.... gotta get me some of that! Not a CD, in fact can get it OTC at some racing shops.... but halt.... what about the mixing stuff and have'nt people died as a result of overdoing this stuff.... thats why we have the www for.
Seems for once the Americans WERE actually telling the truth! It is good stuff, very good stuff and certainly ideal for my needs. In fact I don't know why they don't offer that first but never mind another chemical added to my chemdex.
After a few minutes I felt fine though had to get my escort who thought the whole thing was hilarious but not nearly as hilarious as my face and voice. Smoking a cig? forget it.
My face is still pretty swollen and my arms look like I've had a good time.... over and over.... had to see my GP later, good job in this weather jumpers are ok.
For those of you who share shitty veins, no matter what anyone says about being shit hot at canulating you.... maybe good old gas, or to give it it's new name 'relative analgesia' might open your eyes to a painless procedure and a pleasant experience. Of course they'll only do this for certain procedures, mine was a painfull gory dental one(and I have real dentist phobia before anyone says they had an impacted wisdom tooth removed, half rotten and they never had all this shit.... it must have hurt like fuck and I don't like pain... well not that type of pain ).
Bad boys in the 1700-1800's used to get their fix from Nitrous apparently, it is not addictive and has few side fx apparently. I don't know if the death thing is right but thats a pretty big side fx if you ask me. Given the lovely feeling you get when your right 'into it' for a few minutes I'm surprised it's not abused more.
Fit for purpose? Dam straight.... but I wonder what life would have been like if one of them had managed to find a vein.... that experience would not have been too bad. Not ever having those drugs in that combination.
Oh... the socket seems to be ok, I can feel now, swelling down a little. That tooth was bloody agony sometimes, I'm glad it's gone.
I thought BUT 
he could not pull back on it 
WTF of course the painful in-out ensued and nothing happened except pain.
).
