Next, I had an appointment at the doctor’s office this morning to have blood drawn. My doctor keeps a close eye on my blood sugar, cholesterol, liver and kidney functions and other measures, so I go in every 4 months or so to get blood drawn for lab work. I won’t get the results until next week, so the lab work wasn’t the victory (yet). Ever since I gained weight, people have had a terrible time finding my veins to draw blood. It was not unusual for me to get stuck 2 or 3 times on the back of my hand in order to get enough blood for the tests I need. (I think 5 sticks was the record.) My good veins were just buried under a layer of fat and hard to reach, so the back of the hand was the only option, and that hurts. Well, this morning I was apologizing to the lab tech about my poor veins and she said “No problem”. Then, instead of tying her little rubber band thing around my wrist and poking the back of my hand with a tiny “butterfly” needle, she wrapped her band around my upper arm and stuck me once in the crook of my elbow with a regular sized needle. Next thing I knew she had four tubes of blood and she was done. Apparently losing pounds of fat uncovered my previously shy veins and made the whole blood-drawing thing much easier and less painful - a small, but significant victory.
This is one of my favorite poems because is it so joyful: It was written by Siegfried Sassoon.
Everyone Sang
Everyone suddenly burst out singing;
And I was filled with such delight
As prisoned birds must find in freedom,
Winging wildly across the white
Orchards and dark green fields; on, on, and out of sight.
Everyone’s voice was suddenly lifted,
And beauty came like the setting sun.
My heart was shaken with tears, and horror
Drifted away…O but everyone
Was a bird; and the song was wordless; the singing will never be done.
