I just came home from the wound clinic. On the 28th of this month they will do an angiogram on me. I managed to convince the doctor who is doing it, that putting me to sleep is safest for all concerned. He believed that coming at a terrified, phobic retired soldier, with a big needle, may not be a great idea. My wife pointed out (on the way home) that I could just be tied down for a couple of hours. I didn't think of that at the office but I'll let arrangements stand.
Here's the reality:
1. I am terrified and phobic
2. I am brain damaged (hypoxia in the lower portion) from a previous problem
3. My friends have learned that 23 years of training don't disappear just because you're 60 years old. (Don't startle me, I now react faster than I think)
It takes all of the control I can muster to let a lab tech take a sample. I used to watch the puncture and blood fill the little tube. Now I Turn my head AND close my eyes.
What got my attention mostly was this doctors inability to appreciate the extent of my fear. He got hung up on the technical (It's just a needle I stick into your groin...) and was completely incapable of see from my perspective. It was only after I included the possibility of damage to his wrist, arm or shoulder that he started listening.
Why?
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