Doctors and Labs and Blood...oh my!!!!

I grew up around everything medical..... my mom was a Labor & Delivery nurse (then nurse manager and then nurse midwife) and she also taught lamaze class; and growing up, I was always in and around hospitals and medical lingo/pictures etc.... So, I've never been bothered by anything medical...I can handle blood, needles, IV's, doctor's offices, you name it.... well, everything except puke....for those who know me, you know that I.can.not.handle.anything.related.to.puke. I am full-on phobic...seriously!! But, that's not the point of this....

Because I grew up around it, I'm pretty desensitized; therefore, it has never been a big deal to any of my kids....they all grew up like me and have never really been afraid of any of that stuff either....... Until today--- my little Joseph.... my Joseph who is off the charts (below) in his height and weight, but is as strong as an ox.... my little Joseph decided today that he WOULD NOT allow the nurse or doctor or anybody to do a strep culture on him. He clenched his mouth shut and kicked and screamed and flailed around like a dry fish.... what the heck was that about??? He flailed around so much that he bit his own tongue!!!

Once we calmed him down, the doctor was able to continue to check him out and he determined that Joseph needed some blood/lab work done today too.... Oh joy-- you can imagine my excitement when I realized that I was going to have to take that little screamer in a lab, with needles and try to get him to hold still long enough to fill 4 tubes with blood..... yea, great!!! So, on our way there, I did what any normal mother would do..... I bribed him...that's right, you heard me... I bribed him... I told him that if he could get through it without having a screaming, knock-down fit, then I would take him to GameStop and he could pick a "new" used game (you get what I mean, right?).

All was well, until he saw the needle and then he clenched up....and then he started to cry and I could feel his heart racing...and then he tried to talk his way out of it... he said everything from "please do it on the other arm, this one stings" (just to get her to take it off), to "my vein is not good on this side" (i can't make this stuff up, people...) to " the needle is too big for my body".... I was sure that this was going to be a bust..... and then what do you know, my boy bucked up, closed his eyes and said "ok, just do it".....

Geez, just talking about that stressed me out again.... I hate to see my children scared like that... I know it's for his own good, but I still feel bad for doing it....mommy's guilt!!! Oh well, but please do pray that all results turn out OK; there are some things that they are looking for (that I don't want to discuss yet....just because they don't know for sure)....so please, once again, pray for our family!!!