Procedure day was yet another trip into an operating room. I really do not remember what they were going to do this time. By the time I was wheeled in that day, I had been an inpatient for a few weeks. Having had numerous blood draws, previous IVs, and being pretty dehydrated, my veins had shrunk. The nurses in the OR were having problems setting up a usable IV.
Four to five tries and a few nurses later, I was pretty bruised and wished that my Oncology nurses had drugged me up before sending me down. At this point I checked out mentally, hoping that someone would be able to draw my blood successfully.
One of the nurses suddenly mentioned that there was Radiology nurse that was particularly good at doing difficult IVs. Help had arrived!
After a few minutes, in walks Karen. Frankly, at this point I was hopeful and doubtful at the same time. Without saying a lot, she set herself up. Using what she called the intern vein, she was done in a few seconds.
As she walked out, I for some unknown reason, called her my Golden Ninja Nurse. I'm kind of proud that the nickname seems to have stuck. She really is a skilled, no-nonsense professional and I am proud to be able to call her a friend.