Blood with a sense of humour...

I rolled up at the surgery at 08:15 this morning, about 15 minutes early for my blood test. It's the usual fasting, HbA1c, cholesterol, etc. test that the diabetes nurse needs done before I see her in July. I had just sat down and was opening my book to have a quiet read while I waited when a nurse appeared and beckoned me in to the treatment room. "J" (the nurse) explained that she was standing in for the nurse who usually takes blood and that she was actually quite nervous about it as not something she normally does. Still, she was very friendly and I figured, well all nurses are experts at taking blood - it's second nature to them. 

She took my right arm and applied the tourniquet then attempted to find a vein. After around 30 seconds of patting my arm and feeling for a pulse, she gave me the usual "sharp scratch" warning and in the needle went. Then as she clipped on the vial to collect the blood she exclaimed "Don't do this to me...". Bemused I was watching as ABSOLUTELY NOTHING came out!  "Well I'm sure I was alive when I woke up this morning" I teased, but I had to admit that this was the first time in my life anyone had stuck a needle in my arm to draw blood and had come up dry. My blood was obviously thinking "It's nice and warm in here, I don't want to see what's down the end of that little metal tube, go away".

We (ok, she) decided to try my left arm and she repeated the procedure. Again nothing happened initially as the vial was attached and we were jokingly wondering what to do next when all of a sudden it finally started and the job was done. She was so apologetic and I really felt sorry for her as I sat there with my arms crossed trying to hold a swab to each arm! Surely her day could only get better? Mine too...!