Swollen Arm After Blood Draw Novels & Stories

The scene I was witnessing caused a lump to form in my throat, the trail of blood she had left behind, her milky white skin was now a pasty shade of grey with a blue tinge to her lips and she was unconscious yet again. So many questions streamed through my mind but I had to get her out, I pulled the needle out of her hand, a burning sensation travelled through my fingers “SHIT!” throwing the needle down “It’s fucking silver” As soon as the needle was removed, the wound on her arm slowly began knitting back together leaving a deep red line. Although the amount of blood she had lost was worrying.

She yelps quietly with the shot before a bandage is placed on her arm. “I know it’s hard to trust us but I would like to use the same saline as before. I’ve drawn several syringes so my plan is to get your arm over the mat and use the syringe to get just under the bandages before pushing it out into your wound. Your arm has become swollen which is why I can’t get the brace off without causing you pain.” She finishes her statement just as she touches her elbow. I watch as she encourages her to move her arm away from the protection of her body.

Thankfully, my face didn’t bruise because of last night’s tiff with Nathan. When the doctor walks in, I tense up as he takes my vitals. The cuff constricts perfectly on a sore spot, and it’s uncomfortable. “This swelling is pretty bad,” he says, looking over my arm. “How did it happen?” “I fell and landed wrong,” another injury I have to explain away due to my fake clumsiness. The doctor gently tries to rotate my hand, but a sudden stabbing pain shoots to my elbow. A whimper escapes me. I yank my hand from the doctor’s grasp. He then goes to the medical cabinet while shaking his head.

I ask softly. Zarina reaches for a small silver kit on the nearby tray and pulls on a pair of gloves. “A simple draw from your wrist. I’ll take just a little. Enough to be sure you're good.” I frown. “Why not from the top of my hand?” “Because, it's been poked around a lot while you were unconscious.” She says, pointing at the needle marks. “Okay.” Zarina ties a soft band above my elbow to bring the vein forward. Her touch is gentle, but my pulse skitters wildly under her fingertips.

I cried out; ‘Please! No! Stop!’. I begged, but he just ignored me, my cries and pleading only seemed to encourage him more. Against my better judgment, I looked down and was horrified by what I saw. No wonder what he was doing hurt so much, my arm was starting to turn purple and the pressure build-up was so intense, It felt like my fingers were going to explode! It continued until my whole arm, from fingertip to shoulder started to tingle with painful pins and needles.

His eyes we still following Jason and Bruce, but mine had managed to notice a trail of blood slipping down his upper arm. “Oh, my god.” I gasped, “What happened to your arm?” As I examined, I could infer that there was a straight cut on his arm that tore through his jacket. Blood was oozing out of it and the sight of it sent me into a wave of panic. “I think it was a window pane or something. I’m not sure.” he said. pulling his arm toward himself. Upon his retrieval, my grip only tightened. “You need stitches and a shot of TT.” I said. Spotting the nearest bed in the ER, I prompted him toward it.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a soft bed with an IV drip hooked to my arm. The spot where the needle entered stung a little. Just as I tried to shift around, a pair of large hands gently pinned me down. Shawn’s voice, filled with a mix of helplessness and heartache, echoed in my ear. “Don’t move. It’s not done yet.” As he spoke, he placed a warm towel over my arm. “The family doctor said this helps ease the swelling and pain. Does it feel any better?”

I moved a little slower, observing the patient first, searching for any signs of an injection site. She wore a simple white nightgown, her arms bare. I spotted it almost immediately; the red dot on her inner left arm. I walked over, bent down, and brushed my fingers over the spot. When I pulled them away, there was a faint, almost imperceptible but sticky substance.

The nurse approached with a needle and three blood tubes, tying a rubber band around my arm. "Don't worry; it'll just hurt a little, and it'll be quick," she replied with a reassuring smile. I turned my face away so I wouldn't see the moment the needle penetrated my skin. I felt a slight pinch followed by a pressure sensation as she inserted the needle. The nurse was skillful, fitting the tubes carefully to collect the necessary samples. She worked adeptly, drawing three blood samples before sending the tubes directly to the laboratory. "Here, keep pressing for about five minutes, so the blood can clot," she instructed, securing a cotton ball over the puncture site to prevent excessive bleed

The pain was sharp and quick but I could feel the pressure of the needle prodding my skin, which lasted about three minutes. “Alright I’m done,” He announced I opened my eyes to see him placing a piece of cotton and some tape on my arm, he must have noticed the look on my face because he added. “It’s to stop the bleeding,” He threw away the garbage and got up from his stool again. “The blood work is going to take a couple of hours, so if the two of you would like you could stay here or leave and come back,” Doctor Crowell explained picking up the tubes full of my blood.