There is also a routine, which we don't deviate from at all!
- About 45 minutes prior, Dad or Mom put 'Emla' (numbing cream - doesn't take all of the 'ouch' out, but it helps) on the site and cover with tagaderm
- We always do both arms - we rarely need both, but just in case!
- Head to labs to be there at 7:30 p.m. (one of the lab levels needs to be about 12 hours after he took his anti-rejection med, so we are fortunate to have a lab open in the evening!)
- Sit in lab chair
- Nancy puts a warming pack on the site
- After a few minutes, Nancy finds Shirley
- Nancy preps the area, takes of emla, etc. while Shirley holds Carson
- (We think Shirley could likely be out of a job and not need to hold Carson's arm, but he loves Shirley too and just likes her there!)
- Carson gets a sucker or some sort of candy to suck on
- Blood draw
- Carson 'supervises' the whole procedure - he HAS to watch
- 10 ml of blood drawn - all done!
- Band-aid time
- Take off the other Emla/tagaderm patch
- Medication time for Carson
- Big hugs and thank you's to Nancy and Shirley
- See you both in four weeks!
- Home!
We are so proud of Carson - he sails through lab work like a champ. It wasn't always this way. There used to be many, many tears, we held him down as he thrashed, he screamed, there were multiple pokes/attempts to get the blood because of his tiny veins...it was awful. Typically, it was more than just Carson that ended up crying.
Now, I can't recall the last time he cried. He's very matter-of-fact about it and seems very fascinated by the process. Just another example of how amazing he is.
Enjoy the pics! Note that that 'intent' look is not pain, he's watching every step!
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