r/mildlyinfuriating • u/DirtyRoller • 14d ago
Don't hug me I'm scared Lab worker tricked me into watching an injection, then I got 86'd for my reaction.
I am not comfortable with needles, so when I get blood work done I always tell them "I don't like needles, so I'm gonna look away, and please don't tell me when it's coming." It's just that initial jab that really freaks me out and gives me anxiety, once I'm past that I am totally fine.
Today the lady who was taking my blood got everything prepped, and I turned my head so she could do her thing. She then asks me "have you talked to anyone about this mole on your arm?" Causing me to look toward my arm, and as soon as I looked, she stuck the needle in! She lightly giggled, but my reaction was to shout "YOU FUCKING BITCH!" quite loudly. She was clearly a bit shaken up by it, and so was I. She finished drawing my blood and I left.
I got a call later from someone at that office asking me not to come back to that location. I was still too angry to explain myself, so I just hung up. I am a little hot still, so tomorrow when I am calmer I plan to write an email to the office explaining my side of the situation.
Also, I do not have any moles on my arm.
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u/Due_Conclusion6132 14d ago
I'm a laboratory technician who also has drawn blood. I can tell you where I work, that employee would have been let go. That is unacceptable behavior. The lab obviously only has her side of the story. Please make sure you file that complaint, and if you receive a patient satisfaction survey, send that in as well.
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u/rageinthecage666 14d ago
Contact the highest position and report that worker. Now that she has gotten away with it she can do it to the next person that show sign of anxiety.
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u/ihaveaglow 14d ago
I agree that you should contact someone. Not just to protect other people, but to get that out of your medical records. This is likely going to be something that future doctors can see when they request your records, and you don't want to have to explain the situation to every new doctor.
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u/silverokapi 14d ago
They aren't going to let you back, but you do have options to protect yourself and others from further harm. Tell the referring provider what happened in clear and unbiased language. Write a letter with similar information to the lab with an emphasis on the emotional impact. You can also check if there is a licensing body to report the incident to.
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u/DirtyRoller 14d ago
If I can't go back it's not the end of the world, I only go to that location for blood work because it's the closest to home, my primary care doc is at another location. They have a bunch of locations in my city.
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u/CinnamonEspeon 14d ago
It's not the end of the world, but a paper trail for this incident will only serve as protection for you going forward if she or someone else tries to escalate, or a new incident occurs (even for something completely unrelated.)
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u/DirtyRoller 14d ago
Yeah I am 100% writing an email tomorrow. If I can't go back to that office I won't be too upset about it, but I really like my PCP that I see at a different location. I'd be really mad if I wasn't allowed in her office!
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u/silverokapi 14d ago
Before you send it, have a friend read it to make sure the language is factual and not inflammatory. I work in dental administration and we have gotten some bonkers letters from patients regarding their experience at the clinic.
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u/turducken19 14d ago
As a long time retail employee I have heard some incredibly inflated accounts of my and my coworker's supposed incompetence.
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u/LadyEsinni 14d ago
Same. My favorite is the one that got me fired from a certain home improvement store. A customer claimed, among other things, that I purposely hid from them to avoid helping them. I didn’t even work in the department they were in. I was working in my own department. They only knew my name because I noticed them not being helped and went over and talked to them. The actual associate from that department was sitting at their desk playing on their phone.
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u/cute_red_benzo 14d ago
I'm sure they felt what they experienced was also bonkers. Difference being, they aren't at work and your colleagues are. Difference being, your colleagues are causing debilitating, lasting harm. The bar is much higher for what your acceptable behavior is.
-frightened dental patient
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u/Ossmo02 14d ago
I'd spend the $14-17 & send a certified letter signature required so they can never say they didn't get it, and you could have your pcp add a copy to your record as you know their notes are going to follow your records as well.
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u/DangerousDisplay7664 14d ago
Hold on, it costs that much to send a letter that gets a signature on delivery?! In the UK that service would cost £3.80 ($5.08)
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u/xenli 14d ago
No. It’s only $5 for signature confirmation through the Postal Service. Maybe one of the private companies charges that much.
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u/McChugIt 14d ago
Chances are, you're not the first person they've done this to. I wouldn't be surprised if they've done similar to others and filed a complaint first to get ahead of it. Please do report this person.
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u/RefreshmentsAndNarcs 14d ago
The best advice I’ve been given regarding this type of email is “Facts, not feelings”. I tend to start typing calmly and end up punching the keyboard after a few sentences until I remind myself “Facts, not feelings.” So I delete the feelings and repeat until I get a good email written.
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u/jxj24 14d ago
I would actually send a dead-tree mail.
Bonus points for listing a CC to the licensing board.
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u/DangerousDisplay7664 14d ago
In your complaint email I would mention that after this experience, you had no desire to ever visit that location anyway!
Medical fears are very real and very serious. No health professional would have been trained to fuck with a patient and traumatise them like that so she's learned that part all by herself. She is a danger to the public!
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u/CinnamonEspeon 14d ago
Good shit my dude, sorry this happened to you and wishing you the best of luck that the email doesn't ever actually have to come up again. o7
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u/but_why_n0t 14d ago
I also hate watching the jab, and if I somehow end up at that lab I don't want her to trick me too. Please please for people like me, report her.
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u/canijustbelancelot 14d ago
Still worth reporting. What if the reason you didn’t want to look was to avoid fainting? I mean, panic should be enough of a distressing event to want to avoid, but she could have created worse.
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u/ALDIsNumber1Fan 14d ago
“It’s not about the money it’s about sending a message”
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u/TemporaryOwlet 14d ago
Not only emotional. Imagine that instead of screaming she yanked her hand while being poked? My relative got years of pain because of blood test gone wrong and veins damaged
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u/AlienHooker 14d ago
Any medical place worth a damn woild absolutely take the patient's side here
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u/Extension-Month-3006 14d ago
I agree, and i believe OP’s version of events, but is this not a typical “he said, she said” situation?
Still, I would write to explain my side of the story.
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u/stopsallover 14d ago
It's one instance. If never documented, it never happened. That means it can happen again and again to others.
You're right that someone should not necessarily be fired after one accusation.
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u/Dovahkin6 14d ago
My old mentor would say, "If it's never documented in our system, it never happened." Those words served me well even to this day and is why my former supervisor would use my documentation skills as training material for new hires. :)
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u/KirklandKid 14d ago
What’s the nurses she said? He just called me a bitch for no reason can you believe that? No I can’t really
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u/silverokapi 14d ago
Yes, but if OP comes out swinging they will protect their employees from a volatile patient.
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u/CrazyJoe29 14d ago
If they’re smart that lab tech will be mopping floors. That behaviour’s unhinged and a HUGE liability.
What if OP was some kind of lawyer?
Or if OP had a panic attack and fell?
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u/LogensTenthFinger 14d ago
Not a chance. If I did something like that there's a 50% chance I'd be fired
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u/ozziegt 14d ago
I would call and talk to the management. Even if they don't care, the tech probably won't do that anymore. That's borderline psychopathic behavior though (mainly because of the giggling) and someone in charge needs to know about it.
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u/MaximusZacharia 14d ago
Also they should either erase this bad moment from your medical history (think of Elaine in Seinfeld) or add notes explaining it
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u/DirtyRoller 14d ago
I didn't think about that, I definitely don't want some kind of violent label on my medical chart! I go through the same company for almost everything. Primary care, vision, dermatology, orthotics, etc.
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u/korikill 14d ago
They could absolutely write about it in your chart. That's why you have to protect yourself by writing a factual, unemotional email.
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u/MusterEveryFiber 14d ago
Further to that, if it comes back to the phlebotomist that took your blood, they might be educated on how to better approach patients who have a needle phobia. Notifying them "should" benefit everyone, including yourself, health professionals and future patients as well
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u/Bronze334 14d ago
That lab tech should be reprimanded, but there's nothing to sue for here, there's no damages
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u/Goodgoditsgrowing 14d ago
Ask to see the summary notes for the visit and any documentation added to your file. You have the legal right to request and receive your medical records.
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u/JustLookingForMayhem 14d ago
You have no idea how many nurses are full of it. I have people in my family with partial anesthesia resistance (still feel what is happening, but can't really care and don't feel it as 'pain.' My grandpa almost died during open heart surgery, because, while he couldn't be bothered with his literal exposed heart, when a nurse was checking him, he decided it was the perfect time to stick out his tongue.). I have a note in my medical history that drugs don't work right on me. I have been to pretty much every dentist around. I bite when something hurts. Generally, I need more anesthesia to avoid pain and it doesn't last as long as it should. Beyond that I don't get numb, the pain just stops. It is always some nurse who knows better than me or my medical record who think I am just trying for drugs. Then without fail, the drugs wear off early, something hurts, and I reflexively bite down. I haven't seen a dentist in years because I have been banned from the local ones. I really wish that mmy records would be considered. I am kind of scared that I will need major surgery someday and go from uncaring to immense pain at an unfortunate moment.
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u/coveted_asfuck 14d ago edited 12d ago
I’m on a medication that makes anesthesia wear off quickly as well. I live in a city with an opioid epidemic and before the medical community got its shit together and actually hired addiction doctors and stopped stigmatizing addicts and accusing other people of drug seeking I would get the same treatment. I literally had surgery with local anesthesia and at the end the doctor left the resident to do the stitches and I could feel it and when I came out the local had ran out and I had an infection so I was right back into 10/10 pain. I was sitting alone writhing in pain and the doctor came over and told me that it was impossible that it had worn off because it was a 4 hour local and accused me of drug seeking- even though at that point they had left me for 12 hours without any pain relief aside from the short period of anesthesia. Luckily things have changed now, but before they did I was able to find a pubmed article about freezing and my meds that I would have on my phone just in case some asshole didn’t believe me! If you know why you need extra freezing might be worth doing the same.
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u/Large_Dr_Pepper YELLOW 14d ago edited 14d ago
In the future it may help if you tell them you have the "red head gene" or "there are red heads in my family" or something. I haven't actually read any studies about it, but apparently red heads have some gene that makes them less susceptible to anesthesia.
I kept telling my dentist that my mouth/face still wasn't numb after like 3 different shots, and I could tell he didn't really believe me and thought I was just scared of dental work or something. But the number of fillings I've had probably exceeds the number of teeth I have, and I could honestly fall asleep during a filling.
Then one of the assistants pointed out that I have some red beard hairs (I'm bald, so that's all they could go off of lol) and all of a sudden I was given an "extra strength" injection of the local anesthetic.
Again, I don't know how valid the "red head gene" is regarding anesthesia effectiveness, but at least in my experience it's effective at getting the dentist to take you seriously.
Edit: Totally unnecessary info but for some reason I want to defend myself regarding dental hygiene.
My father gave me terrible teeth genetics apparently. I take good care of my teeth, and despite my username I don't drink soda and rarely eat candy and whatnot.
For example, the last time I went to get cavities filled I had 3 on my right side and 2 on my left side. The hygienist preparing me was asking stuff like how often I brush, if I eat candy, drink soda, etc. and was like "well it's gotta be something." Then after doing a teeth cleaning and checking for gingivitis she was like, "I take it back, you take great care of your teeth. You must just be genetically predisposed to cavities."
Fuckin dentist not believing I'm resistant to local anesthesia and dental hygienist not believing I take good care of my teeth. I may have just been going to a shitty practice.
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u/hurriedwarples 14d ago
Are you a redhead, by chance?
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u/JustLookingForMayhem 14d ago
Nope, but my family history is lightly inbred. My family has lived in Ohio since before it was a state (the family was awarded a parcel for providing shoes to the Continental Army). Beyond that, there are also a couple local families with similar lineages. The concern has been keep the land in the family for so long that three family have just been marrying back and forth for the past 250ish years. So while not technically inbred, my parents share a couple of great-great-great-grandparents. Of the 32 people from that generation, 10 to 14 are in both of their family trees (there was some drama back then surrounding who married who and whose kids were whose. It is a mess of marrying the brothers or sisters of widows or widowers). It gets messier the further back it goes
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u/cheesychocolate419 14d ago
Goddamn bro, you gotta marry someone from the opposite side of the world to even things out
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u/No-Mathematician8692 14d ago
Your grandfather... Is a legend. If he's around tell him I'm impressed and will now try and live up to his standards.
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u/JustLookingForMayhem 14d ago
He is still around. Agent Orange from Vietnam has screwed him up though, he was told he had 6 moths to live about 6 years ago come August.
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u/JadedTrekkie 14d ago
A shocking number of nurses are in that field because they have power over people. Kinda like cops ngl
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u/Tedious_Crow 14d ago
Remember OP, people get away with medical abuse because most patients would rather move on than speak up. Don't let this go. Make some noise.
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u/TavenderGooms 14d ago
Yeah, this has happened to me and I regret not doing something about it after the fact. I was once physically restrained by a nurse and had an IV inserted against my will (despite being completely clear headed and in my right mind and not being in physical danger that needed an IV whatsoever). She waited until my husband who was with me left the room to get me a cup of water and she came in through another door. I told her no and told her to stop and she held me down on the chest with her elbow and shoved the needle into my arm hard and dug around until she got it.
I regret not filing a complaint and am legitimately traumatized from the experience. More people need to speak up about medical abuse and trauma because they get away with it and continue to treat other patients this way.
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u/robots-made-of-cake 14d ago
What a psychopath! I’m so sorry she did that to you. Thank you for sharing your experience. I swear there needs to be annual psych evaluations to keep medical licenses.
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u/DJ-Halfbreed 14d ago
What an evil coward, crazy fucking staff and soulless insurance companies and family+doctors wonder why people wait until they're actively dying to get things checked. Humanity is garbage, even the "healers" are corrupt. Im sorry that happened to you and even if its late i would report it. There might be new reports on them too and your story could really make a difference. Imo you were assaulted with a deadly weapon and they violated the "do no harm" part of their oath.
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u/lemonhead2345 14d ago
This is an incredibly important point OP. Who else is the torturing that may be too afraid to speak up?
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u/krisann67 14d ago
Retired RN here. In my opinion, her behavior during treatment was unethical and created an atmosphere of distrust. I'm not sure why she thought it was funny, and I'm not sure why the facility would refuse future treatment because you swore during a painful procedure that gives you anxiety. I've been called much worse before by patients who were not at their best. It happens. It's not like you attacked her. She's in the wrong profession if she thinks tricking patients is funny, and is also so easily traumatized.
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u/ThirdOne38 14d ago
Definitely report her for doing this. That was a very cruel thing to do. Your reaction wasn't good, but that doesn't get her off the hook for trying to mess with you.
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u/flying_dodo_wut 14d ago
Yeah like if someone expresses concern/fear over something and you take it as a joke & make it into a joke, that’s lowkey a really mean thing to do 😭 OP’s reaction wasn’t ideal, but that’s what happens when you’re afraid/traumatized!!!!!! Def report that nurse, OP.
- Signed, another human with a fear of needles
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u/Joelle9879 14d ago
The reaction was one of panic. It's something that happens when your anxiety spikes
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u/InspectorOrganic9382 14d ago
Yeah. She was a fucking bitch. Let the office manager know, also let them know that if they don’t unban you and handle this internally you will be posting on the corporate pages, finding out if they are affiliated with local hospitals and complaining there; and extending your complaints to anyone who will listen. If you are in one of 4 states that licenses phlebotomy at the state level: California: Regulated by the California Department of Public Health
Louisiana: Regulated by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
Nevada: Regulated by the state Division of Public and Behavioral Health
Washington: Regulated by the Washington State Department of Health, complain to them too.43
u/Dovahkin6 14d ago
Rain hellfire is a good way to go about this. I'm that person who will continue to make a point so that person doesn't repeat that awful experience again.
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u/MaximusZacharia 14d ago
Her reaction was normal, given the situation. My first wife was deathly afraid of needles. Had this lady pulled it on her, she’d have been drawing blood from that lady’s caved in eye socket
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u/DoritoLipDust 14d ago
So you told her your trigger and how to avoid it, and she purposely triggered you as a joke or whatever, and you reacted (perhaps you didn't know it would be exactly that, but you knew you wanted to avoid it), and YOU'RE not welcome back?
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u/Dovahkin6 14d ago
Some people will participate in a fundamental attribution error called "interpersonal storytelling". They will spin a story that makes them look good even splitting hairs and miscontruing details so they don't get in trouble. I'd imagine some offices like that employee and will look past it, especially if they're short staffed.
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u/EggPositive5993 14d ago
I also ask to not watch them draw anything because it makes me lightheaded. One time at a Red Cross donation the phlebotomist did something similar to me. I got her back by passing out. Never got a chance to call her anything but I definitely thought about it once I came to.
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u/concentrated-amazing 14d ago
The one and only time I have blood, the nurse was sooooo insistent that I not pass out. I was close, just a small circle of vision in the centre of my field of view, and it would've been very easy to just pass out but she kept on say loudly "stay with me! Stay with me!"
(I wouldn't have been deterred from donating again because of this, but I've been ineligible ever since due to travel and then an autoimmune disease.)
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u/Perfect_Tree8134 14d ago
Yeah I feel like that's a good thing? Why would you want to pass out? I say as someone who's never passed out so maybe I'm missing something
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u/DrainianDream 14d ago
I rarely do, but I fainted while getting diagnosed with POTS and it sticks with you for the rest of the day basically. You feel super faint and weak and just Off basically until you sleep long enough for your body to reset basically. It's also not great if you do it with a needle in you because you might slide or fall while limp and that could make the needle move etc. Also like, they don't want you to fall and hit your head or something
It can also be pretty scary to witness so I imagine someone newer to it would be very determined to keep you conscious for both your sakes
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u/Cimerone1 14d ago
Pretty sure they should have stopped the draw loooong before you got down to a small circle in your vision
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u/concentrated-amazing 14d ago
Maybe? I have nothing else to compare it to.
On reflecting on it afterwards, I probably was dehydrated, which wouldn't have helped.
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u/BlindedAce 14d ago
She’s shaken up because she knows she fucked you. You absolutely need to call AND email recording the experience and explaining the outburst. You can even agree not to go there anymore due to them hiring unprofessional children and will also be reporting them hire and leave it at that.
You don’t fuck around in the medical world ever.
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u/AlertCollar3505 14d ago
Medical works fuck people over am the time with absolutely no consequences
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u/only1Leah 14d ago
Call not just the lab location, but the main office for the lab company and make a complaint about the phlebotomist. That kind of behavior isn't cute, funny, or the last bit acceptable. You stated your issue and the way you deal with it and she opted to stomp all over your boundary. That woman deserves to be written up at the very least and she owes you an apology.
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u/cheetuzz 14d ago
that lady probably makes jokes at airport TSA because she thinks they’re hilarious
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u/Objective-Plum1201 14d ago
I would be livid. I’m a fainter (or at least used to be). I’d definitely email or call them and tell them you’d be happy not to come back there. Sure, your reaction was uncalled for but so was her “joke.”
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u/Tedious_Crow 14d ago
No, that was a totally fair reaction. The tech/nurse deliberately provoked them. There is absolutely no excuse for that. It's not their job to indulge in armature exposure therapy. You could even make a case for assault here because the tech/nurse very clearly had limited consent. As in "inject me while I'm not looking" deliberately violating that consent should be enough to get her banned from medical work.
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u/ichigoli 14d ago
Right. Also, on the note of "fainters" , what if OP knew they were prone to fainting and was taking precautions against that? The nurse could have opened herself up to a HUGE liability risk had her stunt caused OP to suffer a physical reaction. She's beyond lucky she was only called a bitch instead of The Defendant
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u/Tedious_Crow 14d ago
I have also heard stories of the "fight" part of the fight or flight response kicking in HARD and people getting decked for this sort of nonsense. Which would have at least solved the nurse/tech's attitude problem.
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u/DoctorJJWho 14d ago
Depending on where OP is located, there is most likely no evidence for what happened beyond hearsay, which would not go far in pressing charges. Very few lawyers would take OP’s case for monetary damages. Unfortunately the best OP can hope for some sort of mild disciplinary action from the regulating body of the nurse. Realistically the mark will be put in the nurse’s file and do nothing but provide supporting evidence in a future case (which is great for the future but doesn’t help OP).
I really hope and want OP to get justice, but they probably won’t :(
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u/RemarkableSpirit5204 14d ago
Op should use your words in his letter to help drive home the gravity of the situation, I hope they see your comment.
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u/eugeneugene 14d ago
I'm a fainter too and have to get blood drawn monthly (you'd think I would be used to it by now lol), I've had enough nurses/phlebotomists like OPs that I just pay the extra $40 fee to have a lady come draw my blood at home because it's the same lady every time and she is a saint. And I get to lay on my own couch and cuddle my cat while she does it lol.
It has to be some sort of power trip to do that to someone, especially as a phlebotomist who does blood draws all day, they definitely know people aren't lying when they have anxiety about needles. Like I'm 100% fine if I don't see it go in and don't know when it's going in. Super easy instructions to keep me from passing out, yet some people think it's funny to get me to look.
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u/Shopworn_Soul 14d ago
I don't think that reaction was "uncalled for" at all. In fact I'd say it is a fair sight gentler than the crusade that may occur to cost that woman her job.
It was definitely stronger than the phlebotomist expected but hey, y'know. Maybe don't fuck with people in a professional capacity.
She's lucky she didn't get puked on, or have OP faint out of the chair.
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u/Tasty_Ordinary_4572 14d ago
Chiming in as another fainter that I agree - you can't mess around with this kind of thing! Sure it could have been handled better but I think people need to be more understanding of just how anxiety inducing it can be for some people.
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u/Material_Hair2805 more than mildly furious 14d ago
I faint and seize if I am not very careful when I’m getting my blood drawn. Please, OP, for me if not for yourself, report this. I would hate for someone like you or I to experience this ever again
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u/NeedsItRough 14d ago
I don't understand what's up with people and pulling shit like this.
I had a very traumatic experience with a dental surgeon where he acted as if he was going to apply numbing gel to my gums before the Novocaine shot, had me open my mouth then came in quickly with the shot and jabbed it in without warning. He didn't wait more than a couple minutes before cutting into my gum and struggling to pull the failed implant out. I was crying while choking on blood and spit and I now tremble when I'm at the dentist or a location where a needle is involved.
So now I ask the person drawing my blood or the dentist or whoever to please tell me when the have the needle in their hand and to not try to hide it.
And they always try to hide it and surprise me with it.
I don't. Fucking. Get it.
It's a simple request. I know what works for me. I'm telling you what works. Please just do this simple step so you don't reignite my trauma.
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u/SkySong13 14d ago
I had a similar but slightly different experience at the dentist too. I was a kid, and they were doing something (crown? Filling? I dunno) and this was the first time I wasn't put under with laughing gas for a dental thing.
I always had a fast metabolism as a kid (wish that was still the case) so they didn't give me enough painkillers through the needle and I was trying to say I could feel everything they were doing but they didn't stop. I remember them saying to me that it was enough and I was being dramatic. By the end of the surgery I was screaming and crying and kicking and the dentist said I wasn't welcome back.
I am now nearly 30 and I can still only go to dentists who use laughing gas because that and another incident made me so afraid that I just can't handle it. It's only within the last few years that I got to a point where I could get shots without either a panic attack or a heavy dose of medication to make me loopy, but so many medical professionals just laugh when I say I have an intense phobia of needles and they always make the stupid comment that no one likes needles. Absolute assholes. If I told them why I can't handle needles (actually not the above story) I would like to think they would shit up and feel like shit but who knows.
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u/matthewgt 14d ago
God, that's horrible. Some dentists are sadistic. I had a podiatrist who burned the skin off my toe with a torch thing for an ingrown toenail. No one comes near my toes now.
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u/tamtip 14d ago
Just read about a lawsuit against a podiatrist. He injected isopropyl alcohol instead of lidocaine into her toes. Then forcibly removed 2 ingrown toenails while patient screamed and cried. The alcohol really messed up the toe, she was in the hospital for days. Ive never heard a good story about a podiatrist.
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u/AwkwardDorkyNerd PURPLE 14d ago
Oh god you just unlocked a memory for me where, as a kid I had one last baby tooth that wasn’t really loose but was in the way of an adult tooth trying to grow in, so it needed to come out.
Dentist numbed up the area, then asked if I could still feel it, and I said yes. He put his fingers in to “rub more numbing gel on”, and instead yanked it out full force with his hand. It fucking hurt bad, as if it hadn’t been numbed at all.
He seemed surprised when I started crying and saying it hurt, as if he didn’t believe me when I told him I could still feel it and needed to be numbed more :/
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u/DirtyRoller 14d ago
Omg that would be a nightmare for me! My aversion to needles is quite mild, just brief anxiety leading up to the injection, then I'm totally fine. The dentist freaks me the fuck out! I hate hate HATE dental work! 😂
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u/SensitiveWolf1362 14d ago
I have the same, in fact I always feel so stupid afterwards because it’s not like it hurts. Heck getting your legs waxed hurts way more. So why can’t I look at the needle without hyperventilating??
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u/Nova_Celestine 14d ago
I feel like when you're sticking a needle in someone is the worst time to try pulling one over on them
Lady needs to read a room
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u/Infamous-Feature-338 14d ago edited 13d ago
fr, op could have violently jerked or moved instead of yelling .
a nurse did something similar to me when I was a teenager, I still have a scar from it
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u/OwlOk5229 14d ago
I drew blood at a cancer center, lab, and hospital. This kind of person is a malicious piece of work. There's no medical benefit to doing this. Lying to intentionally cause distress is what you should say happened.
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u/DuntadaMan 14d ago
As someone working in EMS the number of people who call me a fucking bitch or asshole when we administer something is immense. I would never hold something against a patient if said while I was sticking a needle in them.
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u/calccv 14d ago
Fuck her! Grossly unprofessional and should cost her her job. I’d complain up the ladder (in writing). Unacceptable (from a guy who gets bloodwork several times a yr).
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u/spikefan180 14d ago
I hope you can report them -
If this was someone with an extreme fear of needles or something - this could have been traumatic
what if you had freaked out and pulled away - or jumped up (this could have caused an injury - to you AND her)
or fainted
Also the blatant lie about the mole is disgusting
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u/QuietInterloper PURPLE 14d ago
I used to be able to watch all parts of my bloodwork, then suddenly in my late 20s I’d get sick if I saw it. If a nurse did that to me, I could faint, vomit, or both. Anyways, here’s hoping the next person she does that to is more vomit-y than you or I.
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u/Lavatis 14d ago
google reviews hurt doctor's offices too.
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u/traumatizedenby 14d ago
👆 It’s much more difficult for doctors to get rid of bad Google reviews than bad Healthgrades reviews.
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u/General_Benefit8634 14d ago
Lay a formal complaint with the clinic and let them know that if the nurse is not censured in some form by the clinic then you will escalate to the nursing board.
„Tricking“ someone into anxiety is not petty and mean, it is unprofessional and potentially dangerous. Had you fainted or seized, the damage could have been substantial and you do not and should not have to explain yourself beyond what you did.
My daughter faints at the sight of blood, even the small amount from an injection site. She has tried lots of different therapies to cure it and yet still goes very white with tunnel vision after 35 years. Anxiety is not something to giggle at
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u/Historical-State-275 14d ago
Report them, not just for you; but for their future victims. What if it’s a kid?
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u/Ok_Relationship2451 14d ago
Don't call them... Leave a review on Google, and any other review platform explain what happened. If it was truly malicious that's screwed up
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u/cheungstyle 14d ago
That tech is the one who should be 86’d from her job. Write them calmly and hope you get a favorable outcome that gives you some solace.
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u/DoallthenKnit2relax 14d ago edited 14d ago
The lab company website should have information on how to file a complaint, in addition there are other organizations that will take a complaint against a practitioner in the healthcare field, JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations), for one, which is now officially known as simply The Joint Commission, at https://www.jointcommission.org.
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u/l0c0pez 14d ago
I have a pacemaker because i have a neuro-cardio condition that causes me to pass out due to some stress reactions, mostly comes into play when drawing blood. In the decade before my pacemaker - her doing that would have put me at risk for much further harm Anyone could have similar or worse conditions. Your assesment is correct shes a fucking bitch!
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u/PomegranateEither768 14d ago
Put a complaint in, detailing exactly why you spoke that way. At best, she needs retraining.
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u/CrabbiestAsp 14d ago
Absolutely put a formal complaint in. Acknowledge that you did lash out, apologise properly and let them know you know that it isn't acceptable (this should help them take your complaint more seriously). If they fob you off, find out the next higher up to complain to.
What if you fainted? Would she have still laughed? She was super unprofessional
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u/bannedfrom_argo 14d ago
This is actually quite serious, as I have a friend who will faint at the sight of blood. You clearly requested an accommodation which was ignored. Email is good to document it in writing. You can apologize and also ask what type of remedial training the tech will receive and state simply that you expect an apology for their unprofessional behavior. You could add that unless changes are made you will no longer be recommending that location to your friends and family. However, you haven't been trespassed so once some time has passed you could go back to that location.
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u/TacoGriller 14d ago
Tell us what happens once you email them! What she did is literally so messed up wth
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u/ITakeTheBusSometimes 14d ago
I’m only jumping in because I’m triggered by this.
Am I imagining a growing trend of the people who are supposed to be helping you, fucking with you, then acting like you’re the one with the problem?
Is this not bullying?
I have experienced all sorts of people on the other side of the counter who are using their ‘power’ to fuck with people. In small ways, so small that others think the victim is overreacting.
The office staff kicked the victim out of the office because they only cared about her behavior, not the events leading up to it.
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u/cardamomgrrl 14d ago
That was 100% the correct response. Fucking bitch. I’d have her job or die trying.
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u/HelloKitty110174 14d ago
I once told a nurse, "I don't like needles." He said, "Neither do I - let's both look away!" I still tell phlebotomists and nurses that story.
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u/BettydelSol 14d ago
The nurse should be fired. That behavior is SO UNPROFESSIONAL!!! She purposely drew your attention to something you expressly told her you did not feel comfortable seeing. I am sure she left out that key detail when retelling the story.
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u/Evanthekid16 14d ago edited 14d ago
Please put in a notice to management at this location. They work in healthcare and should understand fear of needles and fear responses. I don’t think it’s necessarily fair for a worker to lose their job over this, but it’s definitely not fair to inconvenience you for something that’s really not your fault. She should definitely be talked to about why what she did was bad if she hasn’t already figured it out. You should not be the one dealing with the repercussions from her actions if you gave her a clear boundary and she broke that trust unnecessarily.
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u/HsinVega 14d ago
If you're consciously purposefully causing harm you should lose your job in healthcare.
It's lucky that op just shouted, what would have happened if they jerked away or literally anything else? The tech knew what she was doing and didn't care that it could have been harmful.
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u/SnowyGoddess 14d ago
A nurse tried this when I was a kid. My mom warned them I used to need to be held down I was very afraid of needles but was getting better. Well. That didn’t end well as I started screaming, kicking and she didn’t get to do the vaccine. It did end with six nurses having to hold me down because I was struggling so much screaming. They made sure to put in my chart that I had a fear of needles and if I saw would require many nurses to hold me down. If a nurse tried that today, my response might still be fight. Don’t know since I haven’t had any try it on me.
Please do email, call and anything you can to report that nurse! The giggling is truly some evil shit.
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u/ModernMargaretSanger 14d ago
For sure report what she did to management. Unprofessional behavior by phlebotomist. Why would she even do that? That’s kind of twisted.
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u/Jhottsaucee 14d ago
If I see the needle go into my arm it’s almost a guarantee that I’m passing out. My body gets hot, I sweat almost immediately, and then the dizziness comes. And then? Down for the count.
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u/Horkerbreath 14d ago
In phlebotomy training they press that consent is a major deal. They also press us on warning the patient and telling them there will be a slight stick. There's so many alarm bells and red flags about this situation. That's a huge deal.
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u/elvenmal 14d ago
So almost all medical places have a patient relations or a compliance line to call and email. I STRONGLY encourage you to find out this email address and include them on the email to the office manager.
This is highly wrong. And you know that tech spun that story so they wouldn’t be in a bad light. Also, the office manager will cover for that employee but they will not be able to do much covering if compliance or patient relations is on the email too.
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u/Parma_WdS 14d ago
I used to pass out when my blood was drawn and I didn't lie down. One time I was at the doctor's office it was all done but I had to lay down for like 5-10 minutes to make sure I don't pass out. All fine maybe not normal but Im used to it
They made an assistant watch me the entire time and I could tell she could barely contain her laughter and was giggling with others the entire time. That was not it. Not nearly as bad as this but it wasn't fun I'll tell you that. She thought it's was the funniest thing that a grown ass man was incapacitated by a needle. I'm not scared of needles btw. My brains just thinks I'm dying
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u/Sweddy-Bowls 14d ago
I always make the request not to witness the injection because for whatever reason I get dizzy and have almost fallen out of the chair and caused them to miss the shot. When someone makes a request like that they damn well need to take it seriously. It is basically medical malpractice to ignore a warning like that.
All that being said, I would complain but I wouldn’t try to go back there.
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u/Plastic_Stable8927 14d ago
She was shaken up because she realized she fucked up. Tell the company, and don't allow that person who clearly doesn't understand her position in fucking medical care enough to know you don't victimize patients.
She doesn't care about her patients, obviously, she cares about not being found out as a bad fit for the job.
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u/cynuhstir1 14d ago
My husband did phlebotomy for a while and I helped him study. There's a whole section on how to treat people with needle aversions.
This is not it.