Dr. Exam

I had my "annual" physical exam today, the first one since 2003. When did the medical professional change from the cold steel speculums to something much less invasive? I didn't even feel the cervix swab, was that also changed ? Used to feel like a razor blade.

At the lab for bloodwork, it was not pleasant. I told the nurse my veins are hard to find. She said my left arm was totally beyond her realm with no sight of a vein and then couldn't hit anything in the right arm after much searching with the needle.

I had to soak my hands in a sink of warm water for five minutes to make my veins appear and then had the blood drawn from a hand vein. The nurse wasn't new, had ten years experience, but the blood draw was still an unpleasant experience having numerous needles searching for a vein.

My hand and arm are bruised. But on a happy note, I had my physical exam for this year.