Fine China

Some of you may know that I had a little out patient surgery last week. On Tuesday, I had to go do all the pre-admit stuff, you know get the blood drawn, sign your life away, and promise not to sue should the doctors scar you for life. Anyway, I was worried they might postpone the procedure because I had a bad allergy/sinus thing going on all weekend prior to this.

But by Tuesday, I was feeling a lot better. So I signed all my papers and went into get my blood drawn. As luck would have it, I felt this small tickle starting in my throat, that then turned into a full blown coughing attack. I asked the nurse if there was a water fountain close by. (Who wants to be coughing with a needle sticking out of your arm?) My luck wasn't getting any better. Seems my nurse doesn't usually work at Stone Crest but at Centennial. So she has no idea where the water fountain is. In hopes of keeping me from coughing up a lung, she offers me her fine china.

She followed her offer with, "We do this all the time. Of course, we don't normally suggest this to our patients, but I promise its sterile." Oh, yes she was talking about providing me with a specimen cup to drink from. Now, because I was already coughing uncontrollably, and I watched as she removed the cup from its sterile packaging, I acquiesced.

So there I am sitting in the lab, drinking from a specimen cup, trying to get myself under control. After a few sips, mission accomplished, or so I thought. But as soon as I threw my fine china cup in the trash, yes, another coughing fit hit. The nurse was so kind and opened another sterile cup. By now, I am totally embarrassed.

She was finally able to draw my blood, with my sterile cup sitting by my side just in case.