Yeah I’m grateful that I don’t need to get my blood drawn on a regular basis. I had my labs taken a couple weeks ago and I almost passed out in the chair. The lab tech was like “dude, hang out in the chair as long as you need. I’d rather have you pass out here than on the stairs outside.”
The needles they use to draw blood for lab tests and such are pretty tiny, like 21 gauge. The ones they use when you donate blood are much bigger, 16 gauge or so.
I don’t tend to really notice lab blood draw sticks. I do feel the blood donation ones, but they don’t bother me unless it’s a bad stick, which I do get a lot of.
Oh same. When I was having blood drawn regularly, I knew which ones were good and which ones to avoid.
Ages ago, I had to get an injection in my abdomen every 3 months with a 17 gauge needle (think coffee stir straw). They did lidocaine first but still, there was skill involved in giving that without leaving a baseball sized bruise. I’d ask at check-in: Who’s my nurse today? There were a couple who were really good at it and a couple where I’d say: Nope! Who else ya got? 
When I was giving myself injections they gave me two different sized needles. The wider ones for filling up the syringe, the swap it out for a narrower one to stick in my thigh.
Just using the wider probably wouldn’t have been too bad, but the one I stuck myself with really didn’t feel like much at all. It was still weird to not be able to look away, though.
How does one get the “IGotVaccinated” badge? Never got a sticker for it, may as well show off here.
Re: getting the IGotVaccinated mark:
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I just googled 17 gauge needle. Oh my goodness, I think I need to go lie down. Holy eff.
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I’m only halfway there, but I’ll join the club
I misremembered. It was 14 gauge. Injected a small pellet. Fun times.
Oh shit. Ok I’m going to go ahead and lie on my back and elevate my legs .
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At what point do you just say hang on this is a little too spear-like for me?
I believe that the term is “getting Brittney’d”
It’s Britney get your teen idols right.
I am now exactly one week post shot. Knot and pain disappeared a couple days ago. Only remaining symptom is a rash on my upper arm near the injection site that itches a little. A little googling tells me “COVID Arm” is a thing.
i spoke too soon. it’s been a while since i got the vaccine so not sure if that’s the reason my cycle is extremely off right now.
If I die, miss me.
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Did you meet anyone at the clinic?
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by off, i mean, extremely early, not late.
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Maybe you’re syncing with Rachel?
Got 1st Pfizer shot last Tues afternoon . . . and then proceeded to drive for 15+ hours over the next 1.5 days.
Mild soreness at the injection site during that time. Some fatigue during days 3 and 4 post-injection.
Right now, feel well.
Will be interesting to see how shot #2 goes.
That would be enough for me to feel “some fatigue”.