Gushing

I had an interesting morning. Interesting. Indeed.

I chose to do a site change at my desk today. In my cubicle.

Before I go on I’d like to explain that I have been a pump user for nearly twelve years. I have changed pump sites in varying places with no problems throughout those twelve years. What happened to me today has NEVER happened before. It was completely out of my realm of experience. Chalk it up to experiences well….experienced for lack of a better way to explain it.

Picture me as the jolly green giant, just less giant-ess than a real giant. I’m wearing light green pants and a dark green tank top layered under a lacey green v-neck blouse. I am green, and a fairly light and frilly green. I’m sitting at my desk taking care of the site change business. My desk is an open-ended cubicle. It is fairly private, we don’t have too many wanderers this time of day, so I’m not a spectacle for all to view, unless they choose to. I finish said site change and I look at my old site. I debate on whether or not to remove the old site. I decide to go ahead and take it off as I am confident in my new site.

I pull off the tape and out squirts blood, literally flying and splattering my cubicle wall.

“OH SHIT!” but not quite that quiet. If I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, well I’ve done it now.

Blood is squirting areterial style out of my tummy site, into my cupped hand. There is NO paper towels at my desk. And all I have is my PINK jacket to try and stop the blood. So I try and press it in with my fingers. Blood is pooling on the plastic inlay on the floor. A big fat pool of bright splattered blood. Anything I touch on the desk is streaked with blood. My hand is FILLED will a pool of blood. And my green pants, green blouse, and green layered tank are spattered with blood. And this blood is not stopping.

So I pull out my pink jacket and press down like I’ve never squished my tummy before. Praying no one will walk by my blood spattered and pooled open cubicle. Blood everywhere. Panicked.

I managed to stop the blood flow. I was left with a mess and a hand COVERED in blood, pants and shirt with blood pooled in various places. It is UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLE how much blood I lost from this stupid old site. I hid my blood stained hands under my blood stained pink jacket as I snuck to go wash off. I wrung my pink jacket out in the sink, red water rinsing free of my jacket, and tried to wash off what blood I could from my now more Christmas-like ensemble than jolly green giant ensemble.

Well this giant has just unsuccessfully battled a gusher.

Lesson learned? Leave the site in. Just.leave.it.in.