Dear Catherine,

This stuff just is what it is. As a child I was subjected to the University of Michigan and after the gauntlet of residents in my pants or that one resident sent in on their own and then the endo, I would of walked on fire to get out of that place. After servicing the residents and the surgeon that thought having me slide down on his finger and push so he could see how far his finger went into me ....drawing blood wasn’t anything at all and the way they did it was the stuff nightmares are made out of anyway. You had this desk in the middle of an empty room and then they would shuffle all the children in and up against a wall and then one by one we would sit in this little school desk to get blood drawn as the other children watched - I remember one little boy coming up to me and the nurses went ohhh you can watch come closer - didn’t give anything about my feelings (parents talking this and that is going to be done to you doesn’t make it better - it shows that they want this to be done and keep your mouth shut  you need this_  and after the CAH exams with the residents and then the Endo coming in with doing it all over so they could also watch him after they first pulled eveything apart themselves well then having another child come watch up close. Like i said anything to get out of that place and I knew that the blood lab was the next step out of having to endure with it all. My mother would give me a look of distane, disgust if I cried ...so it didn’t play to even do that.  Everything with CAH from the genital exams to blood draws to the prednisone (terrible stuff)  at the time was something matter of fact and was done. Maybe it was the 70’s i don’t really know but I never felt like a sickie becasue of the CAH but did feel violated from the examples. Blood work wasn’t a problem for me and recently had this nurse try to spray some solution to makr it easier and actually that was the first time it ever hurt  really and the head nurse came over mentioning that stuff isn’t good to always use and since the woman was hearing it from the other nurse ..I didn’t  have it in me to tell her that it actually made it hurt and I broke out in hives anyway around the site.

I really feel for you all because if you are worried about your child holding this against you and your child senses this then oh dear  maybe a chance your child will take advantage and really don’t let this happen ........Oh boo hoo me had these blood draws  Now but that toy for me now Mom or give me the keyes to the car Now Mom! just examples and I hope that somehow you get this because  blood draws are something that will always be there. I get my blood drawn just below my wrist at my insistence because I have really bad vein ..a hard stick from what they say of long term cortiosne use and the chemotherapthy. It never hurts because I do put faith in the person doing it and maybe it would help him to talk for three seconds or so to the person doing the sticking so they aren’t seen as the boogy man or lady but rather someone that he would want to draw a picture for or bring candy to. See maybe making the connection that the medical person is a human and not someone that is going to assult you might help.

The needles were fine for me because nobody was using me for their own curiosity and I new that sunshine outside was the next step after the needle.

I remember one time after enduring the residents and the endo - then on to the blood lab it was slow andt they still sugested back to the room but I got lucky and was a ble to get the blood drwan thru the little cubbie hole where you sign in becasue I could just strech and get my arm up there. Here’s my arm and time to go.

My mother was very matter of fact that this is going to be done and tears, screaming it doesn’t matter.

If you are worried they are going to hold this against you then things are goingto be hard and it will never be good enough becasue parents can only do their best with what they have ( I know my Mom did.....rasied by nuns ...I think) What is going to happen if you can’t but the right clothes or phone? Kid got to understand that things aren’t always perfect and this blood draw is something that needs to be done. Going out for a nice lunch does help but it’s not to be expected.  

My goal was to try and express that if you someone how make it seem like blood drawa are mudane and then your kid might also.

Don’t ever let your kid hold this condition over you for anything - yes the things that were done to me in the past for the good of learning about CAH were horrible but medicine builds on the past.

If he didn’t go through this type of pain then the pain from no treatment of CAH would be worse.

I like all you parents and mine.

This was written to somehow give a boost of encouragement.

As a Mom you have to take the Kid for a Blood draw, grocery shop for the family - get good stuff. Make the house nice, make dinner, go to the playground, beach, their is lots of good stuff you do and pain from blood draws lasts but gets merged into other things. I bet he’ll be playing baseball because I do imagine that all CAH boys play ball and one time in the future you will be seeing him sliding into homebase knocking the catcher flat on his arse and laughing to yourself that I used to worry about the pain of blood draws. Or in the furture you might be seeing him playing hockey and ouch get hit with the puck at look up at you and smile.  

Life is a trip.