6

That's how many times Mary was stuck today :( She needed a blood test to check her thyroid levels. As I've mentioned before, getting blood from her is difficult. The phlebotomist always has a hard time finding a vein. Today she found one, after a long time looking, got it, and then it blew out. That was Mary's arm. Then she and another nurse both stuck Mary's heels. When the blood was slow flowing, they stuck her again. That was 4 more times. It still was extremely slow, just one tiny drop at a time. Finally, they moved on to her finger. Which worked, but also took a long time. So, 6 sticks, 25 minutes of crying/coughing/gagging, and 4 microtainers of blood later, we were done.

The thing is, Mary still smiles at the phlebotomist every time she sees her. She will lay on an exam table happily. She engages people in white coats willingly. She has been through so much, yet is still such a happy, trusting baby.