Don't you hate those bad IV days?

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So I just had to let off some frustration/depression, even though I know these days come every once in a while, but still.. hitting .000 for the day in ER is roooooough. I couldn't get a cath to thread and stay today even if I had someone holding a shotgun to my epididymis. The worst part? They all had good veins! I even blew one on a 21 year old female with an appy!

Point of thread? How do you get over an IV slump?

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I couldn't get a cath to thread and stay today even if I had someone holding a shotgun to my epididymis.

Bwahahahahaha!!! Oh, I had a sip of coffee in my mouth just then ... hahaha.

Get back on the horse after it throws you. I have days where I couldn't hit a barn door. Not sure what is up with all my farm references there, but whatever. You get it.

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

We've all been there brainkandy - don't fret.

I've had days where I couldn't even throw the dang catheter down the hall without missing.

It cycles - enjoy the days where you can thread a 16 through the eye of a needle.

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Bwahahahahaha!!! Oh, I had a sip of coffee in my mouth just then ... hahaha.

Get back on the horse after it throws you. I have days where I couldn't hit a barn door. Not sure what is up with all my farm references there, but whatever. You get it.

Hahaha. Awesome. I had a lot of baseball references in my original post, before I decided to retype it.

Here's to hoping a hit for the cycle on Wednesday.

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Ok girlie,

Stop the beating up of yourself!! We ALL have these days. This is what happens to me, if O have IV sticks that do not go well in the 1st hour or so of my shift, the rest of my entire shift is doomed and I feel sorry for the patients to come!:banghead:

We all have these days as I said, it just means we are human!!

So I just had to let off some frustration/depression, even though I know these days come every once in a while, but still.. hitting .000 for the day in ER is roooooough. I couldn't get a cath to thread and stay today even if I had someone holding a shotgun to my epididymis. The worst part? They all had good veins! I even blew one on a 21 year old female with an appy!

Point of thread? How do you get over an IV slump?

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

Admittedly, we all have endure days like the one you have mentioned. However, what you have describe is what we refer to as "Murphy's Law". Therefore,, my advised to you goes as follow, you are not the first ,and you won't be the last that will encountered this situation. Lastly, don't be so hard on yourself it will get better with time...Ciao~

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Ok girlie,

Well, I'm a guy. ;)

I really need a new, masculine username. I've just had this one for over a decade, so I've got memories.

Thanks for all the comments everyone!

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Sorry I just ASSumed and you know what they say about that....:nono:

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Just got over a rough slump myself. Worst part I went from horrible luck to being faced with back to back IV's on kids. Lucky for the kids and me, the slump ended with them.

We all have those times and it stinks when it's a crucial part of your job. Lucky for us, we are all part of a team that knows this happens and can watch our back when it does.

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Specializes in ER.

Day? I had a stretch of 3 hideous weeks like this last year!! I almost quit the ER. I almost quit my job. It was horrible. HORRIBLE!

I finally started to view it as a chance to learn some humility and ask for help. I just simply told other RNs that I was in a slump and could we possible trade activities. If they started my IV, I passed their meds.

I finally got one super young guy with testicular torsion with ropes for veins and just wanted his gorgeous vein soo soo bad so I could give some pain meds, that my slump was broken.

I just had to be in the right headspace. lesson learned. There's a chi to IVs and some days, we just don't feel it. Ugh. Feel for ya!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Well, I'm a guy. ;)

With the epididymis comment, I sorta got that. LOL

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

I had a really bad day last week. Now, I freely admit I don't have the greatest IV skills in the world, but they are usually not bad. This particular day they were horrible. After one particular miss I asked one of the techs (who is a very good stick) if they could line someone...I also added 'you will laugh at me when you see his veins." Sure enough, the tech came out and joked with me "yeah, I found about 10 places I could have put 16s in him." Oh well...those days happen.

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