Go for blood and nearly get locked away

Well, I've just got back from the hospital and it was touch and go whether they were going to let me out again. I went in for a blood test and a cheeky CT scan of my sinuses (as part of the ongoing investigation into why I keep getting a temperature and getting ill). Had those, but my stomach has not fully recovered since leaving hospital last time. It's generally grumbly and not being very polite and after I eat it has the audacity to hurt. Most un-british like of it. So, I thought, as I was there and as I felt a bit under the weather anyway, I'd pop in and see the doc and see if they had any amazing ideas. They didn't but as my temperature was 37.7 they were umming and arring about incarcerating me again.
"I've served my time, damn it! ", I protested.
"Guards! Take him down", was almost the reply. Instead, they checked some more results and as nothing was untoward, they let me go with a caution.

Oh yeah, the blood test. It only took two goes this time, but it was the lord high supervisor doing it, who is normally top of the pops and gets blood quick and with prowess. I guess my leather veins are a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, I will leave a legend behind me, which trainee blood letters can be scared with by their supervisors.

Leather Vein

Yesterday I went in for my pre-chemo blood test (next chemo is tomorrow, whoo! :S )
I joined the queue of happy (not really) prospective blood lettees, and after a few minutes wait, was invited into the blood letting room, where I sat in the chair that looks like it used to be used for prisoner lethal injection executions.
It was the same blood-letter (I think they prefer the title phlebologist) that I had at the end of my last cycle. He was very polite and quite smiley (makes a change. The smiley bit that is). He found a vein on my left arm and stuck in his needle. Surprisingly it didn't particularly hurt (good work!), but then no blood came out. He smiled apologetically and said sorry several times as he repeatedly partially withdrew the needle and then prodded it back in again. Again, strangely, despite his constant string of apologys, it wasn't painful. He said that this must be a popular vein and that there was scar tissue and the chemo probably hasn't helped matters. Finally, he made the killing thrust and with a triumphant grin was able to extract enough blood from the leather vein to fill his little tubes. Note to self, steer future blood letters, sorry phlebologists, away from the leather vein!