Roly Polies and Butterflies

As a little girl, I loved playing in the dirt.  I loved to dig out the worms and play with them. I loved all the little creatures out there.  I even had a little house that I filled with dirt and roly polies that I carried back to my room so they could live with me.  They would crawl in my hand and on my arm freely, but if  I tried to get hold of them with my fingers, they would roll into a little ball in my hand.  I would patiently wait until they felt the danger was gone, and then they would start crawling again.

I also loved to watch the butterflies when they came near.  Sometimes, if I was patient, one would land on my shoulder, hand, or head.  I tried to conceal my joy, so as not to frighten them, for if I so much as moved, they would flitter away.  They have always been such a delight to me. 

Little did I know that years later, roly polies and butterflies would take on a whole new meaning for me.  I was a grown woman, and even though I still enjoyed the occasional roly poly, I no longer went digging for them.  And even though I still delighted in the butterflies, I no longer sat in wait for them.  I just pleasured as they happened along.

I was pregnant with Nyssa, approximately 28weeks along when I had some tests done.  Now, any woman in the USA who has had a doctor's care while pregnant in the last 15 years at least, know the specific tests to which I am referring.  I had to drink this icky orange drink to determine my glucose tolerance.  Unfortunately for me, I failed.  How did this happen?  I hadn't even gained 5 pounds as I had had morning (and evening and late night) sickness for 4 months straight now.

The next step was simple:  at 29 weeks along, I had to go to a lab and have my blood drawn.  First, I had to fast for 12 hours....at 29 weeks...shall we say starvation here?  I had to drink the syrup.  There is no other name for it, pure sugar with a little carbonation, I suppose to make it more bearable, but it tasted pathetic, no less.  Then I had to wait for an hour. 

Next, a nurse drew my blood.  It was painfully hard, as my veins were small and about dehydrated, and were being very difficult.  It took the nurse 4 times sticking that needle in, moving it around, taking it back out, and frowning, to get to the veins so she could draw blood.  Then, I had to wait 2 more hours and the same thing...with nothing to eat or drink between.  Then, another hour, same thing, and another hour.  By time the last drawing of the blood, I was hungry, the baby was hungry, I was thirsty, and I was irritable.

This nurse was so sweet, though, and helped my curmudgeonly mood to calm somewhat.  Before sticking me with her needle, she had that tourniquet at the bottom of my bicep and was tapping the inside of my arm. 

"Oh, Lordy," she said, "Poor thing.  You don't have any veins left.  You and that baby are just plumb dry."

Finally someone understands, I thought.

"We just gotta deal with some roly polies and butterflies!"  she said ever so sweetly, and went to grab a needle to suck the remaining blood out of my arm.

Now, I just looked at her like she was the craziest thing on this earth, but I laughed at her comment and asked what she meant.

"Well, Mrs. Dunlap, your veins are just like roly polies.  They're rolling around, not knowing which way to go.  I've got just the thing that will help me get one in just a single stick.  Don't you worry, none."  Then she held up the tiniest needle I have ever seen.  "This is a butterfly."

Sure enough, it looked like a butterfly, with the plastic edges sticking out so far away from the needle.  She further explained that it was a needle usually reserved for children because the bigger needles can poke through their veins.  She swabbed alcohol on my arm and faster than I could brace for the stick, the needle was in and the blood was flowing.

Ever since then, whenever I've had to go through a blood test (diabetes runs in my family, so we have to check it every year), I sit down and say to the lab technician, "roly polies and butterflies."  They give me the same look I must have given that one sweet lady 8 years ago, and then I explain.  Sure enough, when they check my vein, they agree and give me the butterfly. 

It's interesting.  My veins were just like those roly polies that were in plain sight if left alone, but would try to roll up and hide when someone tried to touch them.  That butterfly, just like it's insect counterpart, was light and painless as I just sat still, waiting for it to flutter away.   It happened again this morning, when I went in for a cervical injection.  They had to put an IV in my hand and the nurse watched my little vein roll away.  I smiled and just said, "roly polies and butterflies."  We both had a laugh afterwards.  But boy, am I ever so grateful for those butterflies when I've got roly polies hanging around!