I'd love to say that anticipating the pain is the worst part. But it's not.

Corinne had hoped that her Groshong catheter would be the entry point for everything that came at her in a syringe. Unfortunately, the catheter can only be used for blood coming out or for drugs that are to be administered intravenously. And some technicians refused to use it even for those purposes. Those daily shots have to be administered intramuscularly, so the needle in the arm is a necessary component.

Corinne was always careful to keep her head turned when the sting came. I was there to watch. (I admit that if we changed places, it would have been I who looked away.) I found it interesting how differently each of the nurses accomplished this part of the task. Some "shot" it in with a hard stab. Some stuck the needle in point up, others point down. One nurse would lay the needle by the skin and slowly slide it in. But it always hurt.