Last weekend was the most miserable I've been since I moved to New Zealand. To earn some extra cash I joined a study that is looking at the bioavailability of a medication. Unfortunately, I am a needle-phobe and the study required 18 blood samples per weekend (plus extra trips to the clinic for lab work during the week). It wasn't exactly the ideal way to make a quick buck, but there aren't many options for making money around here.
See, this past July I struggled to make my student loan and income from the research assistant gig stretch. It was pretty stressful and a smidge embarrassing to have money worries as bad as they were. So, this semester I've been hellbent on making sure I make the student loan stretch farther without sacrificing what I really love to do - tramping. I find that a weekend hike is the best bang-for-your-buck around since it combines sightseeing, mental therapy and physical activity on a really affordable budget (~$50 covers petrol and food costs which are the big expenses since I have a
Department of Conservation hut pass). I can't give that up.
I asked around for ways of bringing in income which didn't involve high heels and a stripper pole (I'm not very coordinated and I am accident prone). Someone mentioned a local company that recruits volunteers for drug trials and so I looked into it. I figured a couple hundred dollars in exchange for giving up two weekends was as good of a deal as I'd get - that is, if I could handle a cannula in my forearm for two 24-hour periods and "bleeds"starting at 15 minute intervals.
From 8pm Friday through 8am Sunday this is where I spent most of my time:
The first weekend I was a mental milkshake. The stress of the discomfort from the needle in my arm and the soreness that accompanied 18 blood draws had me on edge...
All the vials to fill over 24 hours:
I went through waves of nausea after each blood sample was taken. Then I'd think how unfair it is... I helped someone through graduate school (he had student loans, but we also had my income and it was more than just the money - he had me there to support him, talk to him about tough days, celebrate the accomplishments), but now I'm having to do it on my own... Thinking that I'm selling myself to research because I need money that bad. That's when the water works would start. I'd try not to get too worked up because crying would trigger a mild headache.
Just before midnight on the first Saturday, I was fighting the urge to go home - surely it wasn't a good idea for me to continue if I was getting so upset?! Yeah, I was a little dramatic that weekend.
To keep me from quitting the study, I'd just think about the money and how good it'd feel to see my bank account statement after I was paid. It was really difficult to believe it would be worth it, but somehow I managed to stick it out.
Thankfully, I have the memory of a goldfish - by Thursday I had forgotten how traumatic I thought my previous weekend had been and how sore my arm was on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I walked into the clinic this past Friday night feeling ready for the weekend ahead.
The cannula made my arm pretty sore since it was in the same spot as last time, but I managed to stay much calmer this time around.
In fact, I only cried 3 times instead of the previous weekend's grand total of 18 times! (I honestly wasn't the only one complaining about a sore arm this weekend, but I just happened to be the only one who cried over it).
The experience got me thinking about taking a look at available scholarships (free money would be
sooo much nicer!), but I'm pretty limited to what I can apply for since I'm not a New Zealand resident. Thus, I have a feeling that I'll be doing another study like this in the future.
Unless I win the lottery.
