:: punches you in the arm ::
THAT’S FOR LEADIN’ US ON, you JERK!
How much did they take?
I always wanted to run into a donation center with a nosebleed yelling “Hurry hurry!”
Yikes!!! The wacky machine ate my OP!!!
I saw it happen in GQ with the “car problem” thread. Now I’ve been victimized!
Since the loading was so slow, I actually copied the OP. I’ll present it here in its entirety…
Be Nice To Me: I Just Gave Blood!!
Yup! For the second time.
I must begin by stating emphatically that I HATE NEEDLES!!!
I always wanted to be a person who donates regularly, but the thought of that needle resting inside my vein just got me so lightheaded thinking about it I knew I couldn’t do it.
There was a blood drive at my place of work last October. In light of September 11th, I felt that the absolute least I could do was give a pint of blood.
We had another drive today. I donated. Now, I sit here and type with a band-aid[sup]TM[/sup] on my middle finger where they pricked it, and fix lots of typos.
(I got a shirt, a pack of forget-me-not seeds, a can of OJ and a pack of Famous Amos Mini-Chocolate Chip cookies.)
Oh, yeah, and I have a big purple wrap bandage on my right elbow.
** Hope it goes through this time.**
I wish I could give blood, but my poor veins are so wussy, it’s a struggle to get a tubeful for blood tests. Plus I’m a sissy about needles too.
Good on ya!!
My GF used to work for the Red Cross right after she got out of nursing schools. She has soooooo many Red Cross horror stories it’s not funny. After hearing some of those, there’s NO WAY I’d let any of those people near me with a needle. Sure, there are some good people there, but there are also some total freakazoids that have suddenly been turned loose with a handful of needles. I’ll keep my blood where it is, thanks!
I figured that the ARC “nurses” (I don’t know if they are or not) have poked more veins than Sid Viscious. If anybody has the greatest chance of a direct hit on the first shot (pun intended) it would be them.
Oh. Only one pint. They didn’t like my “Donate early; donate often” slogan. go fig.
Several weeks ago, I got a call at 7:30 pm on a Wednesday from the Red Cross. They wanted to know if I could come in to the Mpls center and donate Thursday morning, as they had no one scheduled at all.
“Sure,” I cheerfully replied. So Thursday I awoke early, took the dog for a walk, fought my way through rush hour traffic to get downtown by 7:45 am, donated blood, fought my way back out through rush hour traffic to get to my job back in the suburbs, and was at my desk at 9 am.
Someone saw my “Be nice to me, I gave blood today” sticker I put on my plant and the bandage on my arm. After hearing the story, they gently pointed out that I am the Red Cross’ blood bitch.
Summary:
“Hey! Blood bitch! We need blood!”
“Yessir!”
This blood bitch reports for duty next Tuesday.
Ought to be good because I get a physical on Thursday. I’m hoping my donation screws with the blood test results enough that I don’t get the usual “Your blood is 95% lard” speech.
They won’t take mine. I’ve tried, but because of all the heart disease in my family, they refu…
I have given blood every two months like clockwork since I was 18, and get to again on Monday (I’m so happpy). I’ve got my blood donors card raring to go.
I can’t donate blood because, being a faggot, I obviously have aids, but congratulations and many thanks to you for doing so.
HEEEEEY I donated today too, and I’ll I got was a crappy half can of Coke!
BAH! Pesky Canadian “No Incentives for Bodily Products Laws”
::grumble, grumble, grumble::
Oh well, I don’t do it to get the free stuff anyhow (obviously).
Here’s an interesting thought - I’m on the Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor list, and potentially I could donate to a US citizen. A US resident donating to a US citizen gets a rather large cash incentive (~$25,000US, AFAIK). I wonder if I would get it too, being as I’m from Canada. I would certainly donate, regardless, but wouldn’t that be a nice perk. 
Anyhow, Matt the regulations are rather stringent, there’s no doubt. I work with a number of people from the UK that have emigrated to Canada, but still visit relatives each year. All of them are permanently deferred as well. Interestingly, the statistics used to be that 5% of Canadians donated blood. It has now dropped to 4% due to permanent deferrals. This means Canadian Blood Services has lost 20% of their donor base. No wonder they call me all the damn time. 
Good for you Sprittle! You’re providing an invaluable service to someone you’ll probably never meet - excellent positive karmic points. 
I used to donate blood and plasma regularly until I started getting tattoos…
The bloodmobile came to my office today. I tried having them use my left arm (because I’m right handed), but when the lady put the needle in, blood started squirting out. Now normally, I like to watch (call me crazy, but I think it actually hurts less when I can see it coming), but it wasn’t quite the same when my blood was leaking onto my arm. Another woman came and tried to adjust the needle, but it didn’t work.
I was willing to have them try on my right arm, and the second woman got the needle in no problem. This is the first time I’ve ever had any problems. As I was finishing, another woman was trying to stick some guy, and things were even worse–he was bleeding so much it started to drip on the floor!
On the upside, I have two matching arm bandages. Plus, the “no heavy lifting” rule is a great excuse not to do any packing tonight(I move this weekend). And they gave me a sticker that says “take me out to eat, I donated blood.” That should be enough of a hint for my boyfriend.
[bragging]
2 more times 'til I hit 2 gallons. Not too shabby, considering my age (22, and you can’t start until you’re 17), and the fact that I was out of action for about a year, due to low iron (the poor college student diet strikes again).
[/bragging]
Man, I miss donating blood and pheresis. Had my surgery in November, but prolly cannot do it again ever - chronic low iron count is a problem, so I have been told. Damn, and I was two pints away from a golf umbrella (already have my one gallon keychain and my three gallon pen).
Thanks for donating for those of us who can’t.
Good for you! I’ve donated over 4 gallons in my lifetime. But alas, now that I take BP medicine, I’m not allowed.
I donated two weeks ago at the Bloodmobile. So handy, plus you get to skip work for 45 minutes and not feel guilty! Unfortunately I just started taking Accutane so I’ll be out for 13 months. Geesh. If they don’t stop with the restrictions, we’ll have 2 people left to donate.
BTW, I’ve never had a bad phlebotomist at a blood center. And I’m well over 2 gallons. The worst phlebotomist I’ve ever run into was at Children’s Hospital and the hapless victim was my 18 month daughter. After 3 sticks, which included jiggling the needle around under her skin, I grabbed the newbie nurse’s arm and said, “No. You’re done. Go get someone who knows what they’re doing.”
I must have had my hairy eyeball look because she went a-skampering. The ER staff came up and got her first stick.
I gave blood this past Saturday. They gave me a pint of chocolate ice cream for my efforts. “A pint for a pint,” is the slogan they’re using to get more donations. Heck, if I’d have known about the ice cream in advance, I would have given a whole gallon.
A shirt??!!!
I never got a shirt for donating.
The most I’ve ever gotten was some famous Amos cookies, a can of Coke, a nice purple bandage, a Be Nice To Me I Gave Blood Today sticker and my then-girlfriend, ummmmm comforted me in that oh-so special way.
Looking to give plasma 'cause you get cash money for doing so.