I gave at the Office-finally

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Well, I wanted to donate blood back in high school.

My senior year the Bloodmobile came by TPS (my HS) and I went, signed up and sat down.

The nice nurse took my hand and said, “We need to check your iron level first.”

And as she said this she used a lancet to prick my finger. And I am sitting there staring at my finger and I realize that I cannot feel my legs or feet and my head has gotten light and swimmy. So I respond with, “May I sit down?”

And as I am already sitting the BM nurse looks at me and smiles and hands me a Dixie® cup of Orange Crush® and two butter cookies, saying, “Maybe you should do this another time, dear.”

Fast forward a year, I am now at college and Oxford Studies, an “easy A” class, has as one of its things to do for credit—donate a pint of blood. So I think to myself, “I can do this.”

And I go, sign up, sit down, survive the obtaining iron sample but fail the “hunting for a good fat vein” thing the nurse does. As none of my doctors’ nurses ever complained about teeny, tiny, veins in my arms before the idea that suddenly my vein have all dived to hide seemed to me to be slightly unlikely. :dubious: And if this person cannot find a vein when I have been lauded in the past for lovely, beautiful, fat veins then I want this person far away from me. :eek: So I pipe up with, “If you cannot find a vein I think I will keep my blood for the time being.”

So twenty three years pass and if I remember right, every-bloody-else in my immediate and extended family has donated blood without complications. I am the only wuss in the bunch. ILovCoffeeHubby hates needles and he has donated at least 3 times.

So this time I did it. I signed up to donate. I showed up to donate. I managed to donate.

I survived. It was not easy to be still and not read, not watch TV, not have a meaningful/productive conversation, or not snooze for 18 minutes as my blood was donating. And I feel like I am a pint low today. No joke, it was hard to wake up this morning and I have been feeling “eh”.

But, I did it. I was not prepared for the needle stinging :eek: and the arm falling asleep. But I survived and I hope that my donation helps someone. Not too soon and not due something horrible but in the everyday course of events. I hope to be able to do it again after May 2nd.

2

Well done! :slight_smile:

3

Good on you!

I’m edging around to actually donating blood because I know they’ll want me (O-neg) bad baby, and I’m not squeamish or anything I’m just lazy. Very, very lazy.

So well done on a good deed!

4

Yay, ILovCoffee! You done a good thing.

5

Yay you!

I’ve been donating for years and I’m still learning various ways to make it easier.
I need to make an effort to increase my vitamin C intake (fresh spinich and red peppers on sandwiches) so that my iron levels stay high. Plenty of water on donation day keeps my veins easy to find. Too much water/tea/cola in the days before donation will drop my iron levels. And thinking too much about that needle will still make me nervous and light headed–I never watch them insert it.

I hope your next donation is easier.

6

Good for you! Wish I could. Really I do. :frowning: Any prospect for a Mad Cow Disease test for those exposed? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board

7

Why not read? I’ve never thought to take a book myself, but I know I’ve seen people do that while donating? I’m just curious if they told you that, or if you didn’t want to do it for some reason. Yes, I’m nosy.

8

Yay! Way to go.
18 minutes!
That seems so long.

I donate every 8 weeks. I’ve never had the actual blood donation take longer than 6 minutes.

9

Didn’t have anything like a mag or a book to read and it felt like it took a thousand years.
I may have exaggrated on the time.
I had to ask how long it normally takes and I said the longer limit she quoted me.

10

I donate fairly frequently. Some of the things I have found that make it easier - no caffine that morning (which is really a hassle 'cause I need my coffee!), drink lots of water both before the donation and after, go pee before they hook you up, and take a book so it won’t seem like it takes forever.

Thanks for donating. It is very important.

11

I understand how you feel on the capabilities of some of these donations workers with regard to finding veins. Any time I’ve ever gotten blood tests at the doctor’s office, they use my left arm* because I am right handed. However, on the two successful attempts to give blood, they’ve refused to use it in favor of my right arm. The right vein is only slightly easier to find, but it’s easier to not have a sore dominant arm for the next day or so.

Congratulations on being able to successfully give blood. I know what you mean about the feeling of the needle in your vein. (It feels awfully strange and wiggly!) As for me not being able to read while giving blood, I find it awfully difficult to turn the pages when I cannot bend my elbow.

[sub]*Why yes, my vein is that visible in person.[/sub]

12

Water makes such a huge difference in how easily they find a vein with me, and in the amount of time it takes to donate. And, if I open and close my hand repeatedly, it takes less time for some reason.

A trick a nurse gave me to help with the little pinch: wiggle your toes. Whenever I get a shot or IV or donate blood, I do that and it helps.

I tend to donate with my hubby and we’ll be right next to each other so we can talk and pass the time quicker. And we can have a competition to see who finishes first :stuck_out_tongue:

13

Hahaha. My husband and I do this as well. We’re both always done around the same time though, usually right around or just under 5 minutes. I think I might have beat him once though. :wink:

14

Yay! Congratulations!

I have nasty horrible deep veins that have been poked on so much I’m lucky they still function. I’m working on my second gallon now. I have O+ blood, and I’m CMV- which means they can use my blood for newborns. I’m avoiding one of the donation centers ever since one of the nurses suggested donating just might not be for me. Yeah, they couldn’t stick me. I wasn’t surprised or upset. Her comment pissed me off though. aggghhh. So I just go to the one closer to my house where they usually stick me first time. That one’s supported by Autozone, so they usually have bundles of free stuff to hand out. I got a t-shirt, two gift cards, and a seat cushion this time. Wonder what I’ll get next.
-Lil