Adventures in Blood Donations

Hey Team, 

This is how much I donated!

Last Thursday I donated blood for my first time. The opportunity has come up before, but it always seemed the crazy train was just starting or ending, and I frankly didn't want to die. Probably a little naïve of me, but hey, I could pull that card pre-twenty-five, am I right?

Alexis and I carpooled down to the church, with one working seat belt in her car. Naturally we looped them together, so as to maintain complete safety. I love people that drive old crazy cars like I do. I think you really appreciate the finer things since you’ve literally earned them through the years.

Not much to report about until the moment of truth came. I would like to mention however that the prick for the iron test hurt, and I don’t know how those with diabetes test all the time on their fingers. Wuss alert.

After the signature and questions were over, I got up onto the bed, and started making conversation with my Phlebotomist, Jamie. After reporting my birthday, we discovered we had the same one, but two years apart. Nice coincidence there. So she started prepping the bags and the tubes and all that stuff. She even left me with a nice smiley face on my arm, which just faded completely in this morning’s shower.

Everything was going splendidly, and the bag was filling nicely. But trouble was about to strike. In order to have a successful donation, you fill the bag, and then about 6 tubes. But the blasted tubes were not filling. So in an effort to switch to my right arm, something went wrong, and some blood started spilling out onto my arm, the bed, and I lost it. All the color rushed away from my face, and I felt like my cookies were really going to be flying soon.

Luckily Jamie was there with tons of cold wet towels, water bottle behind my head, and some cranberry juice and cheese-its. It was manna from heaven. We successfully filled the tubes on my right arm, and then I got to sit and eat everything in sight for 15 minutes until I was allowed to leave. We’re talking apple juice, pretzels, cinnamon grams, chocolate wafers. I think it’s safe to say I’ll be back very soon.

Here’s to keeping it together,

Jana