At Long Last - I Gave Blood Today
I'm ashamed to say it's taken me 20+ years to get to this day. My parents and younger sister have donated blood for years. Kelly does it in spite of the fact that the sight of her blood makes her woozy. One of the bitterest fruits of my procrastination.
Last year some time they had a blood drive here at the mobile home park that I actually went to, but my iron level was just too low to qualify. Did you know that drinking tea with meals can interfere with your body absorbing iron? I now drink milk or water with dinner.
At any rate, I got a phone call this morning asking me to come in, and this time I added it to the end of my list of errands. Went in, they checked my iron level - solidly in the middle of where they wanted it to be. I got settled on the recliner, got my book open, I'm good to go.
It took 3 nurses and holes poked in both arms before they found a vein they could tap. I seem to remember that Kelly presents them with the same problem. Other than that, no problem for me. I've stabbed myself almost as badly with sewing pins. I don't turn woozy at the sight of blood. I just need to remember that they're serious when they say not to lift more than 10lbs afterward - I was shifting antique computers around the house expecting a pick-up any time in the last hour and a half (I think I've been stood up!) and had to sit down a while in the midst of it.
I need to make sure I get in to donate as frequently as I can now to make up for all the years I should have been donating.
Last year some time they had a blood drive here at the mobile home park that I actually went to, but my iron level was just too low to qualify. Did you know that drinking tea with meals can interfere with your body absorbing iron? I now drink milk or water with dinner.
At any rate, I got a phone call this morning asking me to come in, and this time I added it to the end of my list of errands. Went in, they checked my iron level - solidly in the middle of where they wanted it to be. I got settled on the recliner, got my book open, I'm good to go.
It took 3 nurses and holes poked in both arms before they found a vein they could tap. I seem to remember that Kelly presents them with the same problem. Other than that, no problem for me. I've stabbed myself almost as badly with sewing pins. I don't turn woozy at the sight of blood. I just need to remember that they're serious when they say not to lift more than 10lbs afterward - I was shifting antique computers around the house expecting a pick-up any time in the last hour and a half (I think I've been stood up!) and had to sit down a while in the midst of it.
I need to make sure I get in to donate as frequently as I can now to make up for all the years I should have been donating.
posted by Kristen | 8:21 PM
4 Comments:
Good for you. And it reminds of a good story for my blog about giving blood, lol.
I'm proud of you for giving blood! It's such a generous thing for you to do and I wish I could do it. My sister and mother died from lupus and my other sister has it so since it runs in the family, they won't take my blood. It's the thought that counts I guess.
Yay! Good for you! Every time I've tried, I was so tense, the blood wouldn't flow into the needle! I guess I should be adult about it and try again. You are soooo much calmer than I am though!
I got rejected for low iron in the blood too a couple of years ago. I felt like that salmon in the John West commercial.
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