For the last 10ish years I have tried to regularly donate
blood, and am up to 70 +units.
This is not my favorite thing to do.
Who willingly wants to inflict pain on themselves? It isn’t super painful, a finger prick
(probably the most painful part) and then a dull jab in the arm, neither of
which I enjoy. Then you get to wear a badge of honor around your arm, so people
can comment on it. Why do I do it? There is a part of me that likes to be a
support to the community, like recycling (that is a whole other topic). Giving blood is a type of recycling, using
blood that I have plenty of to help someone who doesn’t have enough. So it is my civic duty to give.
When I was much younger and skinnier, I attempted to donate
and was so relieved when they told me I couldn’t because of low blood pressure.
I was told to go drink a Coke or Pepsi and come back. I couldn’t find the courage to go back,
although I did have a Dr. Pepper while trying to convince myself to attempt. It
took a lot of years to build up that courage.
Did I mention I do not like needles? (Again another topic of discussion)
I have talked several of my sisters into donating with
me. None of them have had positive
experiences like me. One usually has
problems, like severe pain, or a bad stick so they have to twist the needle
around, NOT FUN. The other often has weak blood or her blood pressure is too
low, so she isn’t a good candidate. So
most of the time I donate alone. I will
be honest and share that not all of mine donations have been great. I have had
a few times when I didn’t qualify due to low iron. One time I got faint while taking advantage
of their juice and snacks. They had me
lay on the floor for about a half hour.
I blame this on the fact that I was anxious to get my Christmas shopping
done. Now I avoid donating too close to
Christmas unless my shopping is done. Lastly, I always donate using my right
arm. They checked both arms and said the
right was ideal, the left not do great.
One time I had a tiny red dot on the right arm near the usual puncture
site. They couldn’t use it so I agreed
to give the left a try. They all said it
could be done. This was not
successful. First the vein was smaller,
and then it made a sharp turn. After
twenty minutes of a slow drip and frequent twisting and adjusting of the needle
(ouch, this really hurt) they called it a barely a half pint. Since then it is always a right arm process
and always successful despite the extra sharp stab because of the scar tissue
buildup.
There actually is a method to this madness. I live in a small town, with limited
shopping. Keep this a secret, donating is a good excuse to have to go to the
bigger city and shop, guilt free. I
realize it is only 15 miles away, and that is actually closer than most people
would drive in a big city to do basic shopping, but I try to be careful with my
allotted gas money. Syd buys it without
a lot of comment. I in turn do not make
trips to IF without a valid purpose. Donating blood is certainly a valid
purpose. As I write this I am preparing
my list of stops to make: a trip to Sam’s Club, a quick stop at Shopko, a
needed trip to Harbor Freight for Syd (that always justifies a trip), and if
there is still time, a stop at Office Max and Fred Meyers. All these stores avoid the bulk of 17th
Street (another topic) and the east side stores which are always the
busiest. Off to do my civic duty.
