"May" We Tell You You ROCK?! (Remember! Both donors AND NON-donors are stars!)

[Carotte]

I'm going tomorrow.
I hate needles and stuff, never gave before but it's one of my goals (if they let me ><) , plus our "blood weather" is a bit low at fragile. ( they gauge it as 1-Stable, 2-fragile, 3-very fragile, 4-Urgent and 5-very urgent )
And I'm in a good condition to give ( I don't know how different giving conditions are where I am from say the US, but I'm a) over 50kg b) haven't been sick/taken drugs for quite a while, c) haven't been playing scrabble unprotected and or new scrabble partner in the past 4 months and I'm still on holidays for a couple of days.
I just need to make sure to eat very well a few hours before and not chicken out at the last moment...

[DottyG]

GreenEyedHawk, I'm crossing everything I have that your iron is ok, too! I hope you get to give - maybe chocolate will fall from the sky for you!

Mango, anyone in this thread (donors and non-donors who are spreading the word) are way better and more powerful than mere comic superheroes! We save even more lives than they do!

Carotte, YEA!!!! I'm so excited that you're going to give! I was scared at first, but it didn't hurt me a bit. Hopefully you'll have as easy a time as I've had (the few times my iron has worked with me! ) Tell us how it goes, ok? We'll all be with you in spirit!

[GreenEyedHawk]

Rooting for you, Carotte!  It's really not bad.  I'm good as long as I don't look at the needle, and (here anyways) SOP is to cover it up once it's in, so you don't have to look at it.  For me the finger-stick to get the blood droplet to check iron is the worst part.  Plus, (again, here anyways) they do the basic blood typing right in front of you, so you get to find out your blood type!

[DottyG]

The "worst"* part for me is that dang blood pressure test. I swear they pump that up further than they need to.


* put in quotes because, if this is the worst thing about the process, how bad can it be?!

[DottyG]

Plus, you get goodies!!! One time, I got several pints of ice cream (Blue Bell). I've gotten tshirts. Some people in the thread have gotten even homemade stuff.

And I feel like some kind of celebrity! Yesterday, one of the ladies kept wanting to know what she could bring me while I was giving. Did I want something to drink? Something to eat? How's the show they have on the tv right now? Did I like it or did I want it changed?

They know me there (I've been in enough trying to give even when I wasn't able to). So they know me by name and are super sweet.

A suggestion - ask for the most experienced tech they have. Even if you have to wait for them, they may have some tricks that will help a new donor have a great experience. I did that. And my person was excellent. Really made it fun. He had a great sense of humor, put me at ease, and didn't hurt me at all.

[Carotte]

So,
good: going to give blood, not  chickening out, good plaquette count and the needle in on the first try
not good: near fainting and dizzy spell while still on the chair ( right at the end when my bag was full )
worse: about 30sec in the recovery room, my lunch and the fruit juice they gave me for my dizziness decided to go elsewhere than my stomach
worsest: in front of Ryan Gosling unofficial twin 

But I'm happy I did it, and I'll probably go again in 3 months, although I'll make sure to really eat well before ><

[DottyG]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear things weren't 100% good.   I wanted you to have a wonderful experience.

I think there are some tips in here on the dizziness.  I'll have to check the pages and see if I can find some helpful advice from the others.

Make sure you take care of yourself for the next few days.  When you give, your iron does go down some (that's why it has to be a certain level for you to give in the first place).  So take things easy.

Congrats on giving.   I'm so happy for you that you did it (though not happy about the "not good" stuff).

[DottyG]

Found a thread that might be helpful for you - I've also bumped it up to the top of the list.  It's in the Coffee Break folder.

http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=68331.0

[Lynnv]

Tried to donate this morning, but the tech got a bad stick.  So I will try again once the bruise (however big it ends up being) heals up.  Probably this weekend or early next week.

[Carotte]

Found a thread that might be helpful for you - I've also bumped it up to the top of the list.  It's in the Coffee Break folder.

http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=68331.0

Thanks, I read the tips for next time, but I was pretty sure I would be at least dizzy so it wasn't much of a shock.
It's been a while since I've had any blood sugar/hypoglycemia problem but next time I'm betting on slow sugar (pasta and bread) hours/days before and not fast sugar. Knowing myself I should actually have said no to the fruit juice after the first spell.
Well, live and learn, now I'm just hopping I don't get sick in the next 2 week and that they don't have to throw out my blood.

That's too bad Lynnv! I'm still amazed the tech got it in once and didn't even left a bruise, but someone butchered poor 9 year old me once, I was even fasting (blood was drawn for some tests) and not a happy camper!

[GreenEyedHawk]

Was able to donate no problem on the 11th; when they check your iron here, they use the same type of lancet diabetics use to check their blood sugar, then pick up the droplet of blood from your finger on a sort of slide, which is then inserted into a little machine that gives the iron level in your blood a numerical value.  The nurse that stuck my finger said that I needed a minimum of 125 to donate.  I got 147, yay!  Everything went just fine; they go to a lot of trouble at the blood donor clinic to ensure your comfort.  I got chicken noodle soup and crackers and juice afterward, and booked my next appointment.

[Snooks]

I gave my pint yesterday in 3.5 mins at a place I don't normally go.  I got a stern talking to about giving too frequently, I told them I just schedule my next appointment after I've given with reception at the place I normally go.

[tiaret]

So I got up the courage to give blood at the local library's blood drive on the 30th(They have a large meeting room that was used). I am happy to say that it went better this time than the last two times. Last time they couldn't find a vein to stick me with the needle, left me huge bruses on each arm, and the time before that I almost passed out, which was scary I think that I didnt drink enough water that day. But this time I the nurse/tech got my right arm in one go, I made sure to ask for an experienced tech, and I made sure to drink more water than usual the days before and of the drive. I hate the iron test thing that hurts almost more than the needle going in. My iron count was 135. I got to drink apple and cranberry juice and eat cheesitz, plus was given a teeshirt. I'm looking foward to donating again.
I was told that they typically are short in July and December, is this true for anyone elses location?
I'm feeling more tired than usual I know to take it easy though.

[DottyG]

tiaret, you ROCK!!!  Way to go!  I'm so glad everything went well this time and that you had a much better experience.

Yeah, I think July and December are low months here, too.  Those are the months that people are out doing stuff and don't think about donating (or don't have time to).  Plus, months like July are ones in which people are doing things like boating and other outdoor activities where people get hurt and may need a transfusion.  So the demand goes up.

[Nika]

The mobile Blood Bus came to my work again yesterday. I switched to a vegan diet a few months ago so I was really curious to see if I would still be good to donate. Looks like my iron levels are okay! I almost couldn't donate because my hemoglobin levels were at 12.4 (need to be 12.5), but since it was just so slightly off we tried the finger wingadingdingy again and that time I hit 12.5.

I made sure to eat really well before donating but I still managed to get pretty sick.  Not as bad as last time though. Worth it.

ETA: Yes I see that the word filter got me. No I'm not changing it. Wingadingdingy cracks me up too much.