Why my last blood donation may be the last...
Posted 29 January 2006, 18:44 in Life Leave a Comment
A friend recently asked why I donate blood. I answered that it was was my 2005 new years resolution to ‘give back’ to the community and a way to get over my fear of needles. I say its a form of community service because it gives someone other than myself a second chance in life. My friend then replied, “You actually think like that?” I said, “Yeah, I do!”
My last donation, however, may be the last. It was January 10th, the day I began classes at school. I was all anxious the night before and had very little sleep. My class schedule is between 10:00 am to 2:15 pm with no breaks in between. Knowing that I was going to donate blood right after school, I made sure that I had a hearty breakfast and drank a lot of water.
It’s 2:15 pm and school finishes. My blood donating partner picks me up and we head to the blood bank. I was called in at about 3:00 pm and even before we sat for the questioning process, I told the nurse that I did not eat lunch. In astonishment, she told me to go to the dining area and make sure I had food in my stomach. I had a can orange juice, a cookie, and a manapua — it was filling to say the least.
I sat in the waiting area again and was called back in shortly. My donating partner was done and headed back to the waiting area. We went through the questioning process (“Have you ever had unprotected sex with a prostitute? “ etc…) and had my hand pricked to make sure my iron level was up. I was then escorted to the blood donating bed at about 3:00 pm. It was my 5th time donating and I assured myself that it was all good.
I made a request to have “Joe” (female) needle poke me since she was friendly and knew what she was doing. However, the lady who told me to “think of happy thoughts” on my first donation did the poking instead. I was familiar with her and was comfortable to say the least. She inserts the needle into my arm and everything goes as plan.
A few minutes into the donation process, I started to see stars and was feeling woozy. I knew from my four previous donations that this was not normal. Knowing that I may soon faint I shouted, “I’m dizzy! I’m feeling dizzy!” I struggled to stay awake and my eyes were slowly closing. Two nurses ran to my aid to quickly close the line and pull the needle from my arm.
I fainted. “Where are you?” asked one of the nurses. “I’m at the blood bank,” I replied. I was told that they ‘lost’ me for a minute. I swear that it was just a few seconds because I could still recall the movement of the nurses and what they were doing, such as putting a wet towel on my forehead.
I was given a can of Sierra Mist soda to make me feel better. I was interviewed and asked when I last ate. I told the nurse that I ate in the dining area, but ate breakfast at about 9:30 am and skipped lunch. Not counting what I ate in their dining area, it was about 5 hours since I last had a decent meal. To make matters worse, it is recommended that anyone donating blood have a good nights rest.
The day after I received a phone call from the blood bank to see how I was feeling. I told them that everything was normal. The guy told me that they appreciated me donating blood and unfortunately could no longer accept me. I felt rejected. If was I told that I could not donate 2 years ago (the days before I started donating blood and was terrified of the needle), I would have said ‘wooHOO!’ Strangely enough I felt bad that I could no longer give.
Ironically the lady who did my first needle poking also did my last. :(
Disclaimer: I made this post not to discourage anyone from donating blood. It’s a good thing. Just be sure to eat first and have a good night of rest! :)
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