Last night I went to the main NYU hospital to give a unit of blood for my surgery. The hospital is so huge, and looks like a hotel, with all its amenities. As Kelly said, "it even has a stamp machine, we'd never have to leave!"
Kelly volunteered to donate a unit of her own blood, too. She donates blood often, because her blood type is O positive, aka the universal donor, and also because she's a good person. Since I'm not a good person, this experience was entirely new to me.
First they checked our iron levels with blood from pricking our fingers. Kelly kept failing the test, so they had to keep pricking her fingers. She wound up with many bloody fingers.
I couldn't stop laughing at the list of questions they ask you during the interview, mostly because I couldn't stop thinking about this Sarah Silverman episode. I can't figure out how to post a video, so you're just going to have to follow the link and trust me that it's hilarious.
When we finally got in the chairs to give blood, Kelly's veins turned out to be "beautiful", and the technician had no problem inserting the needle. Me, they needed all three technicians to find a vein.
When the needle went in, I knew immediately it was going to take some digging around to actually find the vein. So dig they did, with the needle, until it felt like they were coming out on the other side of my arm.
At this point, Kelly's almost done, her blood flowing out of her like some sort of waterfall. Once they finally found a vein on me, my blood flow more closely resembled a dying river.
"Squeeze tight," they told me, of the squishy foam thing in my hand. That didn't work. "Now try squeezing tight, then releasing." Still nothing. "Now just release."
About twenty minutes later, they had enough blood and it was over. Kelly got a free movie pass because she was a volunteer. I got nothing because I was only there for my own selfish behalf.
At least, I thought, if they don't use my blood for my surgery, then someone else can use it. Nope. They toss it. They must have some sort of good reason for that, but I don't know what it is.
They told me I was going to have a nasty bruise, but nothing has appeared so far. If one does, I'll be sure to post a picture of it.
Days until surgery: 8
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4 comments:
i had a similar experience once. i wasn't donating blood, cause i don't due that either due to fear of passing out. but i was getting my blood drawn for something, and nothing was coming out. like seriously, nothing at all. bloodless. until finally the nurse looks at me and is like, "are you breathing??" turns out i was holding my breath due to fear of big ole needle....and no breathing = no blood flow. go figure.
I'm kinda OCD like that. :-)
Have you had sex with a man who has had sex with a man for money or drugs since 1977??
lucky bitches. i've tried many a time to give my blood away but i always get turned away. apparently you can't:
1. have gotten a tatoo recently
2. have slept with a man from africa recently
3. have slept with a man who slept with a man from africa recently
jeez
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