Vampires are awfully nice!
So today I was down in Austin getting Dean his belated Christmas present (a .22 pistol, very shiny.) A few blocks away from the store, I passed the Blood Center of Central Texas. Now, I'd been there once a few years ago with tajnyj and donated blood, and had absolutely no problems whatsoever. So I decided I'd pop in, let them drain a pint, and be on my merry way.
Well, close.
I get there, check in, do the interview, and snicker at the questions. I've been married almost 14 years. Risky behavior isn't exactly in my routine. Anyway, they get me back there right quick, and everything is spiffy as can be...iron level, blood pressure, pulse, all good and normal. Now I already know my veins are tiny. In fact, I tell people not even to bother with my right arm, but always get blood from the left, as I did this time. As I expected, it was hard to find the vein, but she finally did and got the needle in, no problems. The blood just was going out at a glacier speed, despite my manhandling a foam tennis ball within an inch of its little plastic life. Nada. I was drip-dripping instead of a nice steady stream. So she goes and gets the head nurse, who -very- gently twists and turns said needle, readjusting it within said vein. I made a few faces, but refrained from making squeaky noises somehow. Kudos to that lady, because it could have hurt badly, rather than being merely annoying. So the good stuff gets to flowing at the right speed. Yay! They want a total of 450mL. We get to 250. 300. 400. 430. At this point, I realize my arm is almost too tired to move. And then I realize I have spots in front of my face, and everything sounds very distant. Uh-oh. The nurse looks at me and says, "Are you okay?" Says I, "No, I don't think I am, actually."
Dude! They move -fast- when someone is not okay! Up go my feet so I'm reclining, and before I know it, the needle is gone, there's icepacks on my neck and forehead, and I have a bottle of Gatorade in my hand. Within about three sips, the world stopped being all dim and went back to normal. They made me sit there another 15 minutes with regular checkings of my pulse and blood pressure, then made me go sit in the 'cantina' and chat with the sweet old lady volunteer there for another fifteen. I felt really quite silly, but they were all just as wonderfully sweet as could be.
On the plus side, they did get enough blood to use. Yay!
And then I went grocery shopping. ;)
Well, close.
I get there, check in, do the interview, and snicker at the questions. I've been married almost 14 years. Risky behavior isn't exactly in my routine. Anyway, they get me back there right quick, and everything is spiffy as can be...iron level, blood pressure, pulse, all good and normal. Now I already know my veins are tiny. In fact, I tell people not even to bother with my right arm, but always get blood from the left, as I did this time. As I expected, it was hard to find the vein, but she finally did and got the needle in, no problems. The blood just was going out at a glacier speed, despite my manhandling a foam tennis ball within an inch of its little plastic life. Nada. I was drip-dripping instead of a nice steady stream. So she goes and gets the head nurse, who -very- gently twists and turns said needle, readjusting it within said vein. I made a few faces, but refrained from making squeaky noises somehow. Kudos to that lady, because it could have hurt badly, rather than being merely annoying. So the good stuff gets to flowing at the right speed. Yay! They want a total of 450mL. We get to 250. 300. 400. 430. At this point, I realize my arm is almost too tired to move. And then I realize I have spots in front of my face, and everything sounds very distant. Uh-oh. The nurse looks at me and says, "Are you okay?" Says I, "No, I don't think I am, actually."
Dude! They move -fast- when someone is not okay! Up go my feet so I'm reclining, and before I know it, the needle is gone, there's icepacks on my neck and forehead, and I have a bottle of Gatorade in my hand. Within about three sips, the world stopped being all dim and went back to normal. They made me sit there another 15 minutes with regular checkings of my pulse and blood pressure, then made me go sit in the 'cantina' and chat with the sweet old lady volunteer there for another fifteen. I felt really quite silly, but they were all just as wonderfully sweet as could be.
On the plus side, they did get enough blood to use. Yay!
And then I went grocery shopping. ;)