That's odd, the blood usually gets off on the second floor.
So I gave blood. It was fine.
Had some blood drawn from my finger to test my iron levels. Filled out some forms. Answered some questions from the nurse (no, I've never had leishmania, I've never had sex with anyone from sub-Saharan Africa, and I don't work with monkeys or the secretions thereof).
Then they sat me down in a comfy chair, stuck something pointy in my arm and drained two cups of my precious bodily fluids. It really didn't hurt much at all, and the whole exsanguination process only took like ten minutes.
After that, I had to stay seated for ten minutes, and then I got juice, cookies, and a little enamel "first time donor" pin. Honestly, I'd recommend it, if you don't have anemia or a monkey. It's in you to give.
Things I learned:
- Leishmania is not as fun as it sounds, as it is a parasite that lives in your blood and will kill you.
- Every donated blood unit gets separated into three parts - plasma, blood cells, and platelets. I always figured they just pumped the whole thing into someone.
- The nurse who asked me about my sexual history and intravenuous drug usage grew up in my tiny hometown, on my tiny street. Freaky.
Had some blood drawn from my finger to test my iron levels. Filled out some forms. Answered some questions from the nurse (no, I've never had leishmania, I've never had sex with anyone from sub-Saharan Africa, and I don't work with monkeys or the secretions thereof).
Then they sat me down in a comfy chair, stuck something pointy in my arm and drained two cups of my precious bodily fluids. It really didn't hurt much at all, and the whole exsanguination process only took like ten minutes.
After that, I had to stay seated for ten minutes, and then I got juice, cookies, and a little enamel "first time donor" pin. Honestly, I'd recommend it, if you don't have anemia or a monkey. It's in you to give.
Things I learned:
- Leishmania is not as fun as it sounds, as it is a parasite that lives in your blood and will kill you.
- Every donated blood unit gets separated into three parts - plasma, blood cells, and platelets. I always figured they just pumped the whole thing into someone.
- The nurse who asked me about my sexual history and intravenuous drug usage grew up in my tiny hometown, on my tiny street. Freaky.