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10/15/2003: "Odds and ends"
I donated blood a few days ago. I was really proud of myself because I'm not the most charitable person. I'm not a scrooge or a scrounge, either, but it's more of a situation where it's hard to make time to do something completely selfless for people you don't know when you barely have time enough for yourself. The BF has donated for years and as always set a good example. It didn't hurt at all -- and I'm totally not squeamish about seeing blood or needles -- until the bag was about 3/4 full and the nurse said that my flow was tapering to a trickle. She kept telling me to "Squeeze... squeeze... squeeze..." my fist, even as I squeezed repeatedly and quite hard. I'm squeezing already! Then she said she wanted to try moving the needle to get the flow back, which I thought at first meant bringing the needle all the way back out and finding another vein but as I found out meant wiggling and turning the needle a bit. That ended up being actually worse than removing and inserting the needle altogether because as she turned it, a sharp, stinging pain shot up my arm and up to my shoulder. I told the nurse my arm ached badly and then she said, "Oh good it's flowing fine now." Yeah. But it was all worth it when the nurse told me that I had saved three lives that day. OMG it is so beautiful outside today. I sat outside on the pool deck for a short while, then moved to the front porch and enjoyed the weather with Big Boy for 20 minutes or so. Amen to RJ, who said: "This is why we live in Florida." It's impossible for me to be inside on a day as beautiful as this.Current mood: Indescribable
Replies: 1 shoutout
OMG I nearly fainted reading about the blood thing. I cannot give blood. I pass out. I am nauseated now.
but, kudos. :-)
Posted by tiff @ 10/16/2003 01:47 AM EST
