About three weeks ago, my friend’s daughter, a kid whom I love very much, had a major spinal operation. Even though her father donate blood to be used in the operation, it wasn’t enough, and she needed many pints more than expected.
I was feeling far away and helpless. Everyone feels helpless to know someone they love is in pain, but I just felt extra since they are in California and i’m in Colorado. I couldn’t easily be there to drop off food or just help in any way they might need it. The blood issue stuck in my mind and I started to look up donating blood.
I’m ashamed to confess it, but I had not previously given blood. I was ( still am a bit) very nervous around needles and I was scared. I didn’t even donate when I worked at Universal Studios and had Dracula sneak up behind me and tell me that he wanted my blood and would give me a free pint of Ben and Jerry’s- a pint for a pint! The tie is was fabulous.
In any case, I went to our local blog bank site, a company called Vitalant and registered. I learned that only 3% of eligible people donate and that only 38% of the population is eligible. For example, my husband can’t donate in the US, because of he lived in England during a certain time frame. There is an urgent need for blood and those of us who can give, are not doing it.
To further simplify the process, I learned that my community, Sterling Ranch, was holding an upcoming blood drive. It couldn’t have been easier.
A few hours prior to my lunch time donation, I filled out a ten minute health survey. This must be done on the same day and it streamlines the process when you arrive to donate. I arrived fifteen minutes early and they took me immediately.
I didn’t know my blood type, but it only took a few minutes to find out. The nurse poked one of my fingers to get a few drops of blood- one quick prick, virtually painless. On a special piece of board she smeared drops of my blood to see if they would react with the chemicals, similar to a PH strip, I think. The section where my blood coagulated, would reveal my blood type.
I was an A negative, which is a rarer blood type. I was asked to switch my donation from whole blood to a “Power Red” or apheresis donation. If you have A Negative blood, this is more useful than a whole blood donation. It takes about ten-fifteen minutes longer, as a machine separates the red cells, and gives the doner back their platelets/plasma/white cells.
I agreed, but there were a few contingencies to make this happen. First, my iron count had to be high. Iron is tested prior to every donation and is done with the same finger prick that they used to blood type me. I was good to go.
My temperature was taken =good.
My blood pressure was taken = fail.
I had to sit calmly for a second blood pressure test, which I passed, barely. The nurses are only allowed to take it twice, and if you fail two times, you can’t donate on that day. However, this was a good reminder that my blood pressure has been running high for the past two years, and I need to start getting it under control before true health problems arise. Through my donation, I also got a read on my cholesterol levels, which were borderline high.
I moved over to the donation chair, where a hilarious nurse named Walt helped me out. He kept me laughing and walked me through the process. I would go through a cycle three times of blood going out and the platelets/plasma/white cells, going back into my body. When the blood was pumping out, I was to squeeze and release a squidgy ball, and when things were coming in, relax. When everything came back into my body, I felt slightly cold and had a slight tingling sensation in my mouth. Nothing hurt or was too unpleasant.
Here is the machine that separated the blood.
The actual donation took about thirty minutes and I felt fine after. I had none of the dizziness or light-headless that I was anticipating. There were cookies, juice, and other snacks for anyone who needed to replenish and we were encouraged to take it easy as our bodies were adjusting.
I can make a power-red donation up to three times a year, so I am just going to add this to my schedule. It was easy, virtually painless, and took less than an hour.
If you are eligible to donate, I encourage you to make an appointment asap. It’s a way that a person can actually impact someone else’s life, perhaps save a life.
