I survived... I am down a pint (did you know the average woman only carries around 8 pints of blood??) and tired, but I feel good. I feel like I am doing something to help Dad... even if he doesn't need it yet.
Have YOU donated blood? Its quite the adventure and it gets very personal. I mean stealing my blood is already quite person, but with their questions... holy yeow!
The most thought provoking question for me was... Have you ever had gay sex with a man from Africa? Now let's break that down for a second. Why does it matter where this man I am having gay sex comes from? And how is it 'gay sex' if I, a woman, am involved? Its a thinker, plus the lovely volunteers our so nonchalant with the questioning I had to ask her to repeat herself... making a little joke about how my fiance (we're in separate private rooms) better have the same answers I have (many of the questions also involved paying for sex with either drugs or money in the last 6months). I understand the need to ask these questions and the seriousness of the answers, but its all a little giggly if you know us.
So we passed the test... the finger prick test was by far the worst part and we were on to the chairs (the best lounge chairs EVER) where they hook you up to the machine, which I originally thought was a pumping machine, and the blood leaves your body. Richard is a flow-er (he has good flow... he is NOT a flower, with petals and a stem) and without trouble he got started... I was a little backed up and things needed to be moved around... great, the chick who hates needles has to have someone fiddle with a needle WHILE IT IS IN HER ARM. Hmpf. It burned for a minute, but wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it might be.
Then we sat there cracking jokes with the nurses (who were great) until the little timer buzzed and my bag was full. The whole process took about an hour, but most of that was because we were first time donors and they wanted to over monitor us (especially me) just in case.
I am more fascinated by blood now... How it works? How your blood type is determined? (not the test, but the actually making of you from your parents) If my brother and I will be the same type? If I am a match to my Dad? How many pints I need inside of me to exist? How long it takes for my body to replenish the missing blood? (24 hours, which also begs the question if in 24 hours I have all my blood back than how am I not exploding from blood production?) And how my body just knows what to do? I also heard that a mother with positive blood can have a baby with negative blood, but needs to get a shot before delivery because the bloods won't like each other. Crazy?! I could grow something inside of me that is completely offended by me.
Whewf... where is the fitness in this blog? Here it is. I am tired. I was tired last night, I am tired today... good thing I only have to hop on the elliptical today, which I am still going to attempt.
Richard and I are also now in direct competition with... everyone (?) Him with Dave (his best friend) and Me with my Doctor (the one that insisted I donate) to get the new cards... if this sounds confusing. After you donate you get a card (I didn't know this) it has your name and blood type on it. Every time you donate you get a little stamp... after 25 donations you get a new card... a fancier one. After 50 you get an even better one and so on... I want the lifetime card, which you get at 200 donations... that seems like a lot, but you can donate every 56 days (another cool fact I learned... its 56 days because although you have the same amount of blood after 24 hours your Iron levels take 56 days to rebuild which is why I am tired today... no iron). Richard was all for donating several times a year (he is a good person), but more because he is competitive with his best friend, who we just found out is a regular donor, has been for years... we have some catching up to do ;)
Ok... ramble over. Work to do.
Happy Friday!
Love!
Advent doodle... yay!
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