An email to my sister

[kyrasantae]

So, I have a piece of purple Koban (that funny tape-but-not-tape stuff). :)

Why?

Because I got a hematoma from donating blood. I guess it was my veins being too small or something (or a crappy nurse?). At first the blood flow was really strong and it filled up the small bag (the one for blood tests) really quickly, but once they switched over to the one for the actual unit of whole blood, it just flowed really really slowly like there wasn't any pressure, and then they gave up after 7 minutes (should be 15) - I don't think they even had a third of the bag full at this time. So I got a disposable ice pack and Koban. There.

Anyway, it hurts. Maybe they pushed the needle too far in and it cut the other side of the vein so there wasn't any pressure pushing the blood into the needle. Yeah the needle does hurt more than your normal needles.

Mildoo

P.S. I can't *try* to donate again until May 25.
P.P.S. The iron test is cool. They poke your finger and then squeeze some of your blood into an eyedropper, then they put a drop of it into a solution of CuSO4 and watch it fall. It has to hit the bottom of the solution (about 10cm deep) in 15 seconds for you to pass the test. Don't know why they use CuSO4, is there some special chemistry behind it?


Forgottenlord's perspective on the matter.

Comments

[mcnutcase.livejournal.com]

Well, damn. You were going to donate today too?

I'm lucky. I have big easy veins and free-flow blood. I got the unit out in about half the time most people do.

[kyrasantae.livejournal.com]

That was yesterday...and forgottenlord got his unit out quite quickly too and his droplet for the iron test sank so fast the nurse hardly got to see it.