LilacRose v1.0: Giving Blood

Giving Blood

The things I do to get some time off from work...The Bloodmobile was visiting my workplace today. Since you get four hours off for giving blood, and since I'm trying to save up my regular leave, I was perfectly happy to open a vein to get those four hours. Aside from feeling a little weak and lightheaded, I'm doing fine. I now have a legitimate excuse to sit on my butt and relax the rest of the day. And my blood may help somebody, which is pretty cool as well.

Of course, when you give blood, they ask about a million questions to which the answer (for me, anyway) is always no. I hadn't been taking my vitamins lately (or sticking to my diet, but that's a subject for another post), so I was afraid I'd flunk the iron test they always give. I was looking at that drop of blood and thinking, "Sink, dammit, sink!" It was a little slow, but it did sink. Then you go lay on a one of the lounger/bed things, they stick you (which I can't watch), and then you squeeze a ball for about ten minutes while you pump out a pint. Then they give you a Coke, Little Debbie's snack cakes and, this time anyway, a free t-shirt.

So, if anyone in the Pensacola area gets a transfusion of A+ in the near future, remember, it may be mine...

Posted by Susan B. at 3:00 PM to Stuff & Things

Comments

Barb M

Glad to see you pop in here again! Good for you for giving blood. I don't do it anymore. The last time I gave I was sick the rest of the day, even though they utterly babied me. Telling them you passed out the time before will do that. Boy, you guys get Coke and Little Debbie snack cakes? All I ever got was lemonade and generic cookies. Although I hate canned Coke anyway.

Posted on June 16, 2006 at 6:11 PM

Susan B.

Hi Barb,

This was, I think, the third time I've given blood. While I'm usually weak and tired afterwards, I was more so this time. I think it was because I hadn't been taking my vitamins lately. Canned Coke is okay, but nothing beats Coke in a glass bottle. Coke in a plastic bottle doesn't even taste as good. Sometimes when I go grocery shopping, I pick up a six pack of Coke or Dr. Pepper in the 8 oz. glass bottles. They're expensive, but worth it because of the taste. I like to put a bottle in the freezer for a few minutes to get it icy cold. Then you pop it open, that "smoke" comes out, and then you sip it -- heaven!

Posted on June 18, 2006 at 8:52 PM

Barb M

Hey, we don't have glass bottles for Coke or Pepsi products up here anymore! Just for the "off-beat" stuff like Boyland's. And I thought we lived in the same country! :)

Posted on June 20, 2006 at 9:41 AM

Susan B.

Hi Barb,

I don't know why the glass bottle drinks are only available in some parts of the country. I guess it depends on the local distributer. Here, we can get Coke and Dr. Pepper in 8 oz. glass bottles. I also remember seeing Sprite in glass bottles, but not lately. The only drawback is that they are more expensive and that you can't redeem the bottles anywhere. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember when you could take glass bottles back to the store and get money for them. Then the bottling company would wash them and use them again.)

Posted on June 20, 2006 at 1:24 PM