Today I gave blood again but this time it actually went well. The reason why I think it is always a celebration when I give blood is because I hate needles. Really I do. Needles just give me the heeby jeebies. Here are some stories to convey this:
When I was younger and I had to have a cavity filled or worked on I would not let them give me a shot. I would rather suffer through the pain than have to get a shot.
When I had braces I had to get two teeth pulled. Well I had told myself that if I didn't look at the needle that everything would go by easier. So right as I went to turn my head and close my eyes I see part of the needle. Not the metal part but the part that holds the liquids. Well I start to freak out. I start telling the doctor and my momthat I can't do this, that I don't want to do this. At this time they had put the numbing gel on my mouth so everything I said was very mumbly. They finally calmed me down and the doctor was able to give me the shots. I still say that the worst part of getting teeth pulled are the shots.
I can watch medical shows and I can watch them cut people open but once they whip out a needle I cringe and have to look away.
So why do I give blood? Because I can save three people's lives.
My first semester up at college when they would have the blood drive I would walk by the signs that tell you when it is and to sign up. On those banners it would say you can save three people's lives. Well I would tell myself that while that is great my fear of needles is much to great. Every time I would walk past those banners I would feel so guilty. Someone could have died because I was to selfish to give my blood. That first semester I never did cave in though.
My second semester the blood drive came around again and walking by those banners was just to much. I had one of my roommates, who is a very dear friend of many years, come and donate blood with me. That whole day was torture. Just thinking of a needle getting stuck in my arm and then staying there for a long period of time was just awful. So my friend and I went and I do have to say that the waiting is probably one of the worst parts of giving blood because you are so close so the whole time you are thinking needles, needles, needles. So it comes to my turn and I give them my information and they check my heart rate and blood pressure. Then they prick your finger to make sure that you have enough iron in your blood. Well I didn't. So that whole day I was working myself up for nothing. I was pretty upset because I had finally got myself ready for the needles and now I couldn't save anybody. Right then I had promised myself that I was going to do all that I could to give blood the next time.
My third semester roles around and I see that the blood drive is coming up. I make sure that I am eating meat and that I am eating enough that I will have iron in my blood. So I go with my dear friend again and we doing the waiting and the blood pressure and the heart rate. They then prick my finger and I passed! I had enough iron in my blood to give blood. I was very happy but then I realized that now comes the needles. So I get led to a chair and sit down and they get everything ready. Since this was my first time my friend said she would hold my hand while the put the needle in me. Well the do the initial prick and it really hurt. Then they pull the needle out and prick me again. Then the medical person says that she is going to try one more time. Well none of those times work. So I am sitting there thinking I don't know if I can do this. They are using to many needles. Well the medical person tells me that she has to go get someone higher up to see what they can do. That person comes and tells me they will have to use the other arm. So they get my other arm prepped and everything goes well that time. What an awful experience! Me, person who hates needles, had to get jabbed 4 times. Ugh!
Fourth semester. New roommates come with me for there first time. Everything is going well. I have enough iron and they are able to hit the vessel on the first try. Then towards the end my blood flow is slowing down so a medical person comes over and starts twisting my needle with out telling me. I ask them what is wrong and he says that my vessel might be collapsing. Yikes! So he is twisting my needle and it hurts. Every time the needle moves it hurts. But that was the only complication.
Finally today. I went and waited and had my heart rate, blood pressure, and iron level checked. Everything is ok. The medical person hits my vessel on the first try and my vessel doesn't collapse. It was the best experience yet.
I am very grateful that I can help people out and that I can
give blood. I am grateful that just because I have had poopy experiences that I can still go back.
If you can give blood do it. You can save THREE people.
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