Donated Plasma!

Ha! I was finally able to donate plasma today! I went to go donate on Saturday with Spencer, but my pulse was too high the 5 times they checked it, I almost got it the last time, but it was still 3 over. This time, I got in on the 2nd time, the first time my pulse was 116, the second time it was 96, I think.

So I am going along, pumping away, feeling absolutely great, when people start coming over and looking at my monitor and having me sit up straighter in my chair. I guess my blood wasn't flowing the fast enough, it was too slow. So they are trying to make it so that my blood will go faster. So the guy who stuck me the first time comes over and starts checking the needle to make sure it was in my vein properly, so he is pushing it a little and trying to get it in place.

Now when he started doing this, I was fine, but then it started to hurt, and I told him and he apologized each time. Pretty soon, my body is getting really hot. So I tell him, and he went and got me an ice pack. Then my hand started to fall asleep, like really bad, and I told him. So he went to go tell the machine to cycle my blood back into me, and he accidentally told it that I was done, so I ended being done with a third of my bottle still empty, but oh well. I started to get really light headed. So he had me talking to him, to keep me focused when all of a sudden I had the strong urge to throw up. So I told him I needed to and he brought the trash can up, I heaved twice, threw up each time, and I was done. I got some water to clear my mouth out and get some water in me, after they were sure I wasn't nauseous anymore.

They ended up putting saline into me again to help make sure that I would be all right. They asked me questions about what happened exactly and then after they were sure that I would be alright, they gave me cookies and a capri-sun and had me sit in a chair to wait and get paid. I got my $30 and I left. Now just so everybody knows, I was feeling perfectly fine and dandy up to the point that they started playing with my needle. If they had left me alone, even going at a slower rate, I would have been fine. So I hope that next time, I will be just fine.