Blood-It's in you to Give

Today is the first day I donated blood! It's not the first time I've attempted to do this, as I've had tattoos, and travel experiences and sickness that have stopped me in the past. But, today none of that stopped me, so off I went to the Donor Clinic. For anyone thinking of doing this, be aware that it could take up to 1.5 hours from start to finish! I was not expecting this. First, they prick your skin to check your iron levels, then you fill out a

questionnaire, and after that you have an interview with a nurse as she asks some personal sexual questions. My nurse was a bit concerned because I hadn't eaten in 5 hours and she was worried that I may faint or pass out. I was a bit worried as well, but did it anyway.

While sitting at the table before the procedure, there was a man (he was 69 years old) who started to talk to me about his experiences as a Blood Donor and was letting me know what to expect the first time. It was nice of him, and he definitely helped me feel more confident about what was to come.  He had given blood 154 times in his life, but had a 10 year gap where he had been diagnosed with epilepsy and was unable to donate. He was very happy when his epilepsy had disappeared and was able to do it again. He told me he looked at giving blood as a means to check his health, and ensure his body was on the right track. Apparently, while the most obvious health benefit of donating blood is the idea of possibly saving another human being, it does have physical health benefits as well. I read this article about the benefits of donating blood and thought it was interesting.   click here to read it!

The older gentlemen told me the first time he gave blood, they gave a shot of whiskey afterwards! The nurse also told me, that in Ireland they give a glass of Guiness afterwards because it has a high iron count! All I got was cookies and I'm not gonna lie, I ate way too many. Anyways, the experience was overall good even though the nurse missed my vein the first time (which actually hurt more than I thought it would) She looked at me with these sad eyes and said, "I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to do that again. " The second time actually didn't hurt at all, because she did it properly. They took a whole pint of blood in 10 minutes!

I had to pee from all the liquids I drank beforehand so the nurse had to escort me to make sure I didn't pass out with my face in the toilet, I guess. This will be a repeat occurrence from me and I encourage anyone who reads this to do the same!