Right now I've got an ice pack on my arm. I was told to expect pain and bruising. I've given blood often over the years, but this has never happened before.
The tech could not get the blood to flow properly. He found the vein, put a cuff on my arm, and inserted the needle. So far, so good. But my blood was coming out too slowly. Another tech came over and manipulated the needle, which hurt. I'm not used to feeling anything once the draw has begun.
The second, more senior tech told me that perhaps "clot and tissue" was interfering. They thanked me a lot, but sent me home.
I'm not as upset about this as I might be. Having Covid within 60 days is a reason not to give blood. It occurred to me that I don't know for a fact that I didn't have Covid last month. So I suppose it's possible that, once my donation was screened, it would have been tossed anyway.
Photo by Nguyễn Hiệp on Unsplash
I've given blood about 180 times. I used to donate 6 times a year. It's a lot less frequent now because I've developed scar tissue in both arms. A really skilled phlebotomist can do it so I can give blood in under 7 minutes, like last time. With a more novice worker, it might take twice as long, such as the time before..
ReplyDeleteIt is good that you were willing to give.
ReplyDeleteI can give platelets, I should make an appointment to do that.
ReplyDeleteI haven't given blood in years because I have horrible veins and the last time I tried they told me not to try anymore. Good for you for giving it a go.
ReplyDelete