I had a phlebotomy.

I donated blood today and I actually didn't do as well as I always do. That is to say, when I finished the donation, before I stood up, my head started swimming, and then my hearing went away and it sounded like I was under water, and then the girl had to ask me if I was okay, and I said no. And then she asked me to hold something, but I couldn't really hear her because of my hearing loss, but then I held it and she tipped my seat back and then she asked me to cough because coughing brings blood to the head (who knew?) but I felt really silly coughing. So I just laughed (hoping that laughter would bring blood to my head) and asked if I really had to keep coughing, and she kept saying, "Just one more, just one more." And she had to put cold compresses on and beneath my head. And I had to lie there for a good ten minutes.

Apparently I didn't enough fluids and/or food this morning. I thought that I was being good by drinking a breakfast shake, which is full of vitamins. I guess I was wrong. My last donation time was 6:15 (I beat all my coworkers---we're competitive like that). This donation time was about 8:00. Pathetic.

The whole experience, though, wasn't as bad (read: cool) as the experience I had my freshman year.

The good part about it is that now I have an excuse not to work out today (I've successfully found an excuse every day for the past two weeks) and to overeat. I mean, I really feel that my body needs a lot of calories today. Good thing I asked my mom to take me to Buca di Beppo's tonight for dinner. I'd better get dessert, too, just to be on the safe side.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I donated blood a few weeks ago, and I've decided that I must have an awesome cardiovascular system or something. I felt pretty weak afterwards, but I came nowhere close to passing out, even though I hadn't eaten breakfast and hadn't had much for lunch, either.

And then I went and played ward basketball four hours later, which turned out to be a not-so-great idea. After the game was over I felt like I'd been punched in the chest a few times. I don't think I've ever felt so exhausted.

Michael Paul Bailey said...

It was ward basketball. You probably had been punched in the chest a few times.

i i eee said...

Good for you. I can't give blood because I'm a very difficult draw.

Hmmm...Buca di Beppo.

Saule Cogneur said...

Mmmmmmm Buca di Beppo....

Really, if you slack off for the entire month and "be good" for the following two, you'll still be a month better off than the average resolutioner. And THAT means you can slack off until October.

TOWR said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carina said...

I laughed out loud when I saw your title.

Yesterday I also donated blood, kind of. I took a glucose test: fast for 12 hours, give a blood sample, then drink an awful glucose drink after which they draw your blood every hour for three hours. No food, no sugar, and maybe a mouthful of water.

On the second hour my spouse came with me. I told him the phlebotomist would take my blood. He said, "The WHAT?" He wouldn't believe me when I told him that a person who draws blood is a phlebotomist. We had to draw in the actual phlebotomist to confirm. So the fact that you used "phlebotomy" in your title cracked me up.

We must be psychically connected since I almost fainted from lack of food and fluid--only it was in the car I was driving on the way back to work.