Thursday, March 25, 2010

My Path to a Pint


Today I gave a pint of blood at the Red Cross. Here's how it went:
  • In order to get to my appointment on time, I decided to avoid delays associated with traffic lights and travel via the Interstate. Unfortunately it was backed up, requiring me to take alternate routes, all of which were backed up. I would have saved time by sitting through every red light I would have passed, had I gone my usual route.
  • When I was called back to do all the necessary computer paperwork. Merry couldn't get the computer to log on. She asked Cherry for help, but she couldn't make it work, either. Finally we moved to another computer, which did work, and she got me checked in.
  • We got to the part where I had to answer all the personal health questions. Except there were no personal health questions on the screen. Merry came back and couldn't get the questions to appear. She called in Kerry, who also couldn't get it to work. Terry came in and through a series of manipulations, got the questions to come up, but I would not be able to answer them on my own. Instead, Merry had to read out each one to me, I had to answer, and she had to check "yes" or "no."
  • Finally, we got all the computer crap done, and I was ready to sign my permission for them to take my blood. Merry went out to get the paper from the printer. She came back and said that the BVD or BVR or BMW or whatever the official paper is called, wouldn't print on both sides like it was supposed to. Kerry, Cherry, Terry, and some other Erry's came in to help, but they couldn't help either. So, in my folder I had about four one-sided papers marked "duplicate" but since there was no back page.
  • They called in Perry from upstairs, who is the resident computer geek. He told Merry to shut down the computer. Except he meant to log out, and then got all upset and teary-eyed when he realized Merry was shutting down the computer. He gave a little lecture about why "people didn't understand the difference between logging out and shutting down." He also talked some gossip about codes and the supervisor and power points, all of which I felt was privvy. And sort of boring.
  • Finally, computers got back on and Merry goes to the main computer or printer or Nintendo and got my two-sided paper. I signed, and went with Berry, who had been constantly peering over the cubicle in which I was entombed. Sort of like the vultures you see on the highway.
  • Anyhoo, Berry leads me to my gurney and I notice that Jerry is also standing there. So, I surmise that either Berry or Jerry is training. It's up to me to figure out which. It doesn't take long.
  • Berry starts chatting about how she can get blood and stick needles, but she hates the paperwork. I decide Jerry is the trainer, and Berry is the trainee. I wonder if I'm the first real LIVE person she's done. At this point, I sort of wish she had a checklist. So I could help her.
  • Anyhow, she feels around on my arm and tells Jerry that she feels a big healthy vein and she feels the artery. I'm hoping she knows which is which and which she needs to poke. She makes her drawings so she will know where to poke. She gets out the betadine swabs and drenches my arm.
  • She gets all the bags and tubes ready and works on her handheld thingy that spits out the labels. Soon it's time for the needle stick, and she nails it. Jerry says, "What else do you need to do?" She remembers she is supposed to cover up the needle. I decide looking out the window is a good thing. She and Jerry also discuss some other points of giving blood, that probably were covered in yesterday's class.
  • Soon, my bag and tubes and whatever else is filled, and I'm done. Berry bags and tags and pulls out the needle and bandages me and sends me out for my snack. Another pint for someone, totaling a gallon I've give over the years.
So that's my experience of giving blood today. It wasn't typical, and at any point I might have considered leaving because things weren't going well. But I didn't because I wasn't going to let little things get in my way - somebody's life depends on it.
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Things that make today great: Boot camp; all the people at Red Cross, my t-shirt and pin, and snacks; sewing curtains and hanging pictures at Molly's; going with Sam to pick up Lindley at her day care; seeing pictures of Morgan

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