Thursday, June 12, 2008

I try to do something nice, and I get stabbed

So last week there was a poster in the women's bathroom promoting a blood drive in our office building.  I signed up for it, and it was today.  I go in, pass the interview, iron levels, etc.  I go to the lounge chair, and she hooks me up.  I've donated blood several times in the past, but it's been about five years since the last time I did.  They use my left arm, which I have had trouble with before, but the left arm's vein is crooked, and they were scared to pierce the vein wall. 

The girl sticks me with the needle, and it's not flowing very fast.  The first thing they do is take four small vials of blood before filling up the larger bag with blood for the actual donation.  The blood isn't flowing very quickly, so she moves the needle around, up and down my vein, trying to find the right position for it.  All of the sudden, the skin right above that vein starts to bulge.  It's getting bigger and taller.  I ask, "Is it supposed to do that?"  Normally, they cover the area with some gauze so you can't see the needle enter your skin.  They had not done this yet.  She starts closing off the tubes I am hooked up to, takes the needle out, and has me put pressure on the hole w/ some gauze over it. 

Then she says, "Well, you can try it again with the other arm, or you can come back next time."  I opt to try again later, as I am taking time out of work to do this.  If I hadn't had to go back to work and didn't need to get going, I would have let them try the other arm. 

I can't blame the girl who stuck me - she took blood from the guy who was sitting right next to me, no problems.  She pierced the wall of the vein, and blood started pooling up under my skin.  I am going to have a HUGE bruise, and I'm already quite sore.

I'll post pictures of the bruise when it shows up.  Gross.
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