I figure I will give you all a update on how the saturday morning of my giving blood went..due to the exciting story previous of the 'practice run' for getting up early in the morning few days earlier blog.. I'll give you the story of the actual blood giving day..
so the night before we got the honour of getting to attend Janet and Wayne's wedding off in beautiful Canmore! it was ever so gorgeous! the ceremony location, the ceremony itself, the 'giving and 'receiving' of roses, the giddy family members, the reception, homemade cupcakes, the scenic mountain view, and of course... Janet! the most gorgeous thing of it all.. she seriously looked like a bride right out of a bridal magazine.. Perfection!
most of the attendants of the wedding danced the night away and stayed the night in Canmore.. Aryk and I much to our lack of planning and organizing (okay most of those two things that are lacking.. are me lacking those two things) and we had to give blood the very morning after, at 9 am.so we ate, we drank, we toasted, we danced, we sang, we laughed.... but eventually we had to set out for our ride home for we had a early morning to save lives!
early morning came along... to early.
and man.. how I wished the Thursday was our actual blood donation day... for we were awake, prepared, hydrated.. and had a big healthy breakfast
this saturday morning however...
ultra dehydration for we drank the night before and spent a ton of time in the sunshine..
our breakfast was minimal..
we raced out the door.. this time... unprepared...
we ended up going to the wrong location.. and wrong location again..
only to discover the school of which we were giving blood at.. was the school in fact.. RIGHT beside where I went to Highschool (I had not had a clue)we went in.. I had anxiety like I was confessing to a murder of which I was non guilty too, I did not realise that giving blood was more than a minute type thing... apparently it is over 10.. which is quite a giant leap from my imagination.. Oh boy.. thats... thats lengthy! for I'm not good with giving blood.. I'm fine with needles and all.. and I think I'm fine.. but my face always seems to go Pale and they always make me stay and rest after for a while before they let me leave the room.
Paperwork and Iron tests first. "you have such small hands! you have such small fingers! I am scared i am going to hurt you because your fingers are just so small!!" "oh.. uhmm.. I'm okay.. you just pretty much poked my hand with a pin.. I'm alright.." . Much to my excitement....
I passed my Iron test!
which was my main concern.. for everyone that knew I was about to go give blood informed me I probably wouldn't be accepted because they all think my iron would be low (I do not eat meat..) (expect 2 of the weddings I went to this summer.. I had small portions.. and it was worth it) but I passed!
wahoo! smooth sailing!
then all these nurses were handing me juice boxes "drink up, you are so skinny! you are so skinny!" so I guzzled down many juice boxes
sat in my confidential booth.. convinced the nurse that YES I am over 110 pounds! "oh common! I want to save lives here!!" I answered all the questions with the answers with a"no". "No, I was not born in Africa" "No, I am not a male that has had anal sex with another male anytime since after 1970" "No I do not have aids" "No, I have not seen the doctor in the last 3 months. well.. I have.. but that was a 'hi my medication works, okay bye'" I got in trouble for saying no to that one.. we had to cross it out and initial that indeed yes I have. But.. but? I didn't go because I was SICK or anything was wrong with me! anyways...
I passed in flying colours (of course)
but..
my heart rate was too high.. it was checked twice.. it has to be at 100... first it was 108.. then 102 after she had informed me to imagine I was on a beach..
denied.
no more tries..
kicked out.
no giving blood for Kristen.
my blood not given to someone in need..
Aryk did though... in record time for himself at 5 minutes or so..
AND got a cookie.
so jealous..
so embarrassed..
for if I saw someone denied.. I'd think its from one of those yes or no questions.. and had a STD or something.. so sad.. so so sad
next time.. no drinking the night before.. a full nights sleep the night before..
and lots of water for up to 3 days before! (this I did not know)
anyways...
this sticker they gave me is
false.
