Apheresis donation
04-Aug-04
I donated platelets today for the first time. That was…..weird. Very weird.My lips went tingly and numb, and I felt just very “off.” Not like I was dizzy and passing out (though I make no bets had I been standing up), but rather…. like I was all over numb. They gave me Tums, which made my jaw hurt abruptly (kind of like when your saliva glands go into overdrive when you eat something tart), adjusted something which was supposed to make every thing okay, and went off for a bit. I really didn’t feel better until I had some water, though; I was mostly just dehydrated, I think.
The needle in my right arm hurt going in, and I’m pretty sure she went through the vein (after donating this many times, I know what that feels like; I have shallow veins and it happens sometimes). A couple of adjustments fixed it, though. As long as I don’t have a vagle response to the pain and discomfort, they can usually readjust with no further problems,though I may get a bruise on that arm tomorrow.
I watched The Bourne Identity during donation, because John wants to see the sequel and doesn’t have anyone to go with. After the donation, I’d been sitting for so long, I was pretty wobbly and shaky and hung around the cantina for about 10 minutes before finishing my juice and cookies and felt OK to drive. When I got home, I ate a little food and watched What a Girl Wants, which is absolute lovely fluff to wind down with in an evening when you’re feeling a bit shaky.
Oh, and I did not really get cold. A little bit, but not terribly. They threw three blankets and three heating pads on me, just to be sure. If anything, I think I sweated.