feeling drained
Dec. 20th, 2006 08:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hugmeYesterday I gave blood and did apheresis for the first time. I am one of the few people who can do it.
I sat down and the nurse took 20 minutes or so to play with the machine, adding IV bags... etc... there were 2 IV drips she put up. Then I got the needle and she connected 3 IV lines to it going back to the processing machine. it would pull in my blood for 5 minutes or so then it would pump back out some of the plasma plus saline and some other solution. I could tell when it was pumping it back into my arm because it was COLD!! it would also put a lot of pressure on my forearm, the nurse told me to tighten my grip in and out on the foam ball in my hand to help with that, and it did.
about 1/2 way through the procedure my lips started to tingle she laughed and said it was the saline and meant my calcium level was too low... she gave me some tums to help. eh, I don't know if it did or not. Also the back of my neck got cold which was kind of weird, I don't know if that was from the procedure or the chair I was in. When it was over I was wondering if I was going to be dizzy or feel funny... You know... considering that I just had 2 pints of fluid drained from my body... I didn't, I was fine. Also my finger is healed already from the prick for the blood test they do at first... and my arm is almost healed. It was a good nurse.
Donate if you have a chance... seriously!!
I sat down and the nurse took 20 minutes or so to play with the machine, adding IV bags... etc... there were 2 IV drips she put up. Then I got the needle and she connected 3 IV lines to it going back to the processing machine. it would pull in my blood for 5 minutes or so then it would pump back out some of the plasma plus saline and some other solution. I could tell when it was pumping it back into my arm because it was COLD!! it would also put a lot of pressure on my forearm, the nurse told me to tighten my grip in and out on the foam ball in my hand to help with that, and it did.
about 1/2 way through the procedure my lips started to tingle she laughed and said it was the saline and meant my calcium level was too low... she gave me some tums to help. eh, I don't know if it did or not. Also the back of my neck got cold which was kind of weird, I don't know if that was from the procedure or the chair I was in. When it was over I was wondering if I was going to be dizzy or feel funny... You know... considering that I just had 2 pints of fluid drained from my body... I didn't, I was fine. Also my finger is healed already from the prick for the blood test they do at first... and my arm is almost healed. It was a good nurse.
Donate if you have a chance... seriously!!
