Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:58:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tamar Lindsay <dicconf at yahoo.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Bad experience giving blood
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

Gack.

Not my own experience but that of others has included needing
to have blood drawn for medical tests and having the "technician"
try eight times without results before they could find a vein.

The tech should _never_ wiggle the needle!  That tears the tissues!
They're supposed tomake a new jab for every try.

I don't try any more because of various things, but it was always
a toss-up whether they would decide I had enough iron even before
they decided I couldn't give blood any more.

=Tamar

----- Original Message ----
From: Madeleine Yeh <myeh at wap.org>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>; wsfa-forum at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 4:40:22 PM
Subject: [WSFA] Bad experience giving blood

Has anyone had an utterly terrible experience giving
blood?

   I went in to the red cross center yesterday and after
an utterly boring wait found myself being sticked with a
needle and tested for iron content.
   After another wait, also boring but I had a book, I
found myself offering up my right arm where I prefer to
sacrifice my left.
    Then this horribly big sharp needle is stuck into my
arm, and no blood comes out.
The technician wiggles it around ( ouch, its sharp ) and
the blood comes into the horrible little tubes.    Then as
I squeeze this rubber ball and get more bored.  I am
firmly instructed to squeeze with my fingers and not just
my thumb as that involves more muscles.
  The pressure cuff is uncomfortably tight and I can feel
my fingers get numb.
   Then the technician notices that my bag is not filling
with blood and comes and wiggles the big sharp needle some
more.    Then she inserts it a little deeper and tightens
the cuff again.  Then another technician comes and
presses on my arm near the needle with gloved fingers.
Still the blood doesn't pour out.     After a couple of
minutes they give up and take out the needle and bandage
the wound.   I hadn't been able to donate enough blood for
a regular offering and my poor blood goes off with the not
quite adequate pile.
    A couple of bags of cookies and an orange juice later,
I head for home having throughly wasted three hours
without contributing much to society.