I always hear the messages, “There’s no substitute for human blood, donate today!” but never thought I would actually be courageous enough to donate. My mom is a nurse and donates as regularly as she can, which is every two months, and I decided to go with her to the Inova Blood Donor Services office to donate. I was really nervous while sitting in the waiting room and had to answer a series of background questions to see if I was eligible to donate.
A nurse called me into a private room to review my questions and to check my temperature, pulse and hemoglobin level. To test my hemoglobin level my finger was pricked to draw blood and the sample was put into a machine. If my level was too low I would not have been eligible to donate, but my hemoglobin, pulse and temperature were average.
I proceeded to wait in a raised chair while a nurse prepped me on what was going to happen. The nurse could sense my nervousness and anxiety as this was my first time donating, let alone having blood drawn. The nurse put a rubber band on my upper arm to make my veins pop out so she could see where to put the needle. I really hate needles so to stay calm I had to close my eyes while my arm was disinfected the the needle was inserted. It didn’t hurt as bad a I expected, it was just a pinch. I squeezed a stress ball every few seonds while I watched the clear bag next to me fill with blood.
The process only took about 15 minutes, and then the needle was taken out and gauze was taped over my arm to clot the blood. The nurse had me stay sitting for about ten minutes to make sure I didn’t stand up too fast and feel lightheaded because I’m young and it was my first time donating. After I stood up, I went to the waiting room where I was offered snacks and refreshments to replenish. Giving blood is not something everyone had the guts to do, but I feel really good about myself for doing it because I know there are many people who need it. Overall it was a very positive experience and i highly recommend anyone who is eligible to donate.
By: Megan Flynn
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