Happy Days in Random Chatter 10

[Owlet]

That's awesome! Running helps me get out of moods too. I wish I knew how to do the whole find-songs-with-a-bpm-that-matches-your-pace thing, but mostly I just get lucky sometimes (like you did).

[Tally M.]

I gave blood today!

[C is for]

I gave blood today!

Thanks!

[Tally M.]

After three years of waiting, I was perhaps a little bit too excited. But still. It was great!

[C is for]

What's your blood type?

(I make a point of thanking people for giving blood, since the people that donated my blood probably didn't get thanked.)

[Tally M.]

O something--not sure if I'm negative of positive.

(That's a cool idea!)

[Violet]

O's are always in high demand no matter if you're positive or negative. But welcome to the world of being called every few months to donate blood.

Sometimes I have to laugh because I switch off donation organizations (when I'm in Provo I prefer to give with Mountain Star because they treat me better) and one will call me just after I've given blood with the other and I get to explain that yes, I actually seek out the chance to give blood. Also, I'm Rh negative, so that's always in demand.

[Portia]

O's are always in high demand no matter if you're positive or negative. But welcome to the world of being called every few months to donate blood.

Sometimes I have to laugh because I switch off donation organizations (when I'm in Provo I prefer to give with Mountain Star because they treat me better) and one will call me just after I've given blood with the other and I get to explain that yes, I actually seek out the chance to give blood. Also, I'm Rh negative, so that's always in demand.

O-positive here. The Red Cross treat me like vampires.

[thatonemom]

I'm AB positive and use it as a way to justify not donating. I mean, my fear of needles and blood and anything that combines the two. We're the universal receivers! And no one can use that blood except for other AB positive people. And there aren't that many of us. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Donating is on my bucket list, though.

[Random]

I've actually never donated blood. Every time I planned to donate, something always came up which prevented me. I have donated plasma, however!

[Emiliana]

I'm B+ but haven't been able to donate in awhile because of little trifles like typhoid and malaria, but it's on my list to do when I'm eligible again next year!

C, you were a blood recipient? What happened?

[Squirrel]

I'm A+. I've only given blood once. it wan's bad, but I blacked out when I went to Michael's right afterwards. I'll probably give blood again, if just to get some free food

[Imogen]

I'm B+ but had to stop giving blood after my vein rolled WHILE THE NEEDLE WAS IN IT thus dislodged the needle and causing me extreme amounts of pain. And my veins are super small and hard to tap anyway.

[bobtheenchantedone]

I'm B+ but had to stop giving blood after my vein rolled WHILE THE NEEDLE WAS IN IT thus dislodged the needle and causing me extreme amounts of pain. And my veins are super small and hard to tap anyway.

ACK! I had something similar while donating plasma; the vein and/or needle moved and my entire arm went purple. Thankfully it was easy for them to reposition the needle.

I used to say that I wasn't interested in donating blood because I'd donated enough to myself (as in, I had to give a lot for tests a few years back; yes it's a very lame excuse) but I was really more afraid of the pain and unwilling to take the time. Now that I'm a little less selfish, I still don't donate blood because half my income comes from donating plasma.

[Tally M.]

I still don't donate blood because half my income comes from donating plasma.

I help with blood drives on campus, and that's one of the things we've noticed--college students are more likely to donate plasma for cash, and I don't blame them. It means, unfortunately, that we end up with a much smaller pool of people like me who aren't big enough to donate plasma and just big enough to donate blood.

[Owlet]

Do you have to be bigger than blood-drive requirements to donate plasma? Darn it. I keep hearing how lucrative plasma donation is, but I'm not even eligible to give blood.

[Tally M.]

The place I looked at said you did...but now I'm not so sure...I might've been wrong.

[Tally M.]

All right, I was definitely wrong. My bad. The friend I remember talking to about this might've had different requirements at the place where he donated plasma.

[C is for]

C, you were a blood recipient? What happened?

Oh, over the course of "Chemo Summer" I ended up getting 7 transfusions. I'm still a little bothered that it wasn't 8 (I prefer even numbers) but I was doing well enough after my last round that they opted not to supplement.

And prior to my first transfusion I thought I was A+, and told the nurse that. I was a little surprised that they kept giving me O+ blood (I knew I could accept it, but I thought surely they could find a match in A) but then they told me I was actually O+.

[Emiliana]

C, you were a blood recipient? What happened?

Oh, over the course of "Chemo Summer" I ended up getting 7 transfusions. I'm still a little bothered that it wasn't 8 (I prefer even numbers) but I was doing well enough after my last round that they opted not to supplement.

And prior to my first transfusion I thought I was A+, and told the nurse that. I was a little surprised that they kept giving me O+ blood (I knew I could accept it, but I thought surely they could find a match in A) but then they told me I was actually O+.

"Chemo summer" doesn't sound like fun. When was that?