I DID IT!!!

I did it!  I finally did it!  For a needle-phobe, donating blood was a major accomplishment.  But it's something I've always wanted to do.

Wayne and I went out yesterday-- just the two of us.  We were going to go on a nice hike, find some geocaches, and stop and visit a few shut-ins.  We were on our way to the park where we wanted to hike when we saw a bunch of signs at a church.  When we got close enough to read them, we saw that they were having a blood drive.  We looked at each other, and Wayne pulled in.

Honestly, it was probably better doing it spur of the moment because I didn't have to get nervous about it.  ~smile~  I really don't like needles.

We went in and read all about who can and can't give.  Then we had to have our blood pressure taken and our iron levels tested.  After filling out a brief questionairre about any "shady" activities we might be involved in that would eliminate us from donating, we found ourselves being led to ... the tables!

The gal who drew my blood was very nice.  She stayed with me the whole time.  I don't know if that's typical or not, but for someone who was nervous, it was a good thing.  And honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

We learned some interesting things:

1- Plan on about an hour from when you walk through the doors to when you walk back out.  (More if you or your spouse faints.  But I'll leave you guessing as to which one of us fainted.)

2- They take a pint of blood.  That's two cups.

3- With that two cups they can help three people.

4- A normal donation time is between 5-10 minutes. 

After enjoying a couple cookies and a glass of OJ, we were on our way.  We were both more tired than we anticipated, so we decided to save our hike for another day.  But we both left feeling like we had done something good for someone else.

So, if donating blood has always been on your bucket list, the next time you see one of those donation signs, pull in.  It'll take about an hour.  And you'll feel good about yourself when you're done.