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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Jul 12, 2018 20:21:06 GMT -5
Attempted to donate today. Everything went well for about ten minutes. Then, everything went wonky. My phlebotomist, Terrie, said I'd likely have a bruise. It's still covered up by an arm bandage until about 10:00 PM. She said getting the rinseback in me was touch and go. I watched the Trima Accel screen with concern. It only went into the yellow zone once.
She asked me if she was hurting me. I said, "Every time I suck air between my teeth, what's going on hurts." I think I sucked air three times.
At least my taxable brokerage account had good news on the blood donation front. I have roughly thirty positions. Terumo (ticker TRUMY) was the best performer today. The company that makes more than half of the world's plateletpheresis machines.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Jul 13, 2018 16:06:48 GMT -5
Terrie was a pessimist. If there's a bruise, it's extremely small. I'll be ready to try again August 6th (August is ice cream month at the blood bank: give a pint, get a pint). They always tell you to have a hearty meal after donating. Does a pint of ice cream count? A unit of blood has 650 calories, a pint of ice cream has 640 calories. Near perfect match!
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Jul 15, 2018 17:44:12 GMT -5
Terrie was right - I have a bruise. It just took a while to develop:
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Post by dilbert3333 on Jul 16, 2018 7:10:56 GMT -5
I'm scheduled for platelets Wednesday at my usual New Jersey donor site. Since my donor sites in NY & NJ are different agencies they don't track where I've given to each other and how much blood loss I've had. I'm requesting a new donor card for New York Blood Center. Based on the amount of platelets I've donated to them I think I've earned a black Gallon Club Card
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Post by dilbert3333 on Jul 18, 2018 20:33:53 GMT -5
Another triple platelet completed, that's 30 triples in a row. Got a red "American Blood Donor" drawstring bag as a prize. Donors received a scratch-off card most everybody gets the bag. Other prizes being given away include a TV, iPad Pro and Apple Watch, which if won are picked up at a later date.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Jul 25, 2018 14:27:39 GMT -5
Going to have to go to my internist before I go back to the blood bank. Was having shaking (not that unusual for me) and chest pains (unusual for me) Saturday. Spent about 48 hours in the hospital having heart muscle enzyme levels checked, EKG telemetry, and an echocardiogram. Everything came back normal. They've ruled out it being heart problems, except they did find a left branch bundle block on my EKG which can simply be wear and tear from aging. I am beginning to think it's from elsewhere. Too high to be heartburn.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Jul 26, 2018 17:28:11 GMT -5
Hope you're feeling better, Sneakers!
Scheduled my next Platelet donation for Wednesday next week, then I go to St Louis for work training the following week. At least the flights from NY are shorter than when we did training in Las Vegas the last 2 years.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Aug 3, 2018 7:35:30 GMT -5
I made my 13th triple-unit platelet donation of the year Wednesday at Community Blood Services. 10 donations to them & 3 to New York Blood Center this year. While there the lucky bum that won the big prize in the scratch-off game came in to pick it up. A Westinghouse 55" flat screen TV. He donated the Wednesday prior and got the lucky ticket.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Aug 5, 2018 19:03:18 GMT -5
Another triple platelet completed, that's 30 triples in a row. Got a red "American Blood Donor" drawstring bag as a prize. Donors received a scratch-off card most everybody gets the bag. Other prizes being given away include a TV, iPad Pro and Apple Watch, which if won are picked up at a later date.
Am I the only one to note that the scratchoff card pictured a person who isn't dressed that well to go to the blood bank? I always wear short sleeves, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone that gives blood...
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Aug 5, 2018 19:25:04 GMT -5
Twelve donations so far this year, including July 12ths boo-boo. Every successful donation a platelet triple. Last time I didn't do a triple was September 11, 2017; the first donation I had made post-Harvey. It pretty well seemed the first couple of weeks post-Harvey that I only ate once a day.
My next appointment is tomorrow. Will have some things to report on the health history. Hopefully, I won't be deferred for being in the hospital two weeks ago. They didn't find anything that they didn't know of in May 2017.
My housemate will say, "Monday, and you're taking a shower... must be going to the blood bank!"
Haven't decided if I'm going to go out and eat out beforehand. Sometimes I do, sometimes I eat at home.
Haven't decided what to wear. Given the weather forecast, undoubtedly a T-shirt and shorts. And, more likely than not, a pair of hightops. The last time I wore sandals, they said "No sneakers today?" No matter what color of T-shirt I wear (and I have every color in the rainbow), I have a pair of matching sneakers. Even yellow, orange, and purple (probably the rarest sneaker colors).
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Aug 6, 2018 14:22:13 GMT -5
Currently pumping out platelets. They have me on the way to doing a triple. Other than July’s failed donation, I have been doing triples pretty steady. Got 23 minutes to go according to the Trima Accel. They are having a slow day at the blood bank and I was in earlier than usual. Went in for my 4:00 PM donation three hours early. Decided I need a haircut and a beard trim. The beard trim takes most of the time and it’s only a third of the cost.
It’s ice cream month in Houston. I still have coupons from smoothie month that expire the end of August. The ice cream coupons usually get redeemed on the way home.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Aug 6, 2018 17:14:43 GMT -5
Platelet donation August 6, 2018:
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Aug 6, 2018 21:56:18 GMT -5
Scheduled my next appointment for next Monday. I'm a big fan of ice cream month, down to the point of only making one donation in July and September. Had some vanilla ice cream (not with the free coupons I got today) as part of supper.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Aug 9, 2018 23:42:35 GMT -5
Got a text from the blood bank at 10:03 AM this morning. They were done testing my platelets and they were on the way to waiting recipients. About the same time, I used both of the ice cream coupons that I got Monday. One for cherry vanilla and one for strawberry. Right arm seems to be no worse for wear.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Aug 13, 2018 18:32:20 GMT -5
Platelet donation August 13, 2018 - another platelet triple:
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