Blood Party Date: August 11th

My Appointment: 12:45 pm

Other Participants:
P.M. - Whole Blood Donor



This month's incentive:
I'll take donors to dinner.

Recap:
Bloomfield Hills!? Yeah. SEM went on a new donation schedule, which sees all their phresis donation centers pretty much closed on weekends. The Livonia center, mine, is only open on Saturday a month now, which happened to be on a day I couldn't do, and by the time I called the only Sunday for August was booked. Gr.

But Bloomfield Hills was open on the Saturday I needed, so I took an appointment there. That center is about 25 minutes away from me. I went and picked up P.M., then we came back to my place in case anyone else would be able to come. No one else, so the two of us headed up.

Two of the Livonia nurses were there, which made me happy. Only to find out that Bloomfield Hills hasn't been open on a Saturday before! SO odd, why are they doing this wacky stuff? My nurses and I could have been in Livonia, much more convenient for all of us. At the end of the donation, they gave me a phone number I could call to complain, since I was minorly ranting about all this when I arrived. (I did eventually call.)

Being in a different center meant they didn't have my ongoing chart either... and why? I have no clue. There was plenty of enough time for headquarters to send my chart over. But instead there was a faxed over copy of one page of my chart. *sigh* On the plus side, that meant I donated 1 platelets and 2 plasma because they didn't have the chart which had the "1 platelet, 1 plasma" limit written on it! And the nurse attending me, eventhough a Livonia one, didn't remember. I didn't say anything, or even ask about that until near the end of my donation when I started feeling weird and realized what was possibly going on. Same symptoms as last time I donated 2 Plasma - shaking, feeling my face is being sucked downwards (Invisible aliens!), cold, etc. - but not as severe or long lasting. Thankfully. Since I was less than 5 minutes or so away from finishing the donation when I started feeling the symptoms of giving too much plasma, I happily finished out the donation.

I hung out around the cookie and recovery area extra time just to be sure. Bloomfield Hills had the best cookie selection I've seen so far! Every kind you could almost think of. Especially Oreos. Mmmm.

P.M. and I then headed back to P.F. Changs as is traditional. CHI-NA BIS-TRO! I was having to rest a lot, any exertion on my part demanded at least a few minutes of sitting and not moving. :p We had an experience on the way home that was awesome for me, but is a whole other story (and one I've already shared once too many).

P.M. and I had a fun time. We ended up staying up late together and talking, mostly because I didn't feel safe to drive until around 9pm and by then we were into deep important stuff. I enjoy hanging out with him, and look forward to doing it again! We'll try to leave the invisible aliens home next time. ;) Poor things got blamed for a bunch that day.

I've got my August pin now :) Almost time for my September Blood Party, literally, as it's tomorrow! I know it's short notice, but you can still come. Let me know!

Labels: Donating Blood