Posted by Racer on February 22, 2004, at 15:15:01
In reply to Re: Hint for blood work » Ilene, posted by fallsfall on February 22, 2004, at 12:01:47
Butterflies don't work all that well for blood donation, but they are great for normal blood draws.
As for the donation side, if you're really interested in pursuing it, you might want to see if your blood bank has an RN or a really well qualified phlegbotomist to assess your veins. I can give regular blood draws from either arm, but on my left arm -- the one they always want to use -- I can't donate blood. (This also means they have to use the one-arm machine for apheresis, of course.) It's not clotting that stops the blood, though: it's a valve in the vein that flops over the end of the needle if it's put in at the usual spot. The valves in your veins keep the blood from moving backwards in the vein, sort of like a series of canals or locks on waterways. After too many donations, or some other sort of trauma to the circulatory system in an area, the valves can get a little flaccid. Changing the location of the needle site can make all the difference in the world. My little valvular problem is probably a combination of lots of blood donations and a cut-down IV when I was little. The valve in question is right where the cut-down was done.
Doh! The reason I say a really good RN can assess your veins is that you can feel the valve through the skin if there are any problems. Not everyone is experienced or sensitive enough to feel it, but a good RN can usually figure out where the problem is, an alternate site to insert the needle, or whether your veins really aren't suitable for donation.
Donating blood is literally giving life to someone else. It's the most supportive thing you can ever do in your life to save a stranger's life. Whether you ever know it or not, you're making life possible for someone, making the world a better place, saving doctors some of the stress they face in their lives, and really and truly making a difference -- all for nothing more than a half hour of your time. If you can donate, I encourage it strongly.
(Not that I've got any opinions about it, you see.)
poster:Racer
thread:315042
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040219/msgs/316542.html