Just Savin' Lives.

Okay well maybe I am saving lives just not with the best attitude... I gave blood yesterday for our local community blood drive. Basically when I had to work at the club during the homeowner's association I signed up to give blood because the poor lady needed volunteers. Usually I say I can't give blood because I was born in Germany during the Mad Cow Disease outbreak and if ou were there longer than 6 months between the years of 1980-1990, you are disqualified. Well 'luckily' I was only there for 4 monts so I was still qualified... yikes.

I walked into the freezing cold bus wearing my same outfit from church because the roommate and I went to breakfast and I didn't have time to change. Anyway it took about an hour to answer all the questions and get setup on the chair. I did ask for a blanket because I knew once I had less blood in my system I would more than likely become a popsicle. 

The girl had only been certified since January so that was reassuring... I used my left arm and she did say  that I had veins, which is always a bonus. Now let me preface the rest of this story by saying I have never officially passed out in my life. I may have felt dizzy from standing up too quickly or felt lightheaded because I am in meltdown mode (which is where I am so hungry I can't do anything and this is what my parents call it because I literally meltdown and become completely cranky). Those are really the only few times I feel that way. 

I am just lying there, pumping my stress ball because my blood flows faster if I keep that up and then after 5 minutes I am done. Finished. Awesome, I can leave.... But wait just a sec. Now its time to fill up the SIX viles off of the tubes connector thing for other testing purposes. Okay, no problemo, I can deal.. until she sticks one into the tube and I can physically feel the suction of my blood leaving my body. Needless to say after the sixth one I truly did feel extremely lightheaded and a little nauseous. But once I said that everyone sprang into action. I had one guy throwing cool towels on my forehead and chest, another guy reclining my seat further, and someone saying I need to kick my feet up and down like I am swimming. 

They then proceed to question if I am going to vomit, which I did feel like I was going to but somehow I knew I wasn't but I did say potentially and they put a huge garbage bag on my stomach just in case but one of the guys says "Well, we should put her chair back up because if she does throw up... we are going to have a whole other issue." I had to laugh at that because it would have been horrifying but then I felt even more like I was heading towards the light so I was then told to cough really deeply, like a smoker. So I did that for awhile and it began to help, along with the swimming feet, and after I was coming back into complete consciousness that guy told me I had a wonderful smoker's cough... thanks?

The rest of the day I was totally wiped. I felt like someone took a pound of blood from my body... wait...

It was also weird because I had played the Kinect the day before for about an hour or two. Just learning some new dances, killin it in soccer, and getting KO's in boxing... the usual. But anyway I was really sore the next day and after they took my blood, I felt even more sore. Like they took all the blood that was cushioning the lactic acid from my muscles and now I had to bear it all on my own. Darn C3H6O3. 

This best part of this whole experience is now I have a very relevant and hilarious video about "BUHLUD":

Boom. Saved. Your. Life. With. My. Blood. Posted