Thursday, May 13, 2010

Down Time

During a training season things are always being put on the back burner. Household projects, events, vehicle maintenance and giving.

Due to my blood type and red blood cell count I am a much needed donor for the Red Cross. I give blood every opportunity I can to save lives.


Last year I made a mistake. I gave blood right in the middle of a peak week for Half Ironman training. I did not feel the effect of the donation until the U.S. 10K Challenge.

I went into the race with a prescribed time. Starting out I felt fresh but within 1.25 miles I feel apart. Legs gave out, heart rate was through the roof, I cramped and became delirious. I made it through the race but paid the price. It took me two weeks of being anemic to get back into the game.

Giving blood to a cause that may save a life and possibly the life of someone I know is important to me. But, during training, I reluctantly abstain from my civic duty.

After Boston, I received an email from the American Red Cross asking for a donation. The scheduled event was at our church so without hesitation I volunteered to be drained.

Yesterday was my day to give. When I arrived at the church Tonnet, the nurse asked me if I wanted to give a pint or the "Double Red". Of course, I had to ask about the Double Red. Tonnet advised me that they hook you up to a centrifuge the separates your red blood cells from your plasma. It is called the "Double Red" because the process takes two pints of red blood cells. You are replenished with your plasma and IV back into your body. This technique allows them to produce more high quality of blood for trauma patients. The process takes 40 minutes.

I asked Tonnet which one does the Red Cross need more? "Double Red", she said. I said to her, "I am in".

When it was my turn I was sent over to Shirley, another nurse, who was going to set me up for the drain. The process was painless except for a few things. The needle, of course. Shirley also advised me that my lips may tingle due to a depletion of calcium from the double drain and IV. During the drain, my lips tingled and it was hard to speak. Shirley gave me a hand full of Tums and within 1 minute I was back to normal. The last thing was that you start to shiver. The IV bag is room temperature or about 75-80 degrees. The cool liquid from the IV being pumped into your veins feels like someone has the air condition pointed right at you full blast.

Now, this may sound terrible, but in actuality it was painless. Besides, the way I look at it is I would rather be inconvenienced for 40 minutes to save a life and I prefer having my blood drained from me than being in a situation where I need it pumped into me.

No comments:

Post a Comment