Visit with my grandmother

Hardy and I got up fairly early for a Saturday today to make our way to Northside hospital.  It was kind of akward walking into the place where I was born, yet haven't been to SINCE I was born.  But I guess that's actually a good thing...

Anyway

We visited with my grandmother, granddaddy and cousins for a little while before my appointment to donate platelets.  She looked good but was weak and had trouble talking due to some fluid build-up around her lungs.  The good news is that they're completely done with chemo.  She had it twice a night Mon-Fri and now she starts her recovery from that.  I hope she doesn't lose all her hair or get so sick she loses weight but I know none of it is preventable. 

I was nervous about donating platelets, I've donated blood several times but never platelets and for whatever reason my brain was telling me I was going to freak out?!?  Anyway, because my grandmother has leukemia they're asking that friends/family donate in her name to help replenish the bank they've been using for her.  Now that they've blasted her with chemo, they're giving her blood and platelets often.  Well I got situated at the Atlanta Blood Center, answered those awful questions and got prepped in a chair.  After they did a CBC, they came back and said my platelet count was 322 which was really good, enough platelets that I could donate to save 3 people's lives in one sitting. I was ecstatic...don't get me wrong, I hate the big needle, but when you think about what you're doing and who you're helping - -that needle doesn't seem so big anymore.


NOT FOR THE SQUIMISH:

How a platelet donation differs from a whole blood donation.  Mainly in that whole blood is extracted and collected in a bag to be used.  With a platelet donation, blood is extracted then is sent through a machine which seperates the blood and platelets.  Another type of solution is mixed with the blood to prevent it from coagulating and then your blood is sent back to you in the same needle in which it's extracted.  I also learned blood can be chilled after it's collected, platelets, however, cannot and only have a shelf-life of 5 days.  This is why they're almost ALWAYS needing platelets.  After about 10mins of donating, however, there was a problem.  Apparently when the nurse inserted the needle, she punctured my vein twice.  The blood was being extracted fine but when it was trying to come back into my system it was going into the tissue instead of the vein - - because there were two holes instead of one.  This hurt like hell, my arm hurt so bad, I couldn't feel my fingers until she finally pulled the needle out and relieved all that pressue.  Apparently this is called - infultration.  Unfortunately once that happens, they cannot continue taking your blood and you have to come again another day.

I felt so good to start off with and then my good vibrations went bad.  I was so happy to know I could save 3 people when in the end...I saved no one :(  and my arm still hurts like hell and has a yuck-tastic looking bruise.