Carmella's Hang Out

Last night, Mum, Kade, and I went to give blood! I was not sure, given all of my conditions and medications, if I was going to be allowed to donate, but I passed the exam and was plugged into the iv!! From the time we got there, to the time we left was TWO HOURS!! It was not very well organized or staffed. Especially when you put into consideration that fact that one of the teachers had offered extra credit to anyone that went and at the very least tried to donate!

The actual blood taking did not take that long at all really. Mum was unable to donate this time, due to having low iron and not passing that part of the medical test. Kade has awesome veins and filled her bag in no time! I have also often been told by those who have to draw my blood {for tests and such, not blood drives, as this was my first time donating} that I have really great veins that are ready to fill whatever they hook up to them! heh.

When I told the nurse that I was rather use to needles, due to allergy shots {even though I still got nervous about this one!} she said that my weekly injections would prove to be more painful!! Turns out she was right! It was a breeze! The biggest deal for me was the breathing! The gurney I was to lay on was comfortable enough, but with everything in the equation {nerves, laying on my back very still, the release of nerves when I found out it was no biggy…etc} lead to me needing to take very deep breaths. For as long as I can remember, I begin to go into a bit of a panic attack if I can not take a deep breathe {a problem I remember plaguing me for many, many years now, even before the asthma diagnosis this past year} I don’t like not being able to breathe, and often to my brain, having to take small, short, shallow breaths is not breathing! heh. The fact that I was feeling light headed and dizzy from the amount of blood being drained did not help, and I was taking slow deep breaths to help stay calm and regain my eyesight and balance. As she took the IV out, she asked how I was feeling, and I told her I was feeling a bit woozy. I then drew a deep slow breath once the needle was out of my arm {since I was able to move a bit more once it was out} and she right away scolded me for breathing like that! Said that was the reason I was feeling dizzy, as deep breathing is a form of hyperventilating. She then said I was only allowed to take short and shallow breaths, and made me breathe into a bag ten times. Oy!! I did as she asked, then took a nice deep breathe when she had her back turned!! ) I felt better after that!

Even with the wait and the scolding, the experience was nice enough that I would love to go back and give blood again once I am allowed. The reason? Well, that is pretty much summed up in what the nurse said as I left:

“You just saved three people today. How many people can say that?”

Today I went in for my allergy shots. I figured, I am going to be worn out already, might as well tack on more draining events, right? Bring on the needles!! {I also go to see my allergist on Friday! This is a medically packed week, isn’t it?} Instead of one of the nurses doing my injections, a newer doc took care of them today.

NEVER AGAIN I HOPE!!!

OW OW OW OW!!

My arms have never swelled quite this bad, looked as sickly, and I don’t think many of my shots have hurt as much as ‘cat’ did today!! {and that is the one that ALWAYS hurts} Really! My right arm looks like it has a tumor growing on it. Its rather gross!! {yes I took pictures!!}

And man am I worn out! lol! Mum and Kade have both said that the majority of their exhaustion came two days after giving blood, so I am not yet to the worst of it.

I am thinking I can handle it, though I hope they {those of you I work with….ya reading this? } are all nice to me tomorrow at work! Not that they are not usually!! heh.

It is a very different tired when it comes from fighting internal stuff!!

I had hoped to go out more on my day off, do something with a girl from work, but it seems that is not to be. Guess it turned out for the better, given how bad my injections were today.

Instead, I have been taking it easy here at home, a cat nap here and there {still have one more to take after dinner!! DUCKS GAME TONIGHT!! I have been looking forward to this all week!!} and working on a silly hockey project.

I shall not go into too much detail about it, as I am told I talk about hockey too much, but I suppose the best way to describe it would be to say it is like one of those fantasy teams, I guess. I am having fun, and it gives me something to do while I fight against everything going on inside me! lol