Friday, May 23, 2008

Platelet Donation

It took almost 3 weeks for that hemotoma to fade completely. For the first two weeks, it was a very visible red/purple and didn't seem like it would ever fade. There were small areas around the sides that had turned yellow and were fading, but the center area was still a pretty solid color.

Once it started fading though, it faded within the space of 4-5 days. If I look really closely, I can still see a bit of yellow tinge under the skin, but it's basically completely healed.

I was talking to our receptionist at work. She's an older gal who has spent some time in the hospital this past year for foot surgery and some other issues. Apparently her platelet count is low, so she was quizzing me about platelets and their function (clotting). I don't know whether she would end up being given platelets as a treatment, or whether they'll change what medications she's taking.

Labels: 2008, Donations

posted by Wuphon's at 10:43 PM (0 comments)

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Platelet Donation

So I went in to give platelets yesterday. They (NY Blood Donor services) have been bugging me for a while, because apparently my platelet counts are relatively high compared to others. While I'm sure they want my O+ blood, it sounds like they're more interested in my platelets.

It was an interesting experience. First off, they had misscheduled me for whole blood donation rather then for platelets. So we had to get that straightened out first. My blood pressure was in pretty good condition, closer to 120/80 then the 130-140 / 90-100 that I had been running. So that was a spot of good news.

Finally, they got me into the chair and started hooking me up. I went with the two-arm procedure (intake needle on one arm, outtake needle on the other -- the single-arm procedure uses a single needed and switches between draw/replace). The downside of the two-arm series is that you can't use either arm at all, so no reading for me.

As usual, it stung for a bit at the start. Not bad, but the fluid and blood coming back from the machine was a few degrees cooler. This causes a slight stinging sensation and also makes you feel cool. I asked for a blanket after 15-20 minutes because I was cold.

The machine is pretty well programmed. It can tell what your platelet levels are. How fast you're managing to create the 2-units in the machine, and how much longer it will take for the donation. (Figure 75-90 minutes for a two-unit donation.)

So, word of warning, make sure you don't shift your arms too much. Towards the end of the donation (last 5 minutes or so), I managed to shift the needle coming back from the machine. Ended up with a good 2 inch by 2 inch hemotoma under the skin. I had noticed a stinging sensation in the left arm towards the end, but it was under the blanket and I didn't think anything of it. Turns out that I was developing a nasty bruise from leaking fluid / blood under the skin. The nurse had to ice down my arm quick to reduce the swelling. She was pretty upset because everything had gone well up until that point.

Me? Well, it's not painful at all. I'm just hoping that it heals properly and doesn't prevent future donations. My next scheduled donation isn't until May 30th, so there is plenty of time for it to heal.

Labels: 2008, Donations

posted by Wuphon's at 10:31 PM (0 comments)