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By Haberdashing - 13/11/2013 20:10 - United States - Rochester
Today, I donated blood. Afterwards, I regained consciousness on the floor with a half-eaten cookie in my mouth. FML
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Haberdashing tells us more :
Wow. This was my FML. It was my first time giving blood. I'd tried once before but my hemoglobin was too low. So I made sure to eat lots of iron rich foods the weeks before and was fine this time. Everything went really well. But when I got settled at the table with the snacks where they make you wait for 15 minutes I started to feel a bit dizzy. I fainted then. I'd been in the middle of eating my cookie, so it wasn't that odd. The wonderful people there caught me and lowered me to the floor, and I was only out for about 20 seconds. When I woke I was just really confused, and all I could really coherently think was "I have a half chewed cookie in my mouth," and I couldn't figure out how to swallow. They gave me juice and ice and I went back to my dorm to lay down until class. I think it actually went really well, and I'm excited to give blood in the future. I'll just have a larger breakfast and stay laying down for longer.
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By  Haberdashing  |  13

Wow. This was my FML. It was my first time giving blood. I'd tried once before but my hemoglobin was too low. So I made sure to eat lots of iron rich foods the weeks before and was fine this time. Everything went really well. But when I got settled at the table with the snacks where they make you wait for 15 minutes I started to feel a bit dizzy. I fainted then. I'd been in the middle of eating my cookie, so it wasn't that odd. The wonderful people there caught me and lowered me to the floor, and I was only out for about 20 seconds. When I woke I was just really confused, and all I could really coherently think was "I have a half chewed cookie in my mouth," and I couldn't figure out how to swallow. They gave me juice and ice and I went back to my dorm to lay down until class. I think it actually went really well, and I'm excited to give blood in the future. I'll just have a larger breakfast and stay laying down for longer.

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  BeccaHugs  |  17

This is hardly an FML. This happens to a lot of people hence the complementary cookie and wait time between donating and leaving. Sucks that it happened to you, but you must have known that it was possible if you were donating blood.

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  CallMeMcFeelii  |  13

I'll never give blood again after what the nurse did the last time. She stabbed me 10 fucking times and each time she was digging through my arm! My veins aren't even hidden. She was going after that big one inside the elbow but apparently she kept stabbing through it. I looked like a god damn junkie by the time I was out. Each time I see a blood drive sign I recall that moment. Never again, I tell ya, that's for damn sure.

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  Adree  |  15

When I donated a few months ago I went with my bf and his mom, they were first time donors but I had done it several times before, so after spending the mandatory 15-20 minutes on site and the car ride home worrying him, I vomited all over his grandfathers lawn while they were perfectly fine. FML

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  skyttlz  |  32

I've only donated once and I don't see myself doing it again. My veins are quite small so they had to use my dominant arm even though I wanted it done from my left. They basically had to swim the needle around inside. I was still having dizzy spells a week later. I found out half a year later they changed the minimum weight and I had been underweight by the new standards.

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  TheDrifter  |  23

You guys gotta stop donating in the nice neighborhoods. I've gone to the same one in the lousy neighborhood I call home a dozen times and the shaky handed ex heroin junkie has yet to miss a vein on me. It seems all the true professionals volunteer close to home.

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  cheyeahh6  |  16

Not sure how it is where you are, but in Australia, no phlebotomist is allowed to try more than twice per patient, unless the patient insists. Not even for donations! Maybe they should enforce that kind of rule everywhere if it hasn't been already.

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  DropTheDaggerxx  |  31

Having a shitty phlebotomist is tough (especially when they have to fish in your arm for the vein- ugh!) but I hope some of you reconsider giving blood even though you had a bad experience! It's such a great help to so many people. OP and everyone else- make sure you're well hydrated, your veins will be easier to get then. As for every other side effect... it sucks, there's no getting around that. But you'll feel good about yourself later! (Much later. After you stop feeling like you just gave ____ units of blood. But still!)

I've always wished I could donate, but I can't. But good on you for donating, OP! Hope you're feeling better.

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  Dawnstempest  |  17

@ 31 Wow, the quality of training sure has gone down for those responsible for drawing blood. Unfortunately, it seems to be the case more and more as the years go by. It really isn't that hard to draw blood, if you have average eyesight and average hand eye coordination you can do it as long as you have average training.

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  HappynessSA  |  6

31- it is up to you to tell them if they are hurting you and to stop. I had the same experience but after the third try I said please stop. I have donated blood countless of times since. She may have been new. It's no excuse to never donate again if you are in a position to help save lives.

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  strawberrywine22  |  27

My work hosted a blood drive and an elderly woman donated. She mumbled something about being in a hurry, slipped out of the bloodmobile, and ended up driving INTO the dollar store across the street!

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  jennyjune0303  |  7

Although I don't doubt you had a bad experience, there are a lot if bad plebotomists out there, but if you donated blood in the US they did not stick you 10 times. Every blood bank is regulated by the FDA because blood is considered a drug when used for transfusions. Therefore there are regulations we all have to follow ( I work for Red Cross) and one of those is you can only stick someone twice, once in each arm.

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  ndomer  |  6

I've hosted seven or so blood drives and have donated myself many times. In my experience they usually ask if you're okay if it takes more than one try. They don't always obey the laws, but they're almost all polite. They'll keep asking you if you're okay, and if you say you're not they stop. I've seen that happen quite a few times, but it's very unfortunate if they treated you poorly.

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  MichellinMan  |  20

Welshite, #2 is implying that OP is a vampire because he/she fainted after donating blood, even though that makes no sense. Same goes for the Cookie Monster joke.

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  TheDrifter  |  23

They have the same rule here 73. With an aids infection rate above 50% in the gay community they require blood tests before donations for "at risk lifestyles".

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  AngelSpit  |  18

yeah I have to have my blood tested whenever I donate (I'm AB-) because I'm into BDSM even though I get tested yearly (I'm married not. promiscuous but there is a possibility of blood transfer in some of the "rougher" "play". better safe than sorry and I wont "play" with anyone who doesn't get regularly tested either)

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  mattrd_fml  |  31

In the US they test all the blood after its donated anyways. but still won't let gay men donate even if they test themselves beforehand. i know a lot of gay guys who just lie on the form.

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  ComoEsJuan  |  24

Am I the only one wondering if it was truly OP that ate half of the cookie? I mean, half a cookie is a lot better than no cookie, but still! Questions need answers!

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  _ashole  |  10

I couldn't help but wonder as well. The big question here is if OP was the one that ate the half of the cookie or if someone happened to place it there...

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  amDes  |  11

#23 they usually have the fainter eat the cookie to get them to wake up, so I think he ate and swallowed the half and then fully woke up. At least that's the story I'm going with.

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  jkmartinjk  |  16

At our donation sites they have cookies and juice waiting for you after you donate because you are supposed to stay for another 20 minutes. OP was probably just eating a cookie afterwards while waiting, and passed out.

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  \  |  28

I admire how people from Europe seem to use "bloody" in place of "fucking." Makes them sound more civilized :)

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  \  |  28

I did know, it was just a casual observation...

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  BeccaHugs  |  17

How do you know no one helped? OP was most likely in a donating clinic - hence the cookie. They make donors wait after they've donated and give them a cookie to keep blood sugar levels up. There was probably a dozen nurses around OP who helped.

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  bandeek  |  30

When i was at a blood drive (didn't donate, i was pregnant) they had everyone sitting on the floor afterwards. So if they did pass out they were less likely to fall and injure themselves.

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  MischievousV  |  8

I am one of the CNAs who help out during these events. We try and make sure everyone has plenty of water/snacks and is well hydrated before drawing blood to reduce that possibility.
However this process is done in an area of nurses, doctors, CNAs, or phlebotomists. There's always supervision and an area for recuperation like beds, reclining chairs, so forth for situations like this. Please donate blood if you can. Just be hydrated beforehand.

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