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  • One Gallon of Blood

    One Gallon of Blood

    I reached a milestone today: I have donated one gallon of blood. That’s about 80% of blood the average adult body contains.

    I also beat my goal of giving blood four times this year by 50%.

    I’d like to say, “I am not a wimp” — but I am. After donating blood two or three times without issues, I decided to give blood sitting up, like everyone else does. Bad idea. After nearly filling the bag, I could feel the blood drain from my face. I alerted the workers and they got me lying flat with my feet elevated. Ah…

    Oh well. I filled the bag. It didn’t hurt. And I saved up to three lives.

    Next time I’ll know to ask for the wimp treatment.

    If I can do it, maybe you can too. What do you think?

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  • Three gallons of blood

    I reached a milestone yesterday: I donated my 24th pint of blood — 3 gallons!1That’s about twice as much blood currently flowing through my body. I used to have a rule: no talking about needles while I’m driving.2Not an easy rule to follow with at least 80% then headed to working in hospitals? We want to keep the driver conscious. I decided my fear of needles wasn’t optimal and decided to donate blood to get over it.

    My plan worked, and along the way, I wrote the post on donating blood for wimps and I played an important role in saving lives.

    If you want to donate blood, too, but think you might want a donor buddy, feel free to contact me. We can do this!

    • 1
      That’s about twice as much blood currently flowing through my body.
    • 2
      Not an easy rule to follow with at least 80% then headed to working in hospitals?

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  • Brent Logan, Blood Donor

    I donated blood just over a month ago and my donor card came in the mail today. W00t! I’m official!

    Actually, it’s not my first time; it’s just the only time the American Red Cross has it on record. I gave blood once before while in college, in the dark ages before computers ran willy-nilly over the face of the earth. So my blood donor card says “Units Lifetime: 1” when it’s actually 2. My goal is to make this 1-unit error insignificant.

    I can give blood again on November 19. Will you join me?

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  • Back on the Cot Again — Donating Blood

    I give blood. Will you?

    After a year’s hiatus,1Going to rural areas of China last year placed me on a one-year waiting period because of malaria concerns. I donated blood again today. It feels good. :-)

    Even if you’re afraid of needles, you can give blood, too. Just read my wimpy blood donor survival guide.

    Please join me this holiday season in donating blood. You could save up to three lives.

    • 1
      Going to rural areas of China last year placed me on a one-year waiting period because of malaria concerns.

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  • Two Gallons of Blood

    Two Gallons of Blood

    I reached a milestone today: I donated my sixteenth pint, totaling two gallons of blood.

    I reached my one-gallon milestone in December of 2009 but had to stop giving blood for a year after visiting rural China in 2010.

    Will you join me in giving blood?

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  • Donating blood for wimps

    Donating blood for wimps

    • Second in Line
    • Today's Reward
    • This Year's Take

    I donated to one of my favorite charities today and it didn’t cost me anything. Yup, I gave blood. You can, too, even if like me you’re a wimp. Here are my time-tested tricks for survival:

    • Drink a lot. I make sure I drink a lot of water for a few days before and then more afterward.
    • Tell them you’re a wimp. They’ll treat you extra special.1Every donor gets normal special treatment. 
    • Lie down on the cot backward. Most people have their heads above their feet. Not me. I lie flat and have them elevate my feet. I haven’t had an issue with feeling faint since I started doing this.
    • Relax when they insert the needle. It probably won’t hurt. They had to stick me twice today2The only time they’ve ever needed to. and I barely felt the first one. Getting the hemoglobin finger prick hurts more. Removing the self-sticky bandages hurts more. Today’s second stick stung a little this time, but still nothing to write home about.3Mom, ignore that last sentence.  Apparently, there’s some sort of anticoagulant on/in the needle which can sting a little. You’ll live. ;-)
    • Never look at the needle — NEVER!!4Yeah, I said I’m a wimp.
    • Once the needle is in, talk to the person drawing your blood. It will keep your mind off the big steel needle jabbed in your arm draining away your lifeblood. Okay, it’s not that bad, but staying distracted is still a good thing. In fact, I believe this is the best suggestion I have for you. You might even find they’re fun to talk to.
    • Brag about it when you’re done. You deserve it!

    Do this enough times and you won’t be the wimp you think you are.

    • 1
      Every donor gets normal special treatment. 
    • 2
      The only time they’ve ever needed to.
    • 3
      Mom, ignore that last sentence. 
    • 4
      Yeah, I said I’m a wimp.

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  • Donating Blood is Easy

    American Red Cross logo…and the American Red Cross is making it even easier.

    I got back to my cube after a lunchtime walk to find an e-mail from the American Red Cross. In this e-mail was a link “Click here to make an appointment.” I clicked the link and logged in to my Red Cross profile. (I’ve given blood before, which is why the Red Cross had my e-mail address.)

    I was presented with a choice of donation events, so I clicked on one that fit my schedule and selected a convenient time. The site showed me a map including directions from the address I have in my profile and gave me a calendar link. One more click, press save, and the appointment is in my Outlook calendar.

    Slick!

    Because of this process, the Red Cross has me scheduled to donate blood 56 days after the last time — the minimum allowed.

    Update: I just checked my e-mail and there’s a confirmation of the appointment with links for directions, changing the appointment, or adding it to my calendar. There’s also contact information should I want to talk to a human. I continue to be impressed. :-)

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  • I Sell My Blood For Stickers and Pins

    I Sell My Blood For Stickers and Pins

    I donated blood again today — fifth time this year. In exchange, I got a sticker. Next time I also get a one-gallon pin. Sounds fair to me.

    The picture above shows my total “payment” this year. See you back here in 56 days.

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  • Thank You From The American Red Cross

    tim

    I received the following in my inbox today:

    Dear Brent:

    Thank you for giving blood with the American Red Cross on 5/30/2014. After first ensuring that local needs were met, your blood donation was sent to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC to help a patient in need. Your donation is on its way to changing lives!

    Every day, patients like Tim receive blood for a variety of conditions including life-threatening illnesses, blood disorders and traumas. Your blood donations are critical to helping save patients’ lives.

    You may be able to help more patients with fewer appointments by donating double red cells. Ask if you’re eligible to give a double red cell donation when you make your next appointment.

    On behalf of the hospitals and patients we serve, thank you for being a Red Cross blood donor.

    Sincerely,


    Richard Benjamin, M.D., Ph.D.
    Chief Medical Officer
    American Red Cross

    I would have given without the thanks (and have many times in the past). Regardless, it feels nice to be thanked and is interesting to know where at least some of my blood went. I might just try the double red donation sometime in the future.

    And yes, the email’s link was red. :-)

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  • Year in Review: Favorite Posts

    Here are my favorite blogan.net posts of 2009. I learned a few things from writing this post.

    1. Many of my posts are boring, even to me. Before pressing publish I should make sure my eyes are not glazing over. If so, delete it.
    2. The posts I like best are long-form blogging about family, food, and vacations, with a few rants thrown in.
    3. I like the many of my “link blog” posts, but they’re not my best posts.
    4. I posted a lot of family vacation pictures this past year.

    Take a quick glance. Do you have a favorite?

    Miscellaneous and rants

    Social media

    Recipes

    • Vegetarian Chili. A recipe we’ve enjoyed many times. We enjoyed some last week.
    • Gazpacho. Another favorite summertime recipe.
    • Pasta Salad. A great picnic food recipe. I’ll try not to notice the snow outside my window while I type this.
    • Creamy Red Potato Salad. I’m hungry just thinking about it (and missing summer picnics).
    • Vegan Tomato Basil Bisque. It’s not every recipe that mentions Charles’ Gas Law.
    • Update: Healthy veggie soup, or is it stew? Okay, I didn’t write this, and it’s not even on my blog, but this soup/stew is wonderful and I want to be able to find it in the future.

    Family pictures

    Warning: These posts are unlikely to be interesting to outside my family.

    I didn’t use a scientific method to create this list. These are simply the posts I like best. Through some quirk of Google, “Where in the World is North Korea?” is my post with the most page views. Although it’s a few years old, it remains the most hit post each and every day. Does that make it my best post ever? I hope not. My post, “Craigslist Buyer Scam E-mail” has the most comments. I don’t think it’s one of my best posts, either. That’s why I went with the unscientific “what I like best” method. :-)

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