Blood donation with a (non)optional extra
Sep. 7th, 2008 01:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lathany"Where are you going Mummy?" Ryan asked, his eyes on my handbag as I hunted for my shoes.
"I'm going to donate blood." I replied.
"Blood." Ryan said solemnly. He then pottered off to the playroom.
Five minutes later I was ready to go and popped my head around the study door to tell![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bateleur.
"I'm off to give blood." I explained.
Ryan joined me at the doorway.
"Bye Daddy." He said cheerfully.
I looked at him; he'd found his shoes and put them on. He looked back at me expectantly.
I looked atbateleur and floundered.
"Should I take him?"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
The walk to the local centre was less of the gentle stroll that Ryan likes and more of a hurried march, because I had timed it rather fine even before the question of hippo-accompaniment arose. However, Ryan coped well with being dragged along.
We arrived, joined the one-person queue and then I was at the desk where I handed in my prepared questionnaire and then booked another appointment. Then I was handed the 'Returning Donor' folder and I went and found a seat.
Ryan started on the seat next to me but, once I'd read the folder contents, ended up on my lap. He looked all around the hall which was extremely busy with people at various stages of donating along with a substantial number of staff. Ryan doesn't like crowds very much and it was certainly busier than I had previously seen it - this turned out to be because mornings are much busier than afternoons and I usually have a pm appointment. To distract the shy hippo, I pointed out the mirror ball in the centre of the roof and the light pattern it was making on the far wall (it's the community hall and last time there were a few balloons floating on the ceiling as well). Ryan seemed happy enough in the safety provided by my lap.
Then, after about five minutes, we were called over for the health screening. Ryan again sat on my knee and I did my best to look around his head and answer questions (mainly about how I couldn't bring back nasty things from abroad because I don't get out much). Fortunately, the staff member thought that Ryan was wonderful.
"What lovely big blue eyes he has!"
It's a pity he wasn't trying to blag something. However, she soon finished her list of questions and passed me the consent form to sign in her presence. Then she moved on to the haemoglobin test. Ryan looked puzzled as she wiped my finger with a sterilised wipe, then his big blue eyes went bigger and darker as he watched her stab me with a lancet.
"What's that?" He asked nervously.
I explained as she transferred drops of blood into the blue tube (I think it was the blue one, I remember there being one blue and one green). After the last couple of times I was expecting to fail this initial test, but for once my blood dropped like a stone. The staff member acknowledged this cheerfully and then stuck a plaster on my finger. This alerted Ryan to the fact that his initial suspicions might have been closer to the mark that I was admitting.
"Mummy hurt?" He asked. "That's a plaster!"
"I'm fine, Ryan. My blood has been tested."
"Yes." He looked unconvinced.
We were sent off to the next waiting area; me with instructions and Ryan with a smile. This time we were next to the music player, so Ryan got to sit on my lap again and listen to music. I think this helped to calm the concerns that the plaster had given him. We were there for another five or ten minutes before I was finally called to a donation couch.
Mr Big Blue Eyes was immediately spotted and the (different) staff member had soon procured a chair for him on my left. I had the blood pressure wrap secured around my arm, answered the usual questions and confirmed that my right arm was usually good for suitable veins. Then she stuck the needle in and I winced (I'm a wimp and have never been able to take that bit calmly). Ryan was instantly, visibly, upset.
"It's OK," I told him. "I'm fine."
Ryan soon settled back into the chair. Then stood up to get a better look at the equipment fastened to me. It evidently didn't look particularly dangerous because he soon sat down again. Then stood up again, every time the nurse came over to check. He found the whole thing fascinating, if slightly worrying.
About ten minutes later it was over. The nurse removed the needle and gave me a pad to press on my arm. Then some time after that (another five minutes?) I was given a large plaster and sent over to the drinks area.
I asked for a tea and got Ryan an orange squash; I took a pack of custard creams and shared them with him. The table had stickers so I got a sticker for myself and a "My mummy gave blood today" sticker for the hippo (it pays to advertise). I was half-way through my tea when Ryan announced what I had been trying to ignore until that moment.
"Need the toilet, Mummy!"
I took him to the toilets (fortunately empty), finished my tea, then waved good bye to the staff member serving and scurried off. Ryan was in a much more energetic and cheerful mood on the way home, constantly running ahead of me. Perhaps because his mummy was away from the nasty machines, perhaps because he'd had a hefty dose of sugar. He didn't say which.
In other news, my holiday is all but over but my OU project is mostly written-up (just the conclusion to go and then the usual pruning). Additionally, Shadow Hearts 3 is nearly complete and Hotel Dusk is in progress. So I think this holiday has been successful, although I'm looking forward to finishing the study permanently.
"I'm going to donate blood." I replied.
"Blood." Ryan said solemnly. He then pottered off to the playroom.
Five minutes later I was ready to go and popped my head around the study door to tell
bateleur."I'm off to give blood." I explained.
Ryan joined me at the doorway.
"Bye Daddy." He said cheerfully.
I looked at him; he'd found his shoes and put them on. He looked back at me expectantly.
I looked at
bateleur and floundered."Should I take him?"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
The walk to the local centre was less of the gentle stroll that Ryan likes and more of a hurried march, because I had timed it rather fine even before the question of hippo-accompaniment arose. However, Ryan coped well with being dragged along.
We arrived, joined the one-person queue and then I was at the desk where I handed in my prepared questionnaire and then booked another appointment. Then I was handed the 'Returning Donor' folder and I went and found a seat.
Ryan started on the seat next to me but, once I'd read the folder contents, ended up on my lap. He looked all around the hall which was extremely busy with people at various stages of donating along with a substantial number of staff. Ryan doesn't like crowds very much and it was certainly busier than I had previously seen it - this turned out to be because mornings are much busier than afternoons and I usually have a pm appointment. To distract the shy hippo, I pointed out the mirror ball in the centre of the roof and the light pattern it was making on the far wall (it's the community hall and last time there were a few balloons floating on the ceiling as well). Ryan seemed happy enough in the safety provided by my lap.
Then, after about five minutes, we were called over for the health screening. Ryan again sat on my knee and I did my best to look around his head and answer questions (mainly about how I couldn't bring back nasty things from abroad because I don't get out much). Fortunately, the staff member thought that Ryan was wonderful.
"What lovely big blue eyes he has!"
It's a pity he wasn't trying to blag something. However, she soon finished her list of questions and passed me the consent form to sign in her presence. Then she moved on to the haemoglobin test. Ryan looked puzzled as she wiped my finger with a sterilised wipe, then his big blue eyes went bigger and darker as he watched her stab me with a lancet.
"What's that?" He asked nervously.
I explained as she transferred drops of blood into the blue tube (I think it was the blue one, I remember there being one blue and one green). After the last couple of times I was expecting to fail this initial test, but for once my blood dropped like a stone. The staff member acknowledged this cheerfully and then stuck a plaster on my finger. This alerted Ryan to the fact that his initial suspicions might have been closer to the mark that I was admitting.
"Mummy hurt?" He asked. "That's a plaster!"
"I'm fine, Ryan. My blood has been tested."
"Yes." He looked unconvinced.
We were sent off to the next waiting area; me with instructions and Ryan with a smile. This time we were next to the music player, so Ryan got to sit on my lap again and listen to music. I think this helped to calm the concerns that the plaster had given him. We were there for another five or ten minutes before I was finally called to a donation couch.
Mr Big Blue Eyes was immediately spotted and the (different) staff member had soon procured a chair for him on my left. I had the blood pressure wrap secured around my arm, answered the usual questions and confirmed that my right arm was usually good for suitable veins. Then she stuck the needle in and I winced (I'm a wimp and have never been able to take that bit calmly). Ryan was instantly, visibly, upset.
"It's OK," I told him. "I'm fine."
Ryan soon settled back into the chair. Then stood up to get a better look at the equipment fastened to me. It evidently didn't look particularly dangerous because he soon sat down again. Then stood up again, every time the nurse came over to check. He found the whole thing fascinating, if slightly worrying.
About ten minutes later it was over. The nurse removed the needle and gave me a pad to press on my arm. Then some time after that (another five minutes?) I was given a large plaster and sent over to the drinks area.
I asked for a tea and got Ryan an orange squash; I took a pack of custard creams and shared them with him. The table had stickers so I got a sticker for myself and a "My mummy gave blood today" sticker for the hippo (it pays to advertise). I was half-way through my tea when Ryan announced what I had been trying to ignore until that moment.
"Need the toilet, Mummy!"
I took him to the toilets (fortunately empty), finished my tea, then waved good bye to the staff member serving and scurried off. Ryan was in a much more energetic and cheerful mood on the way home, constantly running ahead of me. Perhaps because his mummy was away from the nasty machines, perhaps because he'd had a hefty dose of sugar. He didn't say which.
In other news, my holiday is all but over but my OU project is mostly written-up (just the conclusion to go and then the usual pruning). Additionally, Shadow Hearts 3 is nearly complete and Hotel Dusk is in progress. So I think this holiday has been successful, although I'm looking forward to finishing the study permanently.
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-07 01:55 pm (UTC)Oh, tell me about it. Why it gets so much airplay is completely beyond me! ;-)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-07 04:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-08 10:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-08 10:10 pm (UTC)Not sure how
no subject
Date: 2008-09-09 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-10 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-10 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-10 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-10 06:44 am (UTC)