How often do you have a bad donation experience?
Last night I (mostly) completed my 5th platelet donation. The previous 4 went without issue. I went to the same location and had the same person working the shift at the time I would come in. She could find my veins easily and it was always pain free. Sometimes I’d bruise after but the worst part was those cheap Red Cross headphones that seem to always be on the verge of falling off my head.
Last night I went after not being able to donate for months (medication didn’t allow me to donate) and it was horrible from the get go. I guess she doesn’t work there anymore since the donation centers seem to have high turnover. There was intense burning when I got the needle inserted that I’ve never felt before. The person said it’s normal and should go away. I saw the next few people he inserted also complained of burning. They were older and he actually had to get someone else to help adjust the placement.
The placement was in a location I’ve never had before and it was uncomfortable for most of the donation. 15 min before the end of the donation the needle was no longer connected to the vein, both my arms went numb, and they had to stop the donation. I have a gigantic bruise on one of the sites and my vein still hurts today. They said they will likely still be able to use what the machine collected at least based on the volume.
I don’t want to be dramatic but I definitely feel less inclined to donate again and am thinking of switching to just whole blood since it’s quicker and simpler. For those of you who donate regularly do you sometimes get experiences like this? I’ve always been told I have great veins that are easy to find so I figured most of my donations would be easy.