How to really scare your coworkers in two easy steps.

1) Give blood in the school blood drive.

2) Begin to pass out at your desk over an hour after you've donated and already had lunch ...

My luck, I work in an office within a high school.  Really, this is lucky!  I share an office with 5 other great women.  We were celebrating boss' day with our boss - kind of - we had lunch that we all at at our desks (boss in his office at his desk) because of conference room has been taken over by our auditors.  They were supposed to be here for 2 weeks and we're entering our third week. 

I donated blood on Monday morning in the school at a drive sponsored by one of the student council groups.  (I am not 100% sure which one!) I breezed through (STOP RIGHT HERE: this is where we should have known something was bound to happen since the last few times I've tried to give blood, they've either deferred me for iron or gone right through one of my veins.)  All was fine - I was finished in record time for me - by 11:40 which meant that I could still have lunch and all that other fun stuff.  Fast forward to a little after 1:00, I could feel myself getting faint and knew that I was pale but didn't want to scare anyone so I just grabbed onto my desk and tried to gain control.  Unfortunately, this was at the same time someone was trying to share a brownie with me. She noticed something was terribly wrong.  I could hear her telling me that I was as white as a ghost and telling me to take my sweater off (it is cold in our office - all the time!) then I heard her telling someone to go get help - (thank goodness they didn't call 911, I am embarrassed enough as it is!)  Seconds later, I was being whisked down to the nurses office in a wheelchair (by this time I felt better.)   The friend pushing me was the EMT and she was yelling "outta the way - broken leg - coming through"  -- thanks for making me laugh Donna!

After getting OJ in the nurse's office, and a bottle of water I was feeling much, much, much better.  Then the nurse had me put my feet on the incline so that blood would leave my legs and get into the parts where it was needed.  Sorry to say this was the key to unlocking my sinuses which I try very hard to keep in check.  By the time I was finished at the nurse's office, my nose was running like a spigot.  (TMI, I know.)  It proceeded to do so for the next .... heck, it still is and I'm getting ready to go to work (the next day.) 

I still don't know what caused this weird reaction!  I have given at least 15 pints of blood since I was 18.  Not a lot considering I can donate whole blood once every 56 days.  I've even done pheresis on a few different occasions as well. 

But - I am thankful to have great coworkers who took excellent care of me.  When I got back to my desk after this fun incident, the girls told me that I looked much better and had color in my face.  Don't tell them, but I think my face might stay this pink for a while because I'm so embarrassed!!