Giving blood and running, oh my…
Within five minutes into my run today, I knew something wasn’t quite right.
I felt tired, lethargic. I wanted to stop.
But I perservered. Anyone who runs knows that sometimes there are days like that. The best thing to do is just keep running; often the feeling goes away and what starts out as a dreadful experience turns into a great one.
But that didn’t happen today. I kept going, completing my 5-mile loop. But it was hard.
Then, as I sat in the kitchen drinking a glass of cranberry juice, it hit me. I gave blood yesterday.
And it wasn’t the normal pint. I did the “double red blood cell” thing. It involves taking about twice as much blood, running it through a centrifuge to separate out the red blood cells, then pumping the plasma back into you. They don’t allow you to give blood again for twice as long, so I imagine it takes more out of you physically.
I asked the nurse, a tall, strapping guy named Mike, if it was okay to run the next day after giving blood. He said, sure, just to drink plenty of liquids.
Well, he’s right. It didn’t seem to hurt me. But it sure slowed me down.
Other than it’s affect on my next-day run, giving blood was again a great experience.
The Rotary Club sponsored the blood drive at the Monroe YMCA. As a member of the club, I work at the blood drive each year and it’s a real joy. So many people donating a few minutes of their day and a pint of their blood to save someone else’s life. And most do it with a smile and a look of satisfaction. It’s a great room to spend a few hours working in.
Whether volunteering - my job yesterday was helping folks get snacks and a beverage after they donate - or giving blood, it’s one of those experiences in life that causes you to walk a little lighter the rest of the day (no pun intended), knowing that you’ve done a good thing.
And it’s one of the easiest ways to feel good. You just lay there on a cot for a few minutes, watching the bag slowly fill with blood. You can’t help but imagine where your blood is going, and who will benefit from your donation.
When you give double red blood cells, it’s even more rewarding. You watch the blood fill one bag, then go into the cenrifuge and come out, filling another bag with plasma. After a few minutes, you feel the pump switch, and it begins sending the plasma back into your arm. The tube changes from red to pale white. You feel a little tingle, starting in your arm and spreadng through your body. It’s not a bad feeling; more interesting than anything else.
When the plasma bag is empty, the process reverses again, the tube changes back to red and the blood bag begins to fill. After the plasma bag empties a second time, you’re finished.
And as you step down from the cot, you know that someone, somewhere, may live because they desperately needed a transfusion of red blood cells - and you took a few minutes out of your day to help.
That’s quite a feeling.