"30 Before 30" progress update: #29 (Take 2)

Today, I went back to Children's Hospital to attempt to donate blood again. I never did get sick after the last time, and had waited even longer than the 2 weeks I had to, all feeling fit 'n' fine. So as my field trip for today got cancelled and so I had some time (it also being my fall break from classes), last night I made an appointment to try and donate again.

Imagine my delight when, after filling out the same form, it was Mattie again who came to take my vitals! She was surprised to learn I'd stayed healthy after my previous temperature. She quickly confirmed that none of my information had changed in the past few weeks, and I hadn't taken any international jaunts in the interim, so we could proceed to my various vital stuff.

Imagine my exasperation when, after she took my temperature, it once again read too high. Apparently, I am super hot. All the time. (Now, let me interject: 98.6 degrees F is an average. Not everyone runs at that temperature normally, even when completely healthy, and your temperature, like your weight, can vary a bit during the course of your day/life. But anyway, the "normal" temp translates to 37 degrees C, as any good science student knows. The highest temperature someone can have and still be allowed to donate is 37.5 C... so at my first reading of 37.6, I was about to get rejected again for having what amounts to... {drumroll please}... a 99.68. A mere one-degree temperature. Psh.) Fortunately, after taking my blood pressure (excellent as always) and my finger prick (I have good iron levels, since I know you were curious-- oh snap, despite being a vegetarian of 13+ years!), on the next reading my temperature came to 37.5 C. I know, because she showed me.

Next up, she led me out to where another nice lady by the name of Tracye was finishing up with another donor. I got all settled into my chair, Mattie got me a bottle of water, and Tracye did all her set-up gig, including doing something strange to my arm involving a drinking straw (I didn't ask). She got me hooked up and started taking blood (I didn't watch. I'd decided that was a good plan, before even going in).

I made it maybe a minute.

Getting all light-headed, Tracye and Mattie leaned my chair back, unhooked me, and put cold towels on my head and throat. Mattie was also trying to get me to cough hard, but I don't think I satisfied her, I was so busy trying to focus on not being lightheaded, and also on trying to contemplate how coughing hard would help a lightheaded person (I wasn't having a heart attack, after all). I was quite shortly feeling just fine.

"If that was your first time, I wouldn't try again," Mattie told me.
"No?" I inquired.
"Your body didn't like that blood coming out of it."
"It happened too quickly," Tracye agreed. "We didn't get that much red cells out of you, but your body reacted to it. It's not for everyone," she reassured me.

So apparently, my body freaks out and goes on the defensive against blood-letting. I don't suppose I can blame it for this. It actually seems to be a reasonably helpful defensive mechanism, evolutionarily speaking. People are not actually supposed to lose blood, under most circumstances.

Actually, I take that back. A really excellent adaptation against losing blood would have been if I freaked out and bit Tracye or something, before she started the blood draw. Once you're actually losing blood, it would be much more helpful to keep your wits about you, so the wild animal or whatever doesn't finish you off. And I don't actually have any issues with just naturally losing my own blood-- I mean, it's not something I do for fun on the weekends, but I remain quite calm and non-light-headed if ever I injure myself and start bleeding. I still think it's super cool how my fingerprint never grew back after I plum sliced a chunk off of it while in India two-plus years ago. And self-injury seems like a much less problematic situation to get light-headed in. You're not necessarily in as immediate danger of being killed or eaten. Hmm...

Got the snazzy green gauze to prove it.

Well anyway, evolutionary adaptations (or not) aside, my body freaks out. Tracye advised me to keep the wrap on my arm for at least an hour so I don't "spring a leak" (her words), and they asked me to hang out in seating area for a few minutes so they knew I was going to be ok, even though I was feeling just fine sitting up at that point.

I told them that I would just tell everyone else to donate. So here's my pitch: go give your blood! It's for the children. (Seriously, if you live in the Denver area, I highly recommend the blood donation center at Children's. They are super laid-back, friendly, and competent.) If you are somewhere else... well, it's still for the children, or the adults, or whatever. If I can try (this actually makes 3x now, though only 2x since I started this goal), so can you. At least give it a shot.

Children's Hospital. They-- or someplace
 else-- would be happy to have your blood.

So I'm calling this goal "crose enough!" (bonus points if you get that reference). I'm not saying I won't ever, sometime later in this year of my life, attempt one last time (you know, a three-strikes type of a thing). But I think I'll let Mattie miss me a little bit, first. And if I don't manage to donate, well, at least I sure tried. And if you go donate instead, then at least the end result will have been achieved!

Part of why I ♥ bacteria

This random tidbit has no real input from me, just wanted to share something I found super cool. If you're mystified by my recent love affair with all things microbial (and more specifically, all things bacterial-- I mean sure, viruses are cool and all, but they're a little freaky. I'm still not entirely sure if they're alive. And I still really don't quite get exactly what archaeans are). But anyway... I came across this TEDTalk because at some point recently I was having a conversation with someone (a female. Maybe a co-worker? But also, possibly a classmate or another friend. See, I'm at a loss here) and we were having a conversation about something and they were like "Do you know TEDTalks? There's one about ___[thing we were discussing]___, just search for ___[key phrase about the video]___ and you'll find it. You'd like it." Except, I'm not just being cryptic-- I have no recollection of what topic we were discussing, that there is a TEDTalk about that I would supposedly be interested in. So now I'm a little sad, but in trying to jog my memory I have been perusing all sorts of other delights on the TED site, and came across this one. (By the way, how are there only two TEDTalks with the "bacteria" tag? Shameful.)

Anyhow, it's about quorum sensing... sort of. I mean, she dumbs it down-- I'm all for simplifying things, but bacteria do not actually "vote" or "count." As long as you can keep in mind that bacteria are not actually sitting around plotting their next move (seeing as, you know, they don't have brains, being single-celled and all), this should not mislead you too far. :) Also, has some really fascinating stuff about how V. fischerii (the bioluminescent bacteria she talks about) are commensal with these squid they live in, and also about using quorum sensing to target antibiotic-resistant bacteria. (Those details, I hadn't actually learned in microbiology.) See? You're pumped already, aren't you?!?

:) Enjoy.

"30 before 30" progress update: #19

Tonight... I tried brussels sprouts... for the first time in my life!

I know, I know. They're one of the stereotypical things every kid is supposed to hate. But I never even got the chance to love or hate them, having never sampled such a food before.

I'll let most of this experience speak for itself as, not having many experiences as an adult to try an entirely new type of food for the very first time, and thus having not much idea of what to expect nor what my reaction would be, I decided to videotape the actual first sampling experience (well, not entirely true. I'd nibbled a fallen leaf or two while steaming them. But it was not a good representation of a whole "sprout").

Also, that brings up a good question, which I'd never pondered before-- what are brussels sprouts, the sprouts of? I mean is there a giant grown-up food product out there somewhere, just called a "brussels"?

Anyhow, without further delay: I try brussels sprouts.

Eyeing the mysterious veggable.

Intrigued, I am.

Sprouts a-cookin'.

And now, what you've all been waiting for (or I have, anyway, as this part was really just for my own entertainment, and it makes me laugh):

> > > > CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE VIDEO! :) < < < < 

(blogger was having some issues uploading it to this post.)