Gave blood for the first time today. My arm seized up and I nearly fainted, but I did it!
I've had some blood drawn before, but never a whole pint... I started feeling lightheaded about five minutes in. My attendant asked if I wanted to stop the draw, but I wasn't going to give up. If it saves peoples lives, I'll put up with some discomfort for a while. When it was over, I couldn't move my left arm. My fingers clenched up and I couldn't feel anything lower than my elbow. I was about to pass out. They put a screen up, transferred me to a different bed and brought me to another area to rest. A nurse told me it was tetany and would go away in a short while.
A couple juices and some cookies later I was feeling much better. I went in at 11am and didn't leave til 1:30pm or so. It was... it was exciting.
