This week, my health teacher was offering extra credit for the brave souls in my class who would volunteer to donate blood. I've done it several times before so I was more than happy to lose a pint and gain some extra credit.
Here are a few things I learned:
1. O+ (my lovely blood type) is the most common blood type.
I have to admit, this ruffled my feathers a little bit because the red cross used to send me letters all the time telling me how special and rare my blood type is.
2. Your iron level should be between 12.5 and 18.5.
Mine is normally barely high enough to qualify, but thanks to the massive amounts of spinach I've incorporated into my diet, mine was 14.4! The woman who tested it was very impressed with me so then I felt special again :) (Mom aren't you so proud?!?!)
3. If you got hepatitis when you had mono, DON'T check the "yes" box next to "have you ever had hepatitis?" because the lovely phlebotomist will tell you to leave immediately and that you can't ever donate blood..and she will stare at you awkwardly. Until the nurse comes along and realizes what you meant...sort of. How's a girl supposed to know? I was just trying to be honest! Oh well. I still got to donate and eat lots of cookies afterward ;)
