New beds

“It doesn’t breathe as well… the material makes me kind of warm. And the sweater…”

Was what I said when a nurse asked me whether or not I liked the new test bed at the blood donor clinic yesterday. If you have ever given blood at a remote clinic - like the ones in the student union building - then you are probably familiar with the beds they have. The ones that are essentially many plastic straps strung over a metal frame. Not uncomfortable, but not the height of comfort. But they had a new one there yesterday. Just one that they were testing out and as luck would have it, it was set up for left arm donors. And it was available when I got to the actual donation part of the process.

It was definitely more comfortable. Sturdy, padded, with a better recline than the others. It had like a vinyl covering or something. Some material that was quite warm, which didn’t really bother me until I was all finished. Then I started sweating, but that passed when I finally stood up again. All told, it was a pretty quick trip through the clinic.

I will now take this time to urge everyone to donate blood if they can. I know that there are a lot of rules that disqualify some people temporarily, especially those who enjoy tattoos and piercings. However, if you are eligible to give, please try to make it out. And that’s all I will say about that.