Donating Blood Woes

The past several times I've given blood, I've done a double donation where they hook you up to a machine that separates your red blood cells from the plasma and then puts the plasma back into you. I'd been told that double donations are "easier" on you afterward than are whole blood donations, but I figured that assertion was just justification from those people who were either too chicken to do a double, who were trying to take us arrogant doublers down a notch, or who didn't have high enough iron levels. I mean, sure, you're getting plasma back, but you're losing the same amount of red blood cells, so your oxygen levels are affected the same as someone who has not gotten their plasma back.

Well yesterday, I donated blood, and they didn't have their plasma-phoresis machine (I think that's what it's called) set up so I had to give whole blood instead. It wiped me out! I felt fine when I left, but then I almost hit a car pulling out of my parking space [Sorry other driver! I probably scared the pants off you!], and then I almost fell asleep reading to Zing. I did fall asleep in her bed when I finished reading to her. I went to bed at 8:00 and slept straight through to 6:30. I could have slept longer, and I still feel apathetic.

Maybe this whole blood vs double donation has something to it after all. Or maybe the stress of taking my patho test right before I gave blood made me more susceptible to exhaustion. Whatever happened, it's a good thing I haven't had this reaction before or I might not have given blood again. Good thing I know it's not always this bad.