posted
Blood drive at work, wander over there to kill the morning (just finished three projects, am about to leave town for a week, not much to do) and to assuage my conscience, fill out the lovely paperwork, get jabbed with a needle after fifteen minutes of vein-hunting, talk to the phlebotomist from Georgia, and....
My blood clots with only 70 grams to go until the bag is full. Dagnabbit. I got the free t-shirt anyway, but I'm wondering why it did that.
That's question one.
Question two: What is it exactly that iodine does to cause the cell membranes of bacteria to rupture? Is it the salt, or is it becaue it's a heavy metal? Anyone know why that works?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
I know that the iodine needs to be interacting with air, oxygen presumably, to work. I recall there was this iodine infiltrated injection site someone had invented, and one of my bosses said it wouldn't do much good because the iodine needs air to kill the bacteria. So it sounds like it is an oxidizer. I don't know if Iodine is used as the common name for a compound.
Sorry your unit didn't pan out.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote: Whenever an oxidizing agent acts upon an oxidizable substance, the oxidizing agent is itself reduced. Thus, iodine is reduced to iodide ion -- an electrolyte that upsets the cell's ion balance. This action will lead to the death of the bacterium in which the reaction occurs.
Redox reactions are fun!
(The other halogens (chlorine, fluorine, bromine) also work, but are more likely to cause dangerous reactions in the human body. But that's why chlorine is used in swimming pools as an antiseptic agent.)
The redox reaction works on fungi too. However, iodine also has a specific chemical reaction with bacterial proteins (see here, under "halogens.")
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Just to clarify (I hope): iodine is neither a metal nor a salt. Though it is heavy. And it is a component of some salts, as iodide (a negative ion).
Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jan 1999
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I'm curious: if they only had 70 grams to go, why didn't they jab you again? Did they decide your veins were too good at playing hide & seek?
Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jan 1999
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I just went to give blood plasma yesterday, and after about two ours of tests and general mucking about, they decided to reject me because I'm on Claritin for allergies (!). Oh well, I guess I got a free blood test.....
Anyway, I feel your pain.
Posts: 1631 | Registered: Sep 2001
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I'm not sure. I think so. It took a long, long time and thorough examinatio of both arms to find the first one.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I'm pretty sure (and Valentine, who used to stick people for a living, can confirm or deny this) that once they start a unit from one spot, they can't finish it off from another. Not sure exactly why.
Anyway, being a good clotter is useful in cases where you are injured -- less so when attempting to donate.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Kat, they can stick you twice, but only under certain circumstances:
- only one stick per arm (this only goes for donating blood, not the vials they take during routine blood tests) - only if there is another vein in the other arm that is worth trying (doesn't sound like this is the case) - only if they took a very small amount of blood from you in the first arm (I can't remember the minimum amount, it changes, like many of the requirements do. I remember getting a new memo regarding new rules and exceptions at least once a week).
It's important that you try to prepare for your blood donation. A few hints to make your blood donation go a little smoother: make sure you have eaten that day, try to drink at least your 6-8 glasses of water that entire week prior to your donation, your veins will much happier if you do (as will your phelbotomist!) and understand that not everyone was meant to donate , it's possible that your veins will never be up it. The needle that is used is HUGE (16 gauge, don't look at it, some people get faint by just glancing at it) and must be, so that the red blood cells aren't damaged as they travel through it. Not all veins are large enough to accommodate it.
It's also possible that while the needle was being put in, a small hematoma, or bruise formed, slowing the blood to a trickle and finally clotting. It is quite common.
There are a million reason why this could've happened. I would recommend giving it one more try when you are eligible again and if the same thing happens, it might be best to stick to volunteering.
As I writing this, I noticed I assumed that you are donating blood for the first time but after skimming your post again, this might not be true. Have you ever donated? If so, have you ever had problems like this, or been a "slow bleed" during a donation?
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
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This was only my second time giving blood. THe first time, they spent almost five minutes on my left arm, digging around with the needle trying to find the vein. After switching to the right arm, everything went smoothly. It's been a while since that time - I was a little skittish about it - so I can't say if anything's really changed. I haven't drunk as much water this week, for the terribly prosaic reason that I've been late to work all week, which means I park out in the boonies, which means I don't want to lug my case of water up three flights of stairs.
Thanks. That's all great to know. I love Hatrack!
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Okay, on the iodine thing, if anyone comes back to this- when I'm in the field for my job, we drop all our water with iodine. Eight drops per gallon, and I drink at least a gallon every day for eight days, so that's at least 64 iodine drops a shift. Sooo...what exactly is that doing to my insides?
Posts: 377 | Registered: May 1999
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, it's possible that your veins will never be up it. The needle that is used is HUGE (16 gauge, don't look at it, some people get faint by just glancing at it) and must be, so that the red blood cells aren't damaged as they travel through it. Not all veins are large enough to accommodate it.![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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