I have I think about 30 platelet donations to my name(I'd have to check) but I never fully understood the function of it all even though I asked questions. I know one of the wavers mentions the citrate and tingly lips, and I do know the saline makes me freeze and also I've had them yank me off before(usually at close to the 2 hour mark) because I had to pee so badly I couldn't stand it-I think that's the saline also.
When I lived in Louisville(KY) I went to the main Red Cross office downtown. They were incredible and I also got to know the ladies who worked there fairly well(as you do after going regularly and going that many times). I got to where I'd forgo watching TV just because I enjoyed chatting with them.
After moving to St. Louis, I got my wife onboard with donating. We went to a blood drive and did whole blood, which was a first for both of us(I'd only ever done platelets, and was surprised at how fast and easy it was) and she was open to trying platelets.
We made an appointment at one of the field offices near us(Fairview Heights, IL) and had a less than great experience. My wife is a nurse and was really upset about some of it. She got deferred because her hemoglobin was .1 below their cut-off, but also said the person who took it did it in a way that she was taught in nursing school would give artificially low readings. When I use to give back in Louisville, I always would do one arm because my left arm is really difficult to stick. I asked at the one near us now, and they point blank told me their machines(same as the ones used back in Louisville) could only do 2 arm. They rooted around and finally put it in my left wrist, which left it immobile for 2 hours. As a whole, too, we didn't find the office particularly polite or welcoming, and aside from my wrist being immobile it hurt like heck for days(again, my nurse wife said that was a last resort location for her, and was especially upset that they only looked at my elbow and didn't try my forearm).
