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Donating Platelets and Plasma

 

Platelets only last for five days.  The need for donors is high.  Plasma can be collected at the same time as platelets.

These blood components are used to treat accident victims, organ and marrow transplant recipients, cancer and heart surgery patients and those with blood-related diseases like sickle cell anemia.

What can you do while you are hooked up to the machine?  I always watch a movie.  This time I watched Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman.  No long lines, no talking audience, no rustling treat bags, no slurping, and no big ticket price.

And best of all a warm blanket!

True Confessions

So, I thought it was embarrassing enough to admit I thought the Pooh emoji 💩was a Hershey kiss emoji! Here’s my latest confession:

I have a sticker on my car, a magnetic sticker, for a friend’s daughter who needs a kidney. It says “Ally Needs a Kidney”

I  was visiting a friend’ s granddaughter in the hospital and I parked my car on the street near the Children’s Hospital.

My friend happened to be there when I was visiting. When I was ready to leave she said she drive me to my car. She asked which car did you drive?  The one with the kidney sticker on it?   Yup.  We drove up and down the few streets I could’ve parked on near the hospital looking for the sticker.  We drove past a car just like mine but no sticker….  Then we drove down a few more streets that were a little farther out.  No car with a sticker.  Eventually we decided my car was stolen because there was no car with a sticker on it and called the police and my insurance company to report my car stolen.

We took one more sweep and realized the car without a sticker was my car.  I had taken the sticker off to run it through the car wash and forgot to put it back on!  Thank goodness my friend is easygoing.  She just laughed and said she was glad we found my car.  We spent several hours talking while on this search and dinner after we found my car.  At least we are all caught up on our gossip!

Texas and Florida need your blood!

Yay!  My oncologist released me to donate blood a few days ago and I wasted no time getting in.

The blood bank is happy for all donations. They’ve been sending hundreds of units to Texas and Florida and even to Puerto Rico.

I wanted to make sure my new prescription wouldn’t interfere with the blood donation so I took a picture of my bottle. Here is Henry practicing his photobombing!

 

Lifetime Habit Resumed

I was hooked on blood donation decades ago by my dad, we used to donate together until he knew I was truly a blood donation addict.

When I got my cancer diagnosis last year I became ineligible to donate.

I had an oncology appointment yesterday and was released to donate blood again!  My oncologist said there were no signs of cancer in my body and it was safe to resume my blood donations.

 

The donation center has been regularly checking in with me to see if I am eligible to donate again.  They love my blood.  I am missing an antigen in my blood so my bag gets bright orange sticker tagging it as a special unit.  For someone in serious condition missing the same antigen my blood could be a lifesaver for them.  Their antibodies could react with incompatible donor blood cells triggering a reaction from the immune system. These transfusion reactions can be lethal.

Resuming blood donation this Friday!

 

Today’s Muse, Molly and the Cough Drop Diet

Muse:  A source of inspiration and a guiding spirit.

Today’s Muse is my friend Molly.

 

You can find us sketching together if we are doing something with her brother Dante and her parents.

She sometimes borrows my sketchbook so I can have some of her artwork with mine.

With my lymphedema and having to  wear a compression glove on my drawing hand I’ve had to learn a new way of sketching and Molly has encouraged me to work on it again.

Today she gave me another inspiration for trying to lose a little weight! She told me she had only a cough drop for breakfast. I asked her if that’s how come she was so skinny and she said yes! Yay the cough drop for breakfast diet.

I’ll keep you posted on our sketching and if the cough drop diet really works.  The only problem is is we both like hamburgers, onion rings and french fries too.   I don’t know if we can stick with the cough drop diet…

Skydiving Without a Parachute!

No thank you!

What’s Up With Those Robots?

So I now  have a prescription, I take one of these itty-bitty pills every day.

I can only fill it once a month and the thirty pills come in this huge container.

I asked the pharmacy what was up with this and they told me that their robot decides what size container to use.

yikes!  Today I feel smarter than a robot🤖  🤓

Beef Tallow Candle Extreme Appetizer From the Butchery in Arvada Colorado

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

 

Tumors can be too small to be felt or in a place where they can’t be felt during a physical or self exam.

Mammograms are not fun but can locate these tumors early.

My extremely small tumor could not be felt but had already moved to a lymph node when it was discovered.  I would be in a very bad place if it weren’t for a mammogram.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so spread the news on the importance of mammograms!

If your mammogram is suspicious remember that:

Enlist family and friends for support!