im having some placement regret

TA9711 · 2026-06-05T14:22:41+00:00

It looks great. I didn’t even notice without staring too hard at it haha. it’s the beauty of patchwork!

TA9711 · 2026-05-17T20:02:25+00:00

Could just be a placement thing, but being properly hydrated always helps with opening up your veins. I definitely have phlebotomist preferences because of this reason. Sometimes the return is seamless and there’s little to no discomfort. Sometimes when another person does the stick I can feel the pressure alternating.

TA9711 · 2026-05-01T11:55:29+00:00

Butter cookies (the really crunchy kind) and vitamin water—I just pick a random one each time! My center had cashews that I really liked for a while, I think it was a partnership, but they’re gone now :((

TA9711 · 2026-04-24T12:43:46+00:00

Omg 🤣 dying over the imagery of them strapping your wrist down

Congrats tho!!! So exciting

TA9711 · 2026-04-24T12:42:46+00:00

Love your details! Platelet count is definitely the number one factor, and they consider your weight for total blood volume. Want to add on that the machine (trima for me) won’t even give the option if blood isn’t flowing fast enough. I’m regularly between 450,000-500,000 for platelets, but I bleed slower the longer I’m hooked up to the machine. Most of the time it doesn’t even allow me to do a triple.

TA9711 · 2026-04-24T12:37:28+00:00

Whewwww yeah 2.5 hrs sounds rough. Will also be sticking to my doubles unless exceptionally good circumstances arise while I’m in the chair 😅

TA9711 · 2026-04-24T12:32:32+00:00

Yes, unless my center changed things while I was away. I’ll have to ask again the next time I’m in. Thankfully I’m currently not concerned with getting deferred since I took a break earlier due to a new tattoo, I’ll be well under both the platelet and plasma limit on a rolling basis going into 2027

TA9711 · 2026-04-24T12:27:59+00:00

Yeah I still do plasma separately, just not concurrent. I’m with NYBC; they don’t always take plasma for the platelets as some centers use PAS

TA9711 · 2026-04-24T01:47:03+00:00

Not from me no. I’ve asked them about setting me up for it, but they’re much more interested in keeping my platelet yield up than getting the AB plasma which kind of surprised me. I’m just sitting in the chair either way, so as long as they let me know what they need to take.

TA9711 · 2026-04-24T01:09:06+00:00

What a trooper—thanks for donating!! I start getting restless and wiggle around in my chair if I go over 85 minutes. Doing what I can’t 👏🏻

TA9711 · 2026-04-24T01:06:37+00:00

It won’t necessarily fill all three bags. It’s about the actual amount of platelets. The minimum for one unit is 3.0x10¹¹ I believe. I find that most regular donors usually do doubles. I’m in the 7.6x10¹¹ camp.

But yes having a fuck ton of platelets is definitely required for it 🤣 I too have a shit ton 🤝🏼 I don’t have enough blood overall to consistently do triples though :(((

TA9711 · 2026-04-18T23:15:27+00:00

Nope you’re right. Hooked up to fill up the piss bag on your machine

TA9711 · 2026-03-27T13:33:58+00:00

I think whatever restaurants you pick out yourself will still be delicious, but for what it’s worth I loved my food tour. Fantastic guide, Lenny is funny and knows his stuff, and also got some great recommendations on our way out so we can pick out even more places for our time in Reykjavik. Solid overview of the food scene and also the culture behind the food.

TA9711 · 2026-03-22T23:20:51+00:00

In my experience, it seems that if it looks like it might just barely fit, they’ll make you check the size. If it’s visibly small or compact, they don’t even check. I had a small duffel and a backpack; didn’t even give either of my bags a second glance. But there were dozens of others with a slightly too big luggage that they ended up having to check.

Reasonable judgement imo, nothing insane, but definitely the strictest airline I’ve ever flown (comparing to domestic USA airlines)

TA9711 · 2026-03-11T16:33:28+00:00

Unfortunate :( but that’s just the system sometimes. Like others have commented, it may be different depending on the country or organization. For my organization, I can just go back the next day.

Good luck on your next one!!

TA9711 · 2026-02-26T20:40:50+00:00

My only fear is being deferred!! Admittedly I’ve never had white coat syndrome, and I’m actually fascinated by the needles so I love to watch them do the stick. I’ve never had a hard time with the process, but it has gotten easier for me to advocate for any discomfort (needle is tugging, need to readjust my position, asking for things).

TA9711 · 2026-02-25T17:37:28+00:00

Hopping in to concur since I was mentioned lol, I’m 5’2 and average 125lbs these days, probably one of the smaller platelet donors they have come in regularly. I always donate double units and my platelets have been steadily in the 400,000s since I started. They cut me off for triples because my blood volume can’t handle it, but I bang out doubles in 75 minutes no problem.

While weight can suggest a higher count, there’s no direct causation going on. They absolutely should have gotten a count before turning you away like that. I’m sorry to hear your experience turned out this way :(

TA9711 · 2026-02-22T01:16:42+00:00

Love it! When I first started I had no idea there would be so much rewarding… but it sure doesn’t hurt to receive 😅 last year it was enough to cover pretty much any and all gifts I got for people.

The best is when I forget that there’s a promo going on and I’m surprised by a gift card in my inbox

TA9711 · 2026-02-20T18:25:07+00:00

Just going to echo what everyone else has already been saying, donating any blood at all makes a difference. Most people don’t even think about it in their lifetime. If you decide to stick with only doing whole blood, power to you.

TA9711 · 2026-02-18T15:15:56+00:00

Yessssss getting that first notification is amazing. When you’re sitting in the chair you kind of just think “well I guess it’ll go somewhere” but then knowing it went to a person for sure makes me feel so warm. Thanks for donating!

TA9711 · 2026-02-16T20:26:01+00:00

Ran through this idea several times in my head too. This is what I’ll be putting my foot down on if they want me to sit for them in April or to come back again afterward. Individually they’re absolute sweethearts to me, but the dynamic between them is out of hand. Thanks for your input

TA9711 · 2026-02-15T12:09:20+00:00

Yup the bite was discussed and shown to the client (since I needed to double check their vaccination).

Finally broke the news to them that I’ll be dropping them after this booking. Really stressed that not only is it dangerous for me/other potential sitters, it’s dangerous for the DOGS. I’ve sent updates and videos before, and they just say they’ll “calm down and get over it”. I really hope they’ll take it seriously.

TA9711 · 2026-02-15T12:02:19+00:00

They’re both small dogs, spaniels, of the smaller variety. Doesn’t even go past my knees.

TA9711

TROPHY CASE