Note: I’m not an expert, I’ve only done it once. However, beforehand I was looking for a detailed account from someone who’s been there, and I couldn’t find one. So, I decided to provide my experience for anyone who wanted to know.

Some things I learned:
- Drink tons of water beforehand! This lowers the risk of passing out.
- Eat well beforehand. This also helps during the drive.
- Don’t become impatient afterward- relax when they tell you to sit for however long, and don’t move too quickly.
- Eat and drink what they give you, because it generally makes you feel better.
- Don’t look at the needle, and try to start a conversation with the person doing it.
- You might get a nasty looking bruise around the area, but it’s fine, so don’t freak out.

Before you donate blood, they have a thing where they prick your finger with a needle. I heard a lot of people complaining about how it hurts, but when I had to do it, I wasn’t in pain. I mean, I could feel it, but I wasn’t actually hurting. The suspense leading up to it was worse than the actual prick, so try to calm your nerves down. Then, it’s onto the donation part.

When I did it, the people were extremely nice. They talked me through every bit on it, random doctors came around and checked on me, and it was a very pleasant experience. The needle going in didn’t hurt, and I couldn’t really feel it in my arm. I’m pretty weird, so I watched the blood bag fill up.

After I finished, I had to sit there for awhile. I felt perfectly fine, so I jumped up to go to the snack table- big mistake. I got over to the snack table and munched on a cookie for a few seconds before I got lightheaded, at which point I told someone and a few people rushed over to catch me before I fell and brought the rolling bed over. I was only out for like 2 seconds, but I learned my lesson and relaxed on the bed for awhile.

Now, I don’t want to scare potential donors with that, because it was my fault that I passed out. I didn’t drink a lot of water (as a matter of fact I had my first cup while at the drive), and I’m pretty sure that played a big part in what happened afterward. That, and I jumped up so quickly. So, if you don’t want this to happen to you, make sure you hydrate and eat properly beforehand and take things slowly.

I had my mom come get me, since I was giving blood at a school drive, and I went home to take a nap. I felt perfectly fine from then on out, and with the exception of the bruise in my arm (which was slightly tender), life went on as normal.

Overall, I recommend this to anyone who can donate blood. I did this about two~three months ago, and I’m going to schedule another appointment sometime soon.