Joan and I went to Fremantle early this morning to give blood. We went through the usual interrogation about diseases etc etc until I disclosed that a recent blood/urine test had found a significant level of protein in my urine. Blue flashing lights and sirens! I had to talk to a Blood Bank Doctor and she eventually gave the all-clear to donate.
I am just lucky enough to get a first-timer nurse to find the vein. She was a bit nervous and poked the spear through the vein and into the flesh. Ouch! The supervising nurse took over and tried in the other arm. She had success, but after a couple of minutes the flow stopped and after several attempts at repositioning the spear gave up saying that I had not had enough fluids this morning and that the coffee I had merely dehydrated me. Seems as though I should have consumed at least three large tumblers of water or juice. Never had that problem since I started donating in 1958.
Then just to make me feel my age she told me that my veins had collapsed! Bugger! I'm done for!
Years ago I taught Year 10 science at Cecil Andrews Senior High. One facet of the course was genetics. I had to bone up on that one. We did cover the area of natural selection and when inspecting my silver beet this morning I found a couple of caterpillars munching away on some leaves. Interestingly, they were underneath the leaves, protected from the searching birds, but not the small wasps that also visit. I have never seen caterpillars feasting on the tops of leaves. Do they perceive that they would become prey if they did? Or is it that through natural selection the top-eaters have all been eaten? I don't really need an answer to that one.
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I remember years back in Sydney I used to give blood on a regular basis. Had to give up in the end because of the trouble they had finsing my vein. Think I must have been born with a collapsed vessel!
R
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