I was supposed to give blood last night, but they won't take it since I've done some body modification (tattoo or piercing) in the last six months. It's not like I got the thing done in prison. I've tried to give blood now about four times in the last few years and have actually only completed the process once. Isn't that nuts? They are crying for my blood type, and yet travelling around the world, getting a tattoo and having low iron counts have thwarted me. I can deal with the low iron counts now by modifying my diet just before being tested (yummy spinach salad and steak) but the travelling and body mod thing is more difficult. How many young people (especially us scientists, who are regularly attending conferences or fieldwork in far off places and/or like poking ourselves with various needles) can really conform to their stringent requirements?
Shame. Makes me want to change fields so I can make insta-tests for all the terrible diseases I'm supposed to be exposing myself to during these absolutely normal but supposely "high-risk" activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment