Taylor’s Blog

So I am going to Curitiba, Brazil with the Business School in October.. I had to go to a meeting about
the trip the day after the first summer session ended.. The importance of this date is that I am not enrolled in the second summer session and I therefore
I didn’t pay the student health fee for the second summer session.. My school mandated health insurance also lapsed on July 1st, at least I think that’s
when it ran out, it was really poorly administered but that’s not really the point..

For some inane reason the school wants to have our blood
type on file when we travel abroad.. I am 99.9% sure if you are in an accident and you need blood in any country that has access to a blood supply they
will give you O blood (universal) or type your blood if they can wait the few minutes for a test.. Either way it seems stupid for the school to care..

So I called my parents.. They couldn’t find my type anywhere.. I called Rex cause I went there a few years ago.. They didn’t seem to have it on
file.. It seemed the only options I had left were to get a blood test.. My childhood doctor said that if I wanted to find out I could always give blood..
Sure enough I called the Red Cross and they said 3-4 days after I give I could call up sign a HIPAA release form and get my type and a whole bunch of
other test results.. I figured that was my best free option.. The school wanted $80 to type my blood.. $50 cause I was not enrolled in the second summer
session, and the $32 for the lab work.. If I was enrolled It would have been 1/2 price lab work and no appointment fee ($16)..

Sheila and I
headed to the Red Cross.. First was the crazy screening process.. I don’t know how many questions I had to answer about being with hookers, needle drugs,
being with a man, etc but eventually they decided my blood was OK to give.. Seems the red cross hates Africa, gay men, and lots of other groups.. The
Greensboro Red Cross had run out of testing viles so we had to wait about an hour to get drained while more were driven in from High Point.. Finally the
moment came.. I was a tad nervous, but I think I was fine.. So the nurse started with Sheila first.. Sheila’s blood was draining into the sac just fine..
The nurse kept talking about how she couldn’t wait to get home cause her favorite show was on tonight.. Tila Tequila.. She washed the area with iodine and
did all the routine stuff.. When it came time to actually stick me I looked away as I usually do.. There was a pinch and then there was this pain that I
didn’t remember needles giving.. I looked over and there was a blue bubble around the injection site about 2 inches around.. My nurse called over the head
nurse and she said “Oooo.. Your gonna have quite a nice bruise there” took the needle out and told me how to ice the area.. They told me I was done, and
that I couldn’t come back for 56 days (8 weeks)..

Turns out they poked into my vein and then through the back side.. So much like drinking
through a straw with 2 holes it didn’t work.. In the end I ended up paying $80 dollars to find out my blood type at UNCG.. The lab tech at the UNCG place
told me that he has had to type many students blood for going overseas and he said it “must be some orwellian insurance requirement from 1902″ amongst
other things.. We laughed.. I paid my $80 and went on my way..

So now my left arm looks like this.. If you see me around for the next 2 weeks
I really didn’t give needle drugs a whirl.. I swear..

In the end I still had to pay $80.. Thanks
UNCG for letting me know as soon as possible about your stupid requirement..

Turns out I am A positive.. The second most common in the USA..