Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: RED (02/01/18)
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TITLE: What She Wore to Walmart | Previous Challenge Entry
By Wilma Schlegel
02/07/18 -
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“I don’t ‘devil’ anybody.” Shayla defended herself moving her cart away.
“I think it’s disgraceful. What do you do with all that blood?” Ginny moved her cart right along.
“Listen, lady, I have never met you before and I never took any blood from you. I’m kind of in a hurry.” Shayla pulled away again.
“Of course you’re in a hurry. All you young people are. Some day it’ll be you they’re poking, prodding and trying to steal blood from, and nobody will tell you what for. I just gave blood last week and they dug and dug and after all that they tell me I need to come back. I don’t wish any harm on anybody, but I think what you do is…wrong. Ginny trembled a little as she started to move away.
Shayla trembled a little too and was rethinking her shirt choice and glowering at the old lady’s back. “How dare she! I have a respectable job and I’m good at it.” she thought.
She watched as Ginny tried to reach the canned peaches on the top shelf. Ginny couldn’t get them so she shuffled slowly away. Shayla felt empathetic and pushed her cart over. She got the can down, handed it to Ginny and asked, “Can I buy you a cup of coffee at the café at the front of the store? I could maybe explain some things about your blood tests – if you’d like.”
*****
The coffee was fresh and the café was not crowded. The ladies sat across from each other and Shayla spoke first. “I see that your arms are bruised. That happens because the needle went through your vein and blood leaked out.”
Ginny picked up her decaf. “I know that well enough. I’ve been on this ride before. Tell me why they need my blood again. They said the tubes they got were clotted and homogenized or something.”
Shayla stirred sugar into her dark roast. “Do you know what tests were ordered?”
Ginny pulled a wrinkled script from inside her wallet. “Here they are right here.” She slid the paper across the table keeping her fingers on top.
“A CBC and BMP,” Shayla read.
“That’s a blood count isn’t it?” Ginny asked.
“Yes, a complete blood count and a basic metabolic profile. You said they had trouble getting your blood?"
“Oh yes.”
“Well, if they have trouble sometimes the blood will clot. If it’s clotted then the red blood cells and platelets will be stuck together and they can’t be counted. They won’t know how many are really there." Shayla explained.
“Well why do they want to know how many red blood cells I have? And how did they get homogenized?” Ginny leaned toward Shayla.
“That’s a couple of different things. Your red blood cells take oxygen all over your body. They’re tiny little cells, trillions of them and they attach to oxygen and release it throughout your body. Then they pick up carbon dioxide and take it back to your lungs so you can breathe it out.”
Shayla continued, “I think the other thing you’re saying is ‘hemolyzed’. It means your red blood cells broke and spilled out what’s inside them, things like hemoglobin and potassium.
“My red blood cells are broken?” Ginny was alarmed.
“No, just the ones they had trouble drawing.”
“And it spilled my potassium into what?” Ginny frowned.
“The liquid portion of your blood. It’s called plasma and when the potassium from your blood cells spills into it, it gives a falsely high value for your potassium. They need to be able to measure the potassium accurately because it regulates things like your heart beat.”
Ginny looked at the bruises on her arms, considering the things Shayla said.
“I wish that taking blood didn’t have to hurt you.” Shayla said and she meant it.
“Me, too,” Ginny agreed. “But you’ve made this old heart beat a lot happier. I don’t know about all this blood stuff, but I know one thing. It takes a kind person to give their time to others. You go ahead and be a proud phlebotomist. You’re not deviling people. You’re a blessing.
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Blessings~
By cleverly characterising the helpful information in the rest of the story, you have given us a handle on it. Had yo not done so, we might still be trying in vein to work it all out.
Well done.