Blood Type

I gave blood the other day, because I've been dying to know my blood type for about 15 years. I've actually had it typed twice, and didn't get the results either time.

There was quite a line when we went. A lot of the people seemed to be high-school kids trying to look tough. Why hasn't this caught on in America? "Want to look tough? Come here, and we'll BLEED ya!" What's tougher than that?

They gave me the option of donating 200ml or 400ml, and since they would type it either way, I opted for the smaller.

My friend pointed out that, since they gave me a 250ml carton of apple juice afterward, I was really coming out 50ml ahead.

Anyway, after a week or so had passed, they sent me a postcard with my blood test results. As it turns out, they do a lot of testing, and if I had donated 400ml, they would have done twice as many tests. They include the expected range for each value, so you know if something is wrong or not. They even keep track of what your previous results were, so you can easily see what has changed. It's like a monthly check-up, and it's free, and if I ever need blood I'll sure be glad that there are people like me out there donating. Next time, I'm donating 400ml (to get all the test results).

So, what type am I?

B POSITIVE

Obvious pun about my sunny disposition aside, they also gave my information about my cholesterol level (157) and lots of other stuff I couldn't identify. I did find a LOT of helpful information here which was very comforting. But, things like RBC, WBC, PLT, Hb, Ht, and MCV/MCH/MCHC are all part of the 400ml test. Next time...next time...

It may be no big deal to you, but I've been wondering for nearly half my life what blood type I am. Especially here in Japan, where EVERYONE knows what blood type they are, and use it like we use astrological signs to make predictions of personality. My students didn't believe me when I told them I didn't know, and that most Americans don't know. Maybe I'm wrong, and all Americans except me already knew.

What type are YOU?