When TikToker Deidra (@deidraxoxo03) used to work at a plasma center, her job was to screen people to make sure they were eligible to donate.
Their blood pressure, protein, iron, and heart rate all needed to be in healthy ranges.
A man came in to donate plasma, saying that he had been turned away the day before because of low blood pressure. He claimed to have tried something new today.
Deidra checked his blood pressure, which was in the high 80s. However, the lowest his numbers could be was 90.
She told him that she would retest him in 10 minutes, and if he was within the right range, he was good to donate. If not, he would have to come back the next day. After 10 minutes, she retested him, but his blood pressure was still too low.
He was frustrated that the medicine he had taken hadn’t worked. When she asked him what medicine it was, he revealed that he had taken his wife’s high blood pressure pills. He had bills to pay and really needed the money.
Deidra was confused and asked if his wife had low blood pressure. He explained that his wife had high blood pressure, and he took some of her pills to make his blood pressure go up.
When she continued to ask more clarifying questions, he kept insisting that taking pills for high blood pressure should make his blood pressure high as well.
He had never been diagnosed with high blood pressure. He was confused as to why Deidra didn’t understand what he was talking about.
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“I went to the break room, and I sat down for five minutes and stared at the wall because I needed to muster up enough energy to finish the conversation,” said Deidra.
The worst part about the whole situation was that he was completely serious. She made him sit and wait to see the doctor because she just could not deal with him any longer.
Many medical professionals could relate to Deidra’s experience and shared crazy stories about very similar patients.
“As a nurse, I believe every word of this story. Had a patient tell me he was allergic to insulin. I asked what the side effects were. Rash? Hives? He said it makes his blood sugar low. I just charted ‘needs further teaching,'” commented one person.
“I’m a pharmacist. This is just one example of what I deal with on the daily. Please don’t take medications that aren’t yours. If you have questions, we will always be here to answer them!” exclaimed another.
“I used to work at a plasma center as a nurse. You want to see grown men crash out—this is the place. Had a guy get turned away because of low hemoglobin, and he waited for me outside the center with a bat! Very eye-opening. Glad you’re still here,” added someone else.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
