So I'm donating blood for the first time tomorrow. I've been really afraid of needles since childhood and used to say I could never give blood because of it. But lately I've been pushing myself to try new things and look beyond my fears and my fear of needles seems more and more irrational. Especially if people need blood. I gave a sample yesterday for the bone marrow registry and didn't have a problem with that needle (besides the awful technique of the nurse, yeow ) So I called to make an appointment and luckily I got the last appointment for tomorrow .

Are there any regular donors out there that can give me some advice about it/let me know what it's like? I've read all the stuff online about how it's done but do you have any tips or tricks about being anxious?

I think I'm going to bring my iPod with some power songs on it. Other than that I'll eat a good breaky and drink a bottle of water before I go.

Sorry if this seems silly, but believe me this is a huge thing for me. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time.