Blood typing

We learned all about blood this last exam in A&P. I'm really glad I retook this class. The teacher I took 202 with the first time, well, sucked. This teacher has taught me so much already that its like I didn't even take it before. I'm glad I did though because I have a base where everyone is completely lost. Now I can focus on the more intense stuff because I already understand the basic. In lab this week we learned how to figure out our blood type.

From this you can tell that I am O+. 

Pretty neat huh! How can you tell you ask?? Notice how the left two blood stains are dark and milky and the right stain is all clear and clumpy looking? Well quick little lesson for you. O blood doesn't have any antigens( things that stick off the cell membrane) on the surface so when I put antibodies( the thing that attaches to the antigens) on my drop of blood it doesn't coagulate or clump up. The reason the one on the right is clumpy is because I am RH+ which means I have the RH antigen on the surface of my blood. So when I put the RH antibodies on my drop of blood they were attracted to my red blood cells and caused them to clump together (that would be bad if it happened inside of my body). 

I love labs. I wish all my classes were labs! We also did a hematocrit (where you look to see what percentage of your blood is made up of red blood cells) but mine didn't work both times I tried. I was sad but oh well. I'm getting blood work done on Tuesday so I can ask them what they found. 

Now we are on to the heart

I love the heart. It is so cool to learn about. I thought I knew a lot about it but this last class I learned stuff I never knew. Mostly about the fetal heart. Did you know that my baby has 2 holes in her heart right now. Once she is born and they clamp the cord the holes close up. 25% of people have a hole that doesn't close though. They say it can cause a stroke later on in life and migraine headaches. The teacher was freaking me out talking about these holes and how in some people they don't close up. I then asked him if this was something I should make sure that the doctors check but he reassured me that its part of the regular check up routine (I guess it causes a murmur so they can hear it).

  BJ just shook his head at me when I told him how freaked out I got. I love learning about this stuff but whenever something about fetal development comes up that I didn't know I always worry a tad. BJ said there was no point in worrying about it and I just told him he doesn't get it because she isn't inside of him. I will ask the doctors to make sure she doesn't have PDA though. Just because I learned about it and because I know it can happen I will just want to make sure. =]