ICE.COLD.COFFEE
Friday, October 21, 2005
Blood donation
Today is the last day of lessons. But even though it was, my class only went for maths and GP tutorial since we already finished most of the syllabus.
After lessons, my group went to work on our oral presentation (OP) for PW. We finished the powerpoint presentation in an hour since it was just copying and pasting from the WR. It's a rough one though. Still have lots to improve on.
I'm already in play mood since the promos ended and I've been really happy this week. Can't wait for PW to end. Then the real fun can begin! Woohoo! =)
After PW, I went to donate blood at HSA at Outram Park MRT. It's just a 2 minute walk from the MRT station so it's really convenient.
This is the second time I'm donating blood. The last time, they came to VJ.
The criteria to be a blood donor is that your weight must be at least 45kg and of course, you must not have any diseases or illnesses. You can donate blood every 12 weeks. For those who are 16 and 17 years old, you need a parent consent form that's available at the HSA website.
My Mum allows me to donate only once every 6 months because she thinks that it has adverse effects on my health. It's not true though, but I still have to listen to her since I still need parental consent.
There, I had to register and fill in a form. It's really efficient because after I handed in my form, I went to the washroom and on the way back, the doctor called for me.
I went into a room with a doctor where he took my blood pressure and asked a few routine questions. Then, I proceeded to a counter where a nurse pricked my finger and some blood was dropped into a beaker of blue liquid. I think it's some kind of blood test. It wasn't pain actually. If you want to know what it was like, pinch your finger.
After that, I went into this room where there were others sitting in chairs and donating blood. There was even this guy at the door who opened it for me and showed me to a seat.
In a short while, a nurse attended to me. She took out a packet from the drawer and prepared for the donation.
At first, she used a cotton bud to rub some green liquid on the inside of my elbow. It's to make your vein more visible.
Then, she had to inject anesthetic there, followed by another needle connected to the bag where the blood would be collected.
I was quite afraid then. The last time, I was also afraid before everything happened. But after it ended, I felt it was nothing much actually. Although I knew it wasn't going to be very painful or anything, I just felt scared today. Maybe it's just a mind thing.
I'm not very comfortable with needles so I didn't look when the nurse injected. I could only feel the first jab. It's like a pinch on the inside of your elbow. Just that this time you may have to pinch a little harder. After the anesthetic took effect, I couldn't feel the second needle at all. The nurse covered the needle site with a piece of cotton gauze so that you wouldn't feel scared looking at it.
That was almost all. I just had to sit there and squeeze a stress ball to get the blood flowing. There wasn't even any feeling of blood being drawn out. I didn't feel anything weird at all.
Most of the donors there were guys. There were only one or two ladies. And I was the youngest one there. But it felt good to be the youngest because the nurses would come over occasionally to see how I was doing. Somehow, I felt proud of myself being a donor and I could tell that they were glad to have me there too.
After the bag was full, the nurse removed the needle. There wasn't any feeling either. She let me feel the bag of blood and it was warm. It's a unique experience, I don't know how to describe it. After that, I had to press a cotton wool on the needle site and rest for about 10 minutes before I could leave.
I was given some iron tablets (to replenish the blood that my body lost) and a coupon for refreshments. I had a milo and curry puff. There was also coffee, tea, cupcakes, sweets and other stuff to choose from.
When your're a donor, you really receive VIP treatment. It's like they really hope you'll come back 12 weeks later. And I felt so good there. I'll surely come back again.
I strongly think that everyone who is capable of donating blood should do so. It's a blessing to be able to give blood. It means that you're healthy.
Like it says on the HSA websits, "giving blood is one of the greatest gifts a human being can give to one another because blood cannot be manufactured". That's so true.
Imagine if you or someone close to you needs blood one day (touch wood!) you would be so glad that someone stepped up to donate blood so that you or your close ones could be saved.
We should not take it for granted that the bloodbank is always full of blood. It takes regular donors to contribute to its supply and if people only think of taking but not giving, there may come a day where there's not enough blood.
My Dad used to donate blood every 3 months in the past. But since he underwent an operation a few years back, he's not eligible to be a donor. However, he's already donated 40+ times and this takes 10 years! I hope I can also set such a record for myself. I'm aiming for 50 times in 15 years time!
