First Blood Donation Experience
In my third year of college, I got the news of Symbiosis University Hospital and Research Center (SUHRC) conducting a blood donation drive. The classes that were scheduled in the morning were cancelled which made the day merrier. Everyone was heading out of the college. I asked Deep (one of my good friends) to accompany me to the blood donation camp that was on SUHRC building just beside our campus.
The security guard in the parking denied us to park near the entrance, he wanted us to park our scooter away from the entrance. Deep was hesitant and said, “These people have problems with everything, Let's leave”. I insisted, “Let's go and see if we are eligible to donate, we will decide later on whether we are interested”. We parked the vehicle and went to the ward where it was organized. We were good chit-chat buddies, so we always went well together in a discussion or an argument. On reaching the ward we asked for eligibility and filled in the basic details in the form. The eligibility criteria were as follows:
- Must be between 18 - 65 years of age and weight should be greater than 50 kgs having no health issues or ongoing treatments.
- Should not have donated blood for the past 6 months.
- No tattoos' or unprofessional body piercing for 6 months prior to the present day.
- Must have had a healthy meal before donating.
Deep was all okay and was eligible for donating. There were concerns about my pulse count. I was asked multiple times by different nurses whether I had breakfast and what did I have? I told them everything after which they allowed me to do it.
I was a little nervous as it was the first time. I was stunned looking at the fat needle they used. The nurses and doctors were kind and helpful. The cheerful ambiance that was created around made things super easy. I was given the smiley sponge ball after the things were ready. The process was satisfying. I felt empowered, privileged, grateful, and happy to be able to contribute towards the good going out of the way. To top it all up I got a compliment from the doctor on rounds in the donation hall. He said, “Oh man, you have got some beautiful veins.” “Thank you, sir!!”, with a bright smile. I will never forget that compliment genuine compliment.
We were offered coffee and snacks after the donation. The picture below is taken by one of the nurses who made sure that it doesn't go unsaved. There is one in Superman pose too, hush. Both of us had pretty good time and it was amazing.
The second time I donated blood was three months after recovering from Dengue. I was all overconfident to pull it off like the last time but unfortunately, the donation was on recliner seats of the old kind. The speed of blood running out of my body and the scarcity in the brain due to seating posture caused fainting. Luckily one of my brothers observed and called the attendant who raised my legs, poured water onto my face, and brought me to my senses immediately. It was a sigh of relief once the donation was completed. They offered me ORS-L and told me to rest for a little while. It was a lesson learned for me and them too if they took notes, haha.
The second time does not scare me to donate as I know from the first that it can be a pleasant experience if some things are taken care of. Eat well, keep yourself rested, and make sure things are comfy while donating blood. I heard we could even donate platelets, would like to try that someday.
When was the last time you felt fabulous for doing good deeds? Have you donated blood or platelets? Do let me know your experience.
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Peace.
