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Whoever
first muttered the phrase "I'll try anything once"?
That
person has a lot to answer for. Due to their comment I find myself
in the middle of a Bridgnorth sports hall, lying on a bed, with
a needle in my arm...
Those
lovely colleagues of mine at BBC Shropshire came up with a novel
idea a few weeks ago. "Every month this year," they said,
"you have to go and do one thing you've never done before."
Sounds easy enough, I thought. I went along (complete with large
marker) to play Bingo last year and that was great fun.
"What
do you want me to do for January then?" I asked. "I hear
the Bahamas are nice at this time of year."
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Donations
travel in style
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A lesson
for you all. Never be cheeky to your elders.
"You're
going to give blood."
Ouch.
I find that when faced with something you're not overly keen about
doing it's better to throw yourself headlong into it, rather than
approach it with caution.
This
in mind, I phoned the National Blood Service hotline and made an
appointment with the aid of one of their very helpful and friendly
phone operators.
A week
later and I was in Bridgnorth Sports Hall waiting for my appointment.
My palms were clammy to say the least.
My
fears were soon calmed though when it came round to my turn. The
friendly nurse sat me in a cubicle and explained that they needed
a sample of my blood to check it had the correct iron levels.
This
is done by pricking the end of your index finger, which did not
hurt at all, and drawing a droplet of blood.
The
blood is then placed in a special tube to see if it floats or sinks.
If it sinks, which mine did, then you proceed to a bed to give your
donation.
A word
of warning for the easily shocked amongst you. While you give your
first sample you are asked some personal questions. Some very
personal questions!
That
process over, and it was on to the real thing. Those of you who
don't like blood look away now.
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NBS
staff: always there to help
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I lay
down on the special bed and the nurse applied an antisceptic wipe
to my left arm. Next the needle was inserted into my arm and into
the vein. Still with me? Not feeling faint?
My
blood then flowed out of my arm, down a tube and into a specially
made bag designed to keep the blood from clotting. The bag holds
just under a pint and it wasn't long before it was full.
The
whole process took nine minutes. Yes, nine minutes. And it was far
from painful. Even the initial jab with the needle was barely noticeable.
After
the bad bit, comes the best bit: the free tea and biscuits, and
I certainly got value for money on that front!
I
opted for the crackers with a cheesy filling for my main course
followed by a delightful custard cream for dessert, nicely washed
down with a mug of the house tea. Then I got to go home.
A week
later and I received my blood donor card in the post and information
on my blood type: A Rhesus Negative (which I'm told is quite rare
- about 7% of the population).
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New
donations on their way
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I will
definitely give blood again - it's just so easy. For those of you
that are in need of encouragement to do what I did for the first
time, here's a fact for you:
Last
year in the UK the National Blood Service collected 2.5 million
donations from about 1.9 million donors. That may sound a lot, but
it isn't. That's only 6% of the population, giving two or three
times a year.
So
what excuse do we have not to? It takes half an hour, is relatively
pain free and in the end could be vital in saving a life. You can't
say fairer than that.
For
more information about giving blood you can visit www.blood.co.uk
or ring 0845 7 711 711.
The
BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
Don't
forget to come back next month and see what I'll be trying out next!
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