Saturday, February 19, 2005

Today, I gave my first time away.

I stepped into the room; he motioned for me to come sit beside him.

He held my arm and said, "I'm gonna measure your blood pressure now, it's painless. Just relax."

I was nervous and a little scared lah... After all, its my first time donating blood mah. I went after morning training today to the collection center at West Coast CC. It was in the dance studio, so there was a large pane of mirror reflecting the whole room - it was very bright place, and radio music was playing from a corner, with about 10 stretcher chairs neatly arranged in a row. Truthfully, this wasn't really my idea of a blood donation center. I was expecting a dark and cold place with blood dripping and intimidating nurses.

Anyways, so I filled up a form with many questions (eg. Do you have aids? / Did you have intercourse with any person in the past 1 week? / Did you consume any oral medication in the past 3 days? / etc), and a doctor verified all was true and measured my blood pressure. And guess what, he said I have a slightly low blood pressure. I asked him if I was abnormal, but to my greatest relief he reassured me it was because I am healthy. (hehh)

Then a nurse had to prick my finger for blood test - basically to test the iron content in my blood. The drop of blood was supposed to sink in a blue solution so as to ascertain that there's enough iron content in the blood, but my drop of blood sank a little, then floated to the surface. :S In the end the nurse said it was inaccurate 'cause it was only a quantitative test, so she put another drop of my blood into a machine, which gave the 'okay' sign. Which basically means, I can now officially donate blood.

Then another nurse made me lie down on the stretcher, and while my finger prick was still stinging, she plunged an anaesthetic injection into my left arm. And all those stuff that they tell you about ant bites, I tell you its rubbish, because it hurts alot. Then she brandished this metal needle as thick as a straw. I can see the hollow of the needle lah! That's how thick it was.

I looked at her poke it through my arm. I know it sounds sadistic lah, but there's always this weird urge to look even though I know I won't like what I see. And I have never seen so much of my own blood before... It was quite weird looking at my own blood flow out like a river from my veins into this bag, yet I am still well and okay.

Anyways I was the only donor at the moment, so the doctor came to talk to me. I enjoyed chatting with him because the way he talked made me laugh and he had so many interesting cases to tell me! He told me about this woman who drowned in her own blood :( and another old man who passed out black digested blood. I told him I wanted to be a doctor too, but he said the hours are long, and the pay is not proportionate to the effort put in. But I don't wanna be a doctor because of the financial gain~. Of course not.

Anyways, so it was done faster than I knew it. As the nurse drew out the needle the doctor insisted I rest awhile more because my blood pressure was slightly lower. Then this other Indian guy (nurse I think) was insistent I eat some biscuit (for sugar) before I can leave. (-_-") Which made me laugh because I was saying "nonono" then he was going "eateateat".

Overall it was a memorable "first time" for me, and an enjoyable one because of all the nice medical personnel there who talked to me and made me feel at ease. And I felt a sense of achievement because I know I'll be helping some people, and I braved it alone. If you ask me to do it again, I'll gladly oblige.

Anyways so before I left, the doctor asked my name, and I told him. And guess what he said. He said maybe he'll be seeing me in the near future in the field.

I just smiled. :)

writing at 9:39 PM

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