Bigbro's foray into the scary world of blogging
Since I returned from the UK, I've had the best of intentions to donate blood, something that is done on a 'gift' basis in Ireland - there is no payment, monetary or otherwise in return for donating. There is, however, the feeling of something achieved and given back to society or even perhaps a life saved in the future thanks to a donation today.
I had no idea about how easy, difficult, painless or otherwise the process would be, and I owe a debt of gratitude to the professionalism and caring shown by the staff in the blood clinic in Dublin who were happy to explain the entire process and answer any questions I had. As a first time donor, I filled in a single page questionnaire (tbh, the most painful process, given my allergy to surveys ;-) ) had an interview with a nurse to confirm that I was okay to give blood that day, a finger pin-prick test and Haemoglobin test from a doctor, and then straight on to giving blood - requiring a single needle in my arm, delivered with the minimum of fuss and pain. While to call the whole procedure painless would be a little disingenuous, to refer to any of it as painful in any way would be equally inaccurate.
The moral, go and donate blood if you can. Drink plenty of water for a day or so beforehand, and if you know your blood type, you can check on Ireland's remaining blood stocks here. You can donate every 90 days in Ireland, and I've already added a reminder to my calendar for the next time.
posted at: 08:42 | path: | permanent link to this entry
