It Only Takes A Little Prick... (National Blood Services (NBS))

Member Name: rachels_ratty

Product:	National Blood Services (NBS)
Date:	24/06/03 (366 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You'll be saving a life or two..., Makes you feel positive..., Without donors, the NHS woul dbe in a mess...

Disadvantages: None at all

~WHY GIVE BLOOD?~

Two days ago I saved a life; did you? That in a nutshell is THE reason to take roughly an hour out of your life three times a year.

Donated blood is used in many different ways in the NHS to help treat many different conditions. Whole blood is actually used rarely and only in cases of severe trauma where blood loss has been extensive. Most of the time the pint you donate is separated into its components. The red cells are used to treat anaemia, sickle cell disease, and moderate blood loss after accidents. It also helps burns victims prior to surgery.

Platelets are of most benefit to cancer patients following chemotherapy treatment and bone marrow transplants. The plasma helps during cardiac surgery and aids patients with liver disease. It is also given to patients who cannot produce clotting factors, such as haemophiliacs.

With so many uses for the blood you give its pretty clear why you should hey? Without a consistent supply in this countrys blood bank so many patients would suffer and yes, maybe even die.


~WHO CAN AND WHO CANNOT~

If you are aged between 17 and 59 and in good health, then the general answer is YES you can donate blood! There are of course exceptions, which I shall list here for clarification.

You should NOT donate blood if –

You are or THINK you may be HIV positive.
You are a carrier of Hepatitis B or C or THINK you may have either disease.
You are a man who has had anal or oral sex with another man EVEN if a condom was used (personally I HATE this question even though I can see the sense in it, there is just no way around the discrimination involved).
You have EVER received payment for sex with money and/or drugs.
You have EVER injected recreational drugs (including bodybuilding steroids).
You have had, in the last 12 months; sex with anyone who you think may be HIV positive or Hepatitis B or C.
You have a family m
ember who has CJD.

You are unwell (however the end of a common cold is okay).
You are pregnant or have a child less than nine months old.
You are taking antibiotics or have finished a course of them within the last week.
You have had hepatitis, jaundice or a blood transfusion yourself in the last 12 months.
You have had a body/ear piercing, tattoo or semi-permanent make up in the last 12 months.
You have had acupuncture within the last 12 months unless it was with a NHS approved practitioner.

This isnt the entire list but I think you can see that basic common sense prevails with who can and cannot become a blood donor. Most people CAN become blood donors but it is a sad fact that only around a pathetic 6% of eligible people actually DO donate on a regular basis…

PLEASE DO NOT register to become a blood donor JUST to get an HIV test. The chance of infected blood getting past the screening stage is VERY small but it is possible and the tests DO NOT always show infection, especially if the infection was recent.


~SIGNING UP~

There are several simple ways of becoming as blood donor. The first is to visit www.blood.co.uk, which is the National Blood Service website. From here you can fill out an enquiry form (which I did) or search for your areas next donation session. You CAN just turn up at a session and register there.

You can also telephone 0845 7 711 711, this number is also on BBC2 Ceefax page 465.

Basically if you chose to telephone the service or fill out the enquiry form you will be sent a welcome letter, which is fairly swiftly followed by a full welcome pack that includes a video. Around three weeks before the next donor session in your area you will be notified by letter. Remember that at any point during this process you CAN back out, there is no pressure placed on you whatsoever.


~WHAT TO DO BEFORE DONATING~

You will be sent a letter tellin
g you when and where to give your first donation. Attached to this is a questionnaire. I filled mine in on the day I went, before I left home. There are general screening questions, plus questions about your current general state of health. Please answer these as truthfully as you can, then sign and date where told.

Have something to eat before you donate and drink as much liquid as you can. Now this last part isnt strictly essential and they dont expect you to have drunk that much you cant manage to donate without needing the toilet! However, from experience, the more you CAN drink, the better you will feel afterwards. Blood donation causes a slight drop in blood pressure but fluids counter this effect.


~THE DONATION ITSELF~

When you arrive you will first meet a member of staff who will take your letter from you and give you a number. This gives you an idea of where you are in the queue.

ALL first time/returning donors HAVE to see the nurse before donation can take place. Your questionnaire is gone over carefully and there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions if you are unsure of anything. Regular donors skip most of this, as they simply have to be asked if anything has changed since their last donation. If you take any prescription drugs this is the time to mention them and it helps to either have a copy of the prescription or the medication with you so a note of it can be made on your questionnaire. You then sign a consent form in the presence of the nurse.

Next comes a slightly painful part; the tip of one of your fingers is pricked to take a drop of blood so your iron levels can be checked. This test takes literally seconds but is necessary to ensure your levels are high enough to allow you to donate. Donation causes your iron levels to drop and the last thing the staff wants is for you to become anaemic! They require an iron level that is slightly higher than average as a result.

From here i
ts onto the trolleys and they will usually take blood from the arm you DONT normally use; i.e. if you are right handed they will take your donation from your left-hand arm. A blood pressure cuff is placed around the top part of your arm and inflated, then your arm (at the elbow joint) is swabbed with a disinfectant solution for thirty seconds.

Then comes the only part that could cause discomfort, the needle insertion. The scratch literally lasts seconds and as soon as the needle is in place the line is taped down to your arm. The cuff is then released, the clamp on the line is released and off you go! Youll be encouraged to pump your fingers in and out of a fist throughout your donation to help the blood to keep flowing.

The first part of your donation is channelled into a small reservoir attached to the main line; this blood is reserved for testing (for AIDS, Syphilis, Hep B, and Hep C; for first time donors the blood group can be checked too). After this the blood flows into the familiar bag and a total of 475mls is taken per donation. This is around a pint and is an amount your body quickly replaces.

During your donation, which incidentally only takes around ten minutes, youll be regularly asked if you feel okay. Please dont keep quiet if you feel any discomfort at all, the staff WILL stop the donation if you feel unwell. Most peoples bodies adapt immediately to the donation process but some do not due to the sudden lowering of blood pressure. This is why I said earlier, it really is best to drink plenty before you go. Incidentally even if you are unable to complete your full donation due to feeling unwell, any blood you have given WILL NOT be wasted. Incomplete units are used for training purposes by labs and universities. No blood donated is EVER wasted.

When your donation is complete then the clamp is put back on the line and the needle quickly withdrawn. Youll be given a small gauze pad to press onto the needle site and
told to keep your arm straight as this lessens the chance of bruising. After around five minutes theyll check youre not bleeding; youll be asked to make a fist, then you get a plaster and an impressive gauze pad over the top to cushion the site. Keep this top dressing on for at least two hours, the plaster can be removed after four.


~AFTERWARDS~

From here you get to move on for the free drinks and biscuits! First timers should drink the diluted fruit juice available as it replaces the lost fluid fastest, repeat donors can have tea/coffee/hot chocolate. Take as long as you need here, no one will be rushing you out of the door. There is a member of the medical team in this room and they will ask you several times if you feel okay. Again, if you feel in any way unwell TELL THEM!

I personally would advise you give blood at the end of your shift at work, in fact for emergency service workers it is COMPULSARY that they do not donate until after the end of their working day. Dont plan on doing anything vaguely strenuous and no heavy lifting either. If you smoke it is advisable that you wait a couple of hours before lighting up again; and if you are planing to drink alcohol take it SLOWLY and drink plenty of non-alcoholic drinks as well throughout the evening. Basically, just drink plenty of fluids and be aware that you may well feel thirstier than normal for a couple of days. Personally, I find it a good excuse to just chill out and relax for half a day!

If at any time during the two weeks following your donation you become ill (apart from a common cold) you MUST telephone the National Blood Service and tell them so as to lessen the risk that whatever you have can be passed on to someone else.

Around a month after your first donation you will be sent your blood donor card and your test results. Provided everything went well with your donation and your test results were clear, within 16 weeks you will be sent an appointme
nt for your next donation.


~FINAL THOUGHTS~

I gave blood on Friday. Just to reassure you all I am alive and well, maybe a little thirstier than normal but otherwise suffering no ill effects whatsoever! The needle site is a tiny red mark on my arm and the very mild bruising which surrounds it is painless.

I will also let you guys into a little secret. It was my first time. I was overwhelmed by the helpfulness of ALL the staff at the session. By the time I was finished I thought if anyone else said "Thank you" to me I very possibly wouldnt get my head back through the door. The whole atmosphere was unbelievably positive and I swear the building itself radiated happy vibes. Everyone there was there for a reason, to save a life or two. I have never met a nicer group of people and I am now proud to be able to hold my head high and boast the virtues of blood donation.

It has to rank right up there as one of the best things I have ever done in my life and Im now left wondering why on earth I didnt sign up earlier. Will I be going back? You betcha! Now the only question that remains is very simple. Will you? If just ONE person who reads this decides to go and enrol and becomes a blood donor then I shall be happy…

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