Giving Blood

I first tried to give blood when I was 19.  I'm 43 now and have only managed 3 full donations during that 24 year period.

Giving blood is something I always wanted to do and I dreamed of reaching those 10, 25 and 50 donation milestones.  I've got the bog standard blood group as far as I am aware - A+ Nobody ever writes or telephones asking for more of it.

Some of my failed attempts to give blood were spectacular, some ironic and some hilarious.

The first time I went along I was about half way through the registration when I was asked how much I weighed. I was blissfully unaware of my weight at the time!  Anyway when I got on the scale I was 7 stone 10lbs and apparently you can not give blood if you weigh under 8 stone - bye,bye Cathie :) Never had that problem again!

Second time I walked into the donation centre in Manchester, sneezed during the registration and was sent away.

So I'm getting a bit pissed off by now, after all I had put a load of weight one just so that I could give blood, not!

I left it a while before I gave it another try.  The first Gulf War was on and there was an urgent appeal for donations.  At last I was going to be able to give blood.  This attempt turned out to be the most embarrassing of the lot.  The venue was a big sports hall in Crewe and there were loads of beds lined up like a dorm.  This time I got past the registration process and was getting a little excited by the time the needle was inserted - yes, excited about that!  All went well for a while but then I noticed that there was a different person on the bed next to than had been there at the beginning, same on the other side.  When the second lot of people started getting off the beds the staff checked my line - 'just a little bit slow but you are doing great!'

Then the shift at the local Fire Station came off duty and all of sudden I was surrounded by Fire Fighters giving blood!  Then boom! my head stared spinning and I knew what was happening.  The staff noticed too and every single person in that sports hall turned to look at me as the smallest member of the donation team screamed at the top of her voice 'ASSISTANCE' across the full length of the sports hall.  I swear that shout brought me round from a dead faint :)

Despite evidence to the contrary it was not the sight of so many Fire Fighters that caused me to swoon.  It was nearly an hour later before I was allowed to go home and to add insult to injury I had not managed to donate enough for it to be even registered, so I still could not say I was a blood donor.

Of course that put me off for a while.  I had one more attempt before having the kids but the same thing happened as in Crewe (minus the eye candy this time).

During the emergency c-section I had  for the twins I lost nearly a litre of blood.  I was very close to needing a blood transfusion of my own.  Just a few months after becoming eligible to give blood again, I was pregnant again. So there was no opportunity for me to give blood for about 4 years.  But I held on to the fact that because I had not had the blood transfusion at least I could in the future.

Two years after Lewis was born I tried again.

Managed to give 'almost' a full donation before the line was ripped from my arm and my legs were raised in the air again, sigh.

This time the staff talked to me and stated the obvious - me and blood donation was not a good combination :)  I knew they were right.

But 2 years ago I tried again!  And I did it, woo hoo!  Took longer than everyone else in the place and needed a lot of assistance during the donation despite having had an afternoon nap, drinking plenty of fluids and eating loads of chocolate beforehand.  I needed extra rest afterwards but I had remained conscious!

Then in May this year I went back again and gave a full donation without a single problem, for the first time the staff were not swarming around me and keeping me at the refreshment table for ages - I was allowed to leave when I wanted to, yeah!

Still thinking this was a bit of fluke I turned up yesterday to try again.  Success again!  I've got another appointment in December and that first target of 10 is looking achievable.

For me donating blood really was a case of 'if at first you don't succeed ....'

Now then that reminds me of the 6 attempts it took me to pass my driving test, PMSL