Earth and Body Friendly

I know this site is usually more about being friendly to the Earth and to your own body, but today I’m going to write about being friendly and kind to other people’s bodies.

Be kind. Give Blood

Today I gave blood. It was the first time in ages. I’ve given bloody only three or other four times in my life. Previous times that I’ve tried, I’ve not been allowed to for one reason or another. On the first time I tried, I didn’t weigh enough. You have to be 50 kg (110.23 pounds) or over to give blood. I’m pretty short and petite. Until I was in my mid twenties, I weighed about 45 kg. I’m now just over that lower limit at 51 kg. According to the scales in the Red Cross van, anyway. Another time I tried, I had a bit of a cold. They won’t allow it if you’re not in good health.

I understand that in the USA, you’re paid to give blood. Is that right? Here you’re not paid. You get a cold drink and a biscuit or a treat, but no money. It’s completely voluntary.

So I stopped in at the shops on the way home from being at a friend’s house and I saw the blood van right near where I parked. I’d been seeing them around for ages and had always wanted to give blood, but hadn’t had the time, or hadn’t eaten a decent meal, or whatever. Today, though, I went up to the van and put my name down.

Be truthful

Once I was inside, I had to register again, because it had been more than 2 years since I last gave blood. I ticked ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the boxes on the form so they knew whether I’d been exposed to any possible diseases and she asked me about the questions to which I’d answered ‘yes’. They took my details from the form and I’ll be getting a card in the mail soon, they tell me.

On this day, it seems I had a repeat of one of the previous times I gave blood, and after they took the needle out, I felt really woozy. I even had to use the spew bag. Gross. They were lovely, though, and stood there fanning me, putting a cool cloth on my forehead and making sure I wasn’t going to actually faint. They even gave me oxygen to make me feel better quicker. The previous time I felt nauseous like that, I’d already left the van. I didn’t feel as bad that time, though.

Tips for a joyful giving of blood

So here are my tips for giving blood. Your mileage may vary:

• Plan for it. Rocking up on the day is good, but maybe be more prepared than I was.
• Eat a decent meal beforehand. Toast for me, plus most of a bag of licorice bullets (chocolate coated licorice) obviously wasn’t enough.
• Drink lots of water. When she asked me if I’d had at least a litre of water to drink, I said ‘no’, but I didn’t mention that I probably don’t drink that much water in a week, let alone one morning. I’ll drink more next time.
• Be truthful on the forms. People are depending on your blood, so don’t lie about stuff. They don’t care if you’ve been sleeping around. They only care if your blood is clean.
• Don’t look at the needle going in. I never do. It would freak me out.
• Don’t watch the blood going into the bag.
• Try not to think too hard about the needle hurting as it goes in. It’ll only sting for a moment, so just lie back and enjoy your short rest while they take your blood.
• If you feel nauseous or as though you’re going to faint, make sure you let them know. Then enjoy the attention.
• Drink lots of water afterwards and make sure you eat properly later, too.

See more tips about what to do before and after giving blood on the Australian Red Cross site.

Incidentally, and embarrassingly, it took me until today to figure out why the letters A, B, and O, in the most recent Australian Red Cross’s Give Blood campaign (which has been going for months and months) are all in red. Some days I do believe that I’m intelligent. Today? Not so much. Heh.

Even though today’s experience didn’t make me glow on the outside, it made me feel good on the inside that I’ve provided someone with some much needed blood. If my own son, or any of my family or friends, need blood, I’ll feel happy knowing that I’ve helped to contribute to that blood bank. I’ll do it again in three months, too. Even if I have to use the spew bag again.

Please share some of your experiences with giving blood. Got some other tips for making the experience pleasant? Have you even been the recipient of donated blood?

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