One of my New Year's resolutions for 2020 was to give blood. Although I signed up to give blood over 5 years ago, due to my avid travelling I could never donate blood. This is because after visiting certain countries, you have to wait a couple of months before donating in the UK.
I had plans to visit various countries throughout 2020, including Bolivia, Thailand, and Chile and so, hadn't thought about donating blood - that is until COVID-19 put a halt on travel, meaning that for the first time in several years I could properly look into donating blood. Nonetheless, I'd been to Australia and New Zealand in January, followed by Mexico and Cuba in February and Barcelona in March, so I couldn't immediately donate. Knowing that I wanted to go on holiday over summer, I booked an appointment for the end of September.
Before the Appointment
After booking an appointment, you receive a form in the post which you have to complete before donating blood. The form has many questions that will help to determine whether or not you can give blood on the day, including any travel completed within the last year and any medication you are on.
On the Day
On the day of the appointment, vigorous exercise is discouraged and it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids (excluding alcohol) and eat before your appointment. I managed to convince my dad to come with me since he had been meaning to donate blood for years but had never gotten round to it before. On arrival at your local donor centre you are given plenty of water to drink and asked to read a leaflet on how blood donation works and the possible side effects.
Then, you are directed into a small room with a doctor, who goes through your form with you and checks that you are indeed able to donate blood, and have sufficient iron levels though a quick pin prick in your finger. Any doubts in regards to whether you will be able to donate are checked by a nurse, and if you get the A-OK, you are taken to the donation station.
The first time I went to give blood was on the 27th September, and on seeing that nurse, I was told I wouldn't be able to donate that day. Although I hadn't been out of Europe in months and had no medical issues that would prevent my donation, I had returned from Madeira less than a month before (on 3rd September), and due to the presence of Dengue on the island, I had to wait a couple more days before I could donate safely. I'd researched all of the countries outside of Europe that I'd been to in the past 12 months, but it hadn't even occurred to me to research my little island, and that was what caught me out in the end.
Nonetheless, my dad managed to donate blood and after seeing his enthusiasm, my mum signed up too. We found out that all of us have O+ blood, which can be given to all positive blood groups and thus, is the most demanded blood type in hospitals. I booked another appointment on 8th November to try again, and everything went very smoothly. After getting the all-clear from the nurse, I was taken to a doctor's chair (similar to that at the dentist) and told to roll up my sleeves. They disinfected the injection site using a wipe, and then inserted the needle. After 15 minutes of repeatedly clenching and relaxing my bum and thigh muscles and watching TV, they removed the needle and told me to apply pressure to the injection site for about 3 minutes. In my case, it took a bit longer to stop bleeding so I needed to raise my arm, but all-in-all it was a very seamless process.
After the Donation
After the bleeding has stopped, a plaster is placed over the site, which is to be left on for the next 6 hours, and you are welcome to have a drink and snack until you are ready to leave. You are also given a little card with information on the possible side effects and guidance should anything go wrong.
The whole process took about an hour, and I felt very accommodated and safe throughout. The nurses constantly checked that I felt okay, and the process was seamless. I'd strongly recommend donating blood if you are able to, as an hour of your time could mean the difference between life and death for someone else. Click here to find out more about giving blood in the UK.
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