TRIED AND TESTED
The prep
I head off to the clinic one Tuesday lunchtime and am greeted
by a friendly lady on the front desk. She asks me if I have
donated before. My sheepish response is ‘no’ to which she
smiles, ‘Well, it’s good you’re here now’. I am given a number
and a leaflet to read, before taking a seat and filling in a
lifestyle form. I am then shown to a small room by a nurse
who takes a small amount of blood from my finger to check
my iron and haemoglobin level, to ensure my body can spare
a pint of blood.
The proceSS
The donation room is a happy atmosphere where everyone
seems to be very relaxed and laidback. There are more beds
than I thought and people of all ages around me. I am next to
a middle-aged woman who has just collected her specially
crafted Bronze award for giving 10 donations.
one of the nurses invites me to take a seat on a comfy recliner
and offers a local anaesthetic, which I decline. A pressure cuff
is then put around my upper arm and the area is cleaned with
antiseptic before the nurse inserts a needle attached to the
blood bag. I just don’t look and am surprised that it doesn’t
hurt in the least. I open and close my hand so the blood flow
is consistent and lie down for about 10 minutes under the
supervision of a nurse. My donation is then complete, the
needle removed and a dressing applied. As it was my first
time, I stayed lying down for 10 more minutes before heading
for my deserved cup of tea and a piece of shortbread.
The verdIcT
The Blood Transfusion centre is conveniently located for all.
The first visit takes a little bit longer due to the questionnaire,
approximately 45 minutes in total, but what’s an extra 20
minutes when you could potentially be saving or improving
a life? I would encourage everyone to visit their local blood
donor centre, especially if you haven’t donated before. I
guarantee you will go back as taking time out of your busy
day to do something good gives a sense of achievement and
a bit of hope, happy in the knowledge that if you ever needed
blood, people are there for you.
deTAIlS
Blood Donor Centre, 41 lauriston place, Tel: 0131 536 5360,
Tel: 0141 357 7700,
www.scotblood.co.uk
open Mon and Fri,10am-4pm; Tues to Thurs, 12pm-7.30pm; Sat,
10am-1pm
91
/
90
i-on_Edinburgh_36_Dec08.indd 91 26/11/08 15:17:21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134