Tuesday 1 January 2008

The bleeders room

So its new years eve and as my previous post said... I get extremely depressed thinking about what I've really done this year. So ya I'm sitting in my friends room as usual lost. All of a sudden she gets a call from Nikhil. B positive blood needed. Someone who hasn't had a vaccination in the last fifteen days. Our entire class got vaccinated a couple days back. Since I've already got my shots I was spared. So he asks me if I could donate blood. I really dunno what got into me but ya i was all joshed up, maybe I can do something worthwhile for once.
So we rushed to the hospital. Every time I step into that place I think someday I'm gonna be walking in here white coat Dr tag and work here... that hospital really gives me a high. So anyways theres Nikhil- shorts tee. Just got out of the room looks. On the way briefing me on what happened to the guy and why he needs blood and stuff. Supposedly he had a renal failure. We reach the blood bank,
Nikhil: you really ready to do this?
Me: ya
Nikhil: have you had malaria TB or anything?
Me:nope
Nikhil: Have you got drunk in the past 24 hours?
Me: *eyebrow raised*
Nikhil: k just kidding .. fill in the form.

Done.
The guy checks my hemoglobin. I notice two rooms in the blood bank the bleeders room, the refreshments room. There were more but those two were the only ones that caught my attention. Some of my friends came along with me... for support as they call it. Curiosity too.
We were sitting and all talking I'm lying down supine on the bed. Guy puts a spighmamanometer into my takes my arm injects this thick needle into me right into my medial cubital vein (don't bother I'm just showing of that I actually studied anatomy). He gives me a sponge and tells me to hold it in a fist that's so that the veins don't collapse.
The whole procedure took like half an hour another classmate came along too. Guess they needed a lot of blood.
It was extremely weird to see a huge thick fat needle sticking out of my arm. Every ones just talking, they said something funny I tried to laugh ha ha ended up saying ouch instead. After that I just listened to the sound of them talking rather than trying to make out what they were saying.
The guy came back in and took the needle off. told me to flex my arm and hold cotton. After a while I was asked to sit up straight. Felt wobbly first but then I was fine. Gave me some apple juice! Yay!
Then I could leave. The patients wife thanked the two of us. So maybe I did do something good. Not a total waste of the year.
Nikhil stops me at the door holds up three fingers and goes "how much am I holding up"
Me: five
Nikhil: ya shes good...

7 comments:

Impressionist said...

Well, U did a good job! :)
Its good to donate blood once in a while! :)
I do it once every 6 months at my college blood donating camp! :P
Nice blog btw! :)

-Jeevy

Unknown said...

Ooh!Blood donations eh? Good start to the year methinks.
I've always been terrified of needles though...

Ajit Nathaniel said...

Hi There,

Linked to your Blog off Orkut. Interesting read, brings back memories of my first blood donation under similar circs. Keep writing!

Ajit.

singon said...

Well so u werent as bloody at the start of 2008 as u were last year!! Good on ya!

I'm still a bloddy resolution - breaking imbiscile! Bah.. So will I go donate some blood? nah.. Do not intend to pollute the rest the working population..

Ajan said...

good job!
and the last part was nice ;)

Unknown said...

This is really humanistic. It's rare to believe that people can be so benevolent as donating their blood for others.

Hope to read more from you.

GAGAN said...

well u have done a gr8 job!!!!!
i know u need a quite courage to donate ur blood[i am really scared of injections]after reading this blog i tought of donating ma blood and i did so.this the best of all ur blog....keep on writing like this k....nd best of luck...