Blood donation

I have just been, for the first time in my life, to donate blood…and I have to say that I feel very good for doing so.

I haven’t ever felt that I could do so before, due to my alcoholism, but as I have been on the wagon now for a year, thought that it was about time to do somehthing about it.  When my mum was so poorly with her cancer she had what seemed like dozens of pints of blood transfused, also bone marrow transplants and several other things that helped prolong her life, and if some kind souls hadn’t donated, her life would have been alot shorter.

It was a bit of a strange experience, and all of the so called do-gooders of the villiage were there, but am sitting here sipping my tea and feeling like I have finally done something worthwhile.

xxx

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Author: Cornish Kate

I am a mum of 3, living in a wonderful part of the country, have some mobility problems, love and fight life in equal measures, am very frie

33 thoughts on “Blood donation”

  1. Good for you. 🙂
    I hope you got some decent biscuits.
    I first donated at university and the Red Cross ladies were very stingy with the digestives. Mind you we’d have each eaten a packet if so allowed, so perhaps just as well.

  2. I have donated, but the last time was left feeling rather faint for a couple of days, which was difficult at work (Scuse me while the nurse sits down so she doesn’t balck out….) so I haven’t been back! Good for you, though

  3. I didn’t get offered a biscuit, only had a cup of orange squash..poor old me 😉
    Tell you what though, I am starving now, could eat half a cow, also quite tired.
    xxx

  4. Excellent

    A popular bumper sticker here reads

    DONATE BLOOD
    PLAY RUGBY

    🙂

    Well done.

  5. Get a good night’s sleep! Your body needs to rest after loosing a pint oft he red stuff – and you’ll need to drink a little more. (Alcohol free of course)

  6. Hi Kate

    Good for you! I used to donate blood in Canberra, but always giggled hysterically and inappropriately during the blood-taking, due to a slight fear of needles. What a jolly time it was! After one session I had to run for the bus to take me back to work and fainted in the aisle. Happy memories. 🙂

  7. I gave blood here every year for twenty years, then, ten years ago, I filled out a questionnaire about travel and because I admitted to spending a total of more than six months in the UK between 1990 and 2000 my donations were deemed not acceptable, ten years later I am still not cleansed of the risk of “Mad Cow”.

  8. Soutie, love the bumper sticker idea 🙂

    Pseu, I think I will be in bed by 10 tonight, would quite happily go now, but it doesn’t take much to make me sleep. No booze for me full stop ❗

    Bilby, hi, fainting in the aisle isn’t so good, but good on you for doing it. Since having the children I have no fear at all of needles, injections, yes, I hate them, but the finger prick to test my blood before I donated hurt me more than the acutal removal of the red stuff. 🙂
    xxx

  9. LW, if I may call you that, that is just rediculous. I was borderline as I have had accupuncture in the past year, they are crying out for it, but they seem to find lots of different ways to stop people from donating 😦
    xxx

  10. Good for you, Kate. You are right, they are crying out for blood donors and I suppose they have to be careful, but they do impose some ridiculous rules.

    I’m with Tony Hancock on this one, I reckon I can’t spare a whole armful. 😉

    Both daughters are much more generous and give blood regularly, but suddenly, Number One Daughter cannot because she is “underweight” apparently, although she only lost five pounds!

  11. Wish I had that ‘problem’ Araminta, but I have been overweight my whole life, am now starting to finally try and do something about it as I want to live, and see my children grow up.

    That Tony Hancock sketches is one of funniest things that was ever written,

  12. Hi Kate, well done you. It is something I would like to do, but as I can quite easily faint at the sight of blood and, in any case, they can never find a vein to get blood out of me for tests, this is something I have never done.

    I love the Tony Hancock sketch, too.

    Gill

  13. Interestingly most folk see ‘underweight’ as a thing to be envious of, and often feel perfectly at liberty to tell you that they think you are underweight. Having been underweight myself at times (post baby, pre-marriage etc) I was always gobbed smacked when someone would say,
    “Hey, you’re looking scraggy,” and other words to that effect and not expect me to get upset about it!

    Can’t imagine , “Hey you’re looking rather plump these days,” going down too well….

  15. The overweight/underweight argument is quite a contentious issue, and I am sorry, I suppose becasue I have always been at the other end of the scale it is something that I can’t get my head around it. I weigh a ton, I came into the world at 10lbs 10ozs and continued growing….I have to lose half of my body weight to be seen as healthy.

    Hiya Gill, are you ‘our’ Gill? If you are, then you know what I mean.

    xxx

  17. Hi Kate, yes, of course, I am. I couldn’t use GillieB when I signed up, so you’ll have to put up with gillieflower.

    I would like to be able to write blogs, too, so can someone please help me get sorted. Many thanks.

  19. Gillie

    You can change your display name to whatever you want, got to

    My account
    Edit profile

    Next to display name you should be able to insert GillieB, no problem 🙂

  20. Low Wattage … my blood was refused in Ireland for the same reason.

    When I was growing up one was always served a bottle of Guinness after giving blood … my father gave regularly for decades. I don’t think that applies any more.

    When I was at college some people used to give blood when they were planning a drinking session, in the belief that with less blood, they would get drunk more cheaply.

  23. Brendano – how kind, thank you very much. We had friends round on Monday night to watch the match against Plymouth and then celebrated with a bottle of fizz. Trouble is, I can remember the last time we were promoted. We are all hoping that this time the fans’ expectations will be more realistic.

    Life was quite pleasant in the Championship – after a while we discovered that we liked the winning and Saturday nights became much better.

  24. Thank you, Bilby.

    Time to go now, I think, – my husband is already dozing in his chair in the corner of the room.

  25. Gillie; perhaps you already have author status? You have to create a post before you appear on the ‘bogroll’. Just a thought.

  28. LW & BrendanoMy blood is not acceptable here, for the same reason.

    Gillie Welcome – and you do have Author status. As Bilby says you need to write a post before you appear on the Bogroll!

  32. Well, you tempt a girl with a bit of leg, but don’t let her see what it’s attached to….

  33. I think I get my Gold next time I donate. Not terribly excited as i don’t know where my bronze and silver are.
    I’ve given blood in France too. an entirely different experience. man on the Canabière, in Marseille, with a megaphone: ‘Donnez votre sang! Sauvez une vie!’ and afterwards strong coffee and a wedge of indigestible fruit cake.

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