I didn't think about donating blood this year till HSA urged donors to come forward because Group O blood stocks are critically low (below six days) and would like to get their stockpile up to 12 days. So I made an appointment and toddled down.
Unfortunately I forgot to factor in my period. The day of the blood donation would be on Day 3 of it. I haven't donated blood during a period cycle. I usually have light periods, so I still went ahead with the appointment at the blood bank. I always tank up on iron-rich foods three days before a blood donation, and avoid caffeine and alcohol. But I thought that this round I should add on iron tablets. J aided me in my no-alcohol quest for the three days before by having dinner in a restaurant that isn't conducive to having alcohol. Ha! She also supplied me a strip of Maltofer. Yay.
My blood flowed fast and that bag filled up within five minutes, a lot faster than the other donors. Ooof. It kinda hurt towards the end and when it hurt sharply, I actually felt faint. Then I was done. But I knew the vagus nerve was overstimulated and the vasovagal response was kicking in. The room spun, my ears rang, and I felt like puking. So I called for assistance before I completely passed out.
The staff said my face went completely pale and in one swift move, three staff tilted me over (on the chair lah), removed the needle stat, and wrapped puncture site up within seconds. They gave me a cold gel compress behind the neck. I needed that. I was actually warm and breaking out in heavy perspiration.
This is the first time I had a vasovagal response while donating blood. Hmmmm. I guess it could be the period cycle. While blood donors aren't restricted to age, the list of criteria for blood donation is stringent. It does explain why donors in the age group of 16-25 would be ideal. They haven't gotten ill or nothing major has set in. Given the strict requirements and after the COVID-19 vaccines, it has cut out a huge swathe of the population as donors — there're so few of us in the 40s age group who are eligible as donors.
But yes, I gave the full pint of very usable and healthy O- blood. Hurrah. Doing my bit. There, civic duty done. Karma met. Went home to eat dark chocolates and quaff a litre of coconut water. Had a lie-down for a bit, and felt tons better. Went out to The Feather Blade to have an easy and properly done steak for dinner. Made perfect with a big glass of easy shiraz. 😉
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| As of today, Red Cross SG says that our blood stockpile is back up and holding. We gotta keep it that way. We should continue to donate. |
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