Sunday, April 09, 2006

Blood Donation

Blood Donation

I went for my first blood donation today.
It was my brother's will. He has been persuading me to go for the past few months. Yeah, and now he gets what he wanted. =)
This morning after my tuition class with ce xiang, we took a heavy meal and rushed to the HSA. Brother goat nearly crahed into the Taxi on the expressway which stopped in front of him.

Reached there at around 1450, the place was flooded with people - not the same as I supposed it to be. Hmm. I thought it could be deserted. Didn't know there were so much kind soul in Singapore.

I was so blur at the place. I mean real blur. Brother Goat asked me to pack up a form myself while he parks the car. So I went in alone, loithered for a few sentence and picked up a form that was on a stack on forms on the information counter. The moment I did that, I realised that it was the a filled up form by other donators. OOPPSSS>...it placed it back. A guy stared at me. Sort of embarrassed.

Hmm. Then BOther Goat came in so happily and mummy called to see whether I was there. I handed in the form and sat there and waited.

"Lai Hui Yan", the lady at the counter shouted.
Is my handwriting that bad? Nevermindm at least I know it's me.
Handed in my IC, sat down, stood up and took back my IC. Does they have a better system then this? I began to wonder.

"Lau HUi YAn", an INdian guy shouted. Better this time. At least, he was the doctor I supposed. He asked me stupid questions.
"You know what is AIDS? HOw is spreaded? Have you taken any medication? DO you have sex with your boyfriend for the past months?"
I smiled at the last question and he looked up at me. "you do?" he asked. Well, it's a definite no. My smile widened.

Next stop- COUNTER 5.
THere was this guy who sitting there. I glanced around like a lost goat again. Decide to sit down with my form in my hand before a nurse called me to place the paper into a basket on counter 5. I did as followed. Sat down. Felt real bored. Stood up and went to took my bag -- and my brother followed me to the seats at counter 5.

"Ms LAu.."
"Yup." I went towards the nurse. Hmm. She poked my finger. Squeeze and squeeze the blood out of the tiny fourth finger of mine into a thin capillary tube.
That was pain. Yet, interesting, she just needed a drop of blood which she later descended it into a beaker of copper sulphate solution that is already filled with haemoglobin.
JUst wondering what is she doing?

Yeah, then I went into blood donation group. THe chair was huge and seemed comfortable. Chose one empty chair between two person and rolled in. Hmm. Rolled in.
Sat there and I was being neglected for quite a long time before I was being served.

My hand was cold then- I think It was due to the air-conditioning, although Brother GOat might argue that it was due to fear.
The yellow- coated nurse placed tightened my forearm with a 'cover', started tapping my arm and rubbing my arm with some yellow anticeptic solution.
Yup, then she went off. Any nurse came and gave me the first 'ject'. I got a feeling of ant biting me and it all went numb.
Anyother large needle was inserted into me and my blood was pump into five different tubes before it was connected into the blood donation 'packet'.
Haha. The packet lie on a scale which move up and down, up and down.
I looked at it with amusement. Like a baby being so curious about stuffs.

I saw the packet getting bigger and bigger. THat's my blood! =)
I saw my blood win such a large quantity for the first time.

WOW! it then all ended. Went for some refreshment.
Went to money changer to change some swiss franc for my brother and brought two CD.
Off home.
=)