There’s something about donating blood that always makes me feel like I’m walking into a scene from a vampire movie – albeit one with friendly nurses and free digestive biscuits..
Back in the day, I tried many times to donate, but thanks to a pesky medical condition, I was politely declined each time. One nurse even went so far as to recommend I see my doctor immediately after my iron levels practically waved a little white flag during the screening. After that humiliation, I gave up trying.
Fast forward to the start of COVID. The country was locking down, everyone was feeling useless and patriotic in equal measure, and an appeal went out for blood donors. I thought, "What’s the harm in trying one more time?" To my utter shock, they accepted me! At the time, I joked that standards must have dropped. But since then, I’ve donated many times, borderline on occasion, but always scraping through.
Today was another donation day. The usual finger prick, the drop of blood on a slide, the little machine… BEEP! I jumped. “Is something wrong?” I asked, heart racing. “Not at all,” the nurse smiled. “It’s just saying your levels are perfect.” Perfect? Me? That’s not a word I hear associated with my medical history very often.
I was ushered to my chair – the one marked with a big ‘L’. “Am I a learner?” I quipped. “No,” she laughed, “just your left arm today.” Well, obviously."
In went the needle. The nurse watched the tube. “Whoa,” she said, “you’ve got a very fast flow.” I panicked slightly – fast blood flow sounds like something that might land me in A&E. “Is that good or bad?” I asked. “It’s great. Do you drink a lot of water?” she said. I nodded vaguely, though my ‘5 glasses a day’ is more of a loose ambition than a habit.
Still, it got me thinking: how does water speed up blood donation? Does it flood the bloodstream and create a fast lane? I was pondering this as she whipped the needle out. Done already. My neighbours in the chairs beside me were still chugging away.
“Well done, that was quick!” she said. Honestly, it felt like I’d won a gold star.
But the real win? Realising that my health today, in my ahem more mature years, is better than it was in my twenties. That’s definitely worth raising a glass to… of water, naturally
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