Blood donation in Stockholm is so different from my experience in Malaysia. It is so thorough and structured.
The first step is to register myself in the Blood Donation Centre. A nurse will take a blood sample (a prick on my finger) and have the sample tested if I have any diseases such as HIV. Thee are a list of diseases that they test for. In addition to that, I have to fill up a questionnaire with very thorough questions on my health condition. Since I am from Malaysia, they were very cautious about it as Malaysia is a malaria-risk country. They asked if I have been to Taman Negara (Malaysia's National Park) or when was the last time I visited my home country. These were done in November 2019. In mid-February 2020, I got an email that I am able to give blood. Yay!
In Malaysia, the nurses take a blood sample to identify your blood type and you can give blood on the spot. There are of course, certain rules to adhere prior to giving blood for e.g. if you are aware that you have any disease that prohibits from giving blood, then you cannot give blood, need to have sufficient sleep, weigh a certain weight, not in a same-sex relationship and some others which I cannot remember. The last time I gave blood was during my college years.
Today, I made my way towards a Blood Donation Centre located in Odenplan. There are 3 centers in Stockholm, and they are all located strategically close or in the train station. I took the lift towards the 6th floor. The sticker on the 6 button says - Thank you for giving blood.
As soon as you step in, you need to sign in by filling in your ID number and a health declaration (the same questions I answered when I registered in November 2019). One needs to fill this each time before they give blood. Then, you sign electronically on the touch pad.
The centre is spacious. I like their cushions. I was informed to take a small packet of juice from the mini refrigerator to hydrate myself. Soon, my name was called.
This blood donation center has a weekly target set - blood donation, plasma donation and new blood donors. In plasma donation, you give blood but the machine takes out the plasma out and your blood goes through a sterilised machine and back to your body.
I got to drink another juice while donating blood. They asked if I would like to eat before giving blood. I said no because I thought that we cannot (as how it is done in Malaysia in my last donation). The nurse said that it is alright. You can do either. I declined and said that I will eat after the donation.
I got a warm pillow to hold to smooth my blood flow as my fingers were cold. I got 2 warm pillows, in fact, and a ball to squeeze. Haha! Shows how slow my blood flow is.
I donated from my left hand, as the nurse said my vein on the left hand is more prominent. Usually, I donate with my right hand because that works the most and I thought that the blood will flow faster. Anyway, my red blood value is 128. For females, the recommended value is 125. Yay to that! A man next to me has 137. It took me 11 minutes to donate 450ml of blood. The nurse explained that one of the blood bags which is smaller will be sent to the Infectious Disease Control in Huddinge to check if my blood is free from disease. My blood will then be separated to 3 different bags - red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma which can be used for 3 persons. During my blood donation, the machine beeped twice as my blood flow went below 20. Haha! So, I squeezed the ball immediately and it went to 45. The nurses came to my bed and asked if everything is alright.
After blood donation, we can either take fika (sandwiches or muffins with coffee or tea) or a meal. If one chooses the meal, you cannot get a present. I went - WHAT! You get presents too!! The meal for that day was lasagna.
I took a sandwich, muffin and a cup of coffee. I was also given iron tablets to replace my lost iron of 225mg. 20 iron tablets are equivalent to 2000mg of iron (as much as 10kg of blood pudding) but since our body can only absorb 10-20% of iron, we get that amount of tablets. Initially, I was given 20 tablets and I asked if I could get lesser. I don't eat tablets after blood donation in Malaysia. The nurse gave me 10 and I asked if I could get 3 instead, and I was denied that.
Then, I saw the gift section - mugs, glasses, plates, teddy bear, candle holder, cushion, hand cream. Gosh, I thought the food was generous enough. In Malaysia, I get a muffin or a drink, or I buy my own food. That is so much appreciation they give to blood donors.
It is so hard to decide what to choose and I do not want to accumulate so much stuff in the house. Finally, I decided to give away a teddy bear to Astrid Lindgren Children Hospital.
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