Echo reporter gives blood for the first time in Darlington

I walked to Cockerton Club on Thursday, January 26 on a cold rainy night. Once I arrived was given a pint of water to drink and I had to fill in a form regarding my medical history which was simple enough, and some additional information about blood donation.

As this was my first time giving blood, the screening process was longer than it would be for those who give blood regularly.

It’s recommended that people have a snack before giving blood to ensure they don’t feel light-headed afterwards.

The Echo's Aja Dodd moments before she gave blood (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

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Next, a member of staff pricked my finger to check my haemoglobin levels to see if I was anaemic.

My index finger was used first, which was probably the most unpleasant part of the whole experience.

The result came back as inconclusive, so my middle finger was used and the result came back fine.

Then, senior sister, Jennifer O’Brien, from the Teesside mobile blood collection team, went over a few more details regarding long term health conditions but it was agreed my asthma, hypermobility syndrome and chronic pain would have not impact my ability to give blood.

Donor carer Amanda Gaffney talking through some useful, if not funny, exercises to do while giving blood (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

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I was warned that young women are the highest risk of fainting after giving blood, which slightly concerned me.

When I was asked my height and weight I was told I “just scraped through.” I’m 5’2 and 51kg, so it’s worth bearing in mind that if you’re on the lighter side and you’re determined to give blood, you may want to increase your portion sizes a couple of weeks before your appointment.

It was then time to sit in a reclining chair that made me feel as though I was about to undergo dental work.

I chose my left arm as I’m right-handed and luckily, I had a vein that was “ready to go.”

I was given a few muscle tension exercises to do, including; clenching my left wrist to ensure there was a steady flow of blood in my arm, raise my legs and alternating between pointing and flexing my feet, I also had to tense the glutes and quads, something the Echo’s photographer Sarah Caldecott and I found hilarious. All jokes aside, this is to encourage blood from the lower body to move upwards.

Moments before giving blood (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

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A cuff was put on my arm to maintain a small amount of pressure during the donation.

Donor carer Amanda Gaffney then sterilised my forearm and a needle was put in. I could feel a slight scratch but it was very similar to having an injection and luckily I’m not squeamish.

The hard part was over, and I filled a 470ml bag with blood and it took just over five minutes.

Donor carer Amanda Gaffney finds a 'good vein' on Aja's arm (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

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Donor carer supervisor Chris Wilcox then put my chair back to the normal “sitting” position very slowly to reduce any risk of light-headedness and said I should continue doing the exercises for a few minutes.

Fortunately for me I felt right as rain after my appointment, but I was given more water to drink and some shortbread, and was then told to “eat like a pig” that evening and to focus on sweet and salty foods.

Senior sister, Jennifer O’Brien, said: “We’ve had 125 people today and it tends to be a pretty even split between men and women.

“We are trying to encourage young people withing the 17-24 age bracket to come forward.”

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On hearing this I joked that at 25 I was already over the hill regarding blood donation, but I was assured I was very welcome to come back.

The service comes to Cockerton Club twice a month. Other local venues include; Splash in Stockton, Glow Venue Hire in Newton Aycliffe and North Shore Academy in Norton.

Men can give blood once every 12 weeks, and women every 16 weeks, as women are more likely to be iron deficient than men.

I won’t know my blood type for another week or so when I’ll be notified on the NHS Give Blood app, or by post in four to six weeks.

On my way out, donor carer, Amanda Gaffney, said: “Thanks very much, you’ve potentially just saved the lives of three people,” which made me feel pretty good.

Find out more about blood donation at https://www.blood.co.uk/

The needle going in Aja's arm, while the Echo's Sarah Caldecott made her laugh (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

Needle time (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

Donation time was the easiest part of the experience (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

Halfway through the process (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

A bloody good time (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

The process was completely painless (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

The process for most people lasts roughly one hour between arriving and leaving (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

Applying pressure to the area after giving blood (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

Aja feeling very happy with herself after filling a 470ml bag with her blood (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

Aja filled a 470ml bag of blood in just over five minutes (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

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