The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect - cape-wearing
vampires perhaps?
After a series of questions about my age, health and overall general well-being, they told me that I am a perfect Plasma Donor candidate.
That meant however, they could not take my donation at the mobile unit as it requires a specialised machine and that I should make an
appointment at a Life Blood Centre to donate my plasma.
After a couple of weeks, I made my first appointment quickly followed by two more donations through to the end of 2019.
I had booked another donation appointment however on the 11th of February 2020 I contracted Ramsay-Hunt
Syndrome
- a severe shingles infection in the middle ear.
I had to cancel my donation appointment along with everything else in my life at the time.
Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome causes extreme pain, deafness and tinnitus and of course, facial paralysis. My face drooped and I looked like a stroke victim as well as being unable to blink, eat properly or even speak clearly.
Turns out some time later a Canadian guy named Justin Beiber contracted the same thing. Don’t know why
HE made the news, my infection was worse than his!
It also meant I could not donate plasma until the infection settled.
Turns out, it wasn’t such a huge deal because twelve days later on the 23rd of February 2020, the Prime Minster announced the first
nationwide lockdown for the COVID Pandemic.
We all remember THAT time stuck at home watching Gladys on the TV at 11am giving us an update while we were guessing
what was really happening in the world by the colour of the jacket she was wearing that day!
Recovery from Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome was a very long, very slow process using antiviral medication and steroids.
I still could not donate Plasma due to the steroids I was taking even after the COVID lockdowns were
lifted.
Fast-forward to 2024, my recovery is complete and I am stable and managing well. So I called Life
Blood
and made another appointment and started donating Plasma again.
The staff at Life Blood are truly amazing. They make the whole process as comfortable and easy
as possible. One needle in the arm and the machine takes over… and not a vampire in sight.
Plasma Donation takes around an hour and a bit, a little longer than a regular blood donation and it is easy. You just lay back in the recliner and squeeze the little foam thingy to keep the blood circulating.
The best part of the donation process is the chocolate malt milk shake they give you afterwards. And
the chocolate Freddos, meat pies, sausage rolls, raisin toast, cheese & crackers and a whole host of other snacks.
I did ask for a vodka soda with lime, but I’m still waiting for that.
There’s enough time left this year to make another donation which I will do before Christmas.
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