Donating blood is not at the top of most of our to do lists. It has never been even at the bottom of any of mine, but last week when I got a press release on the urgent appeal for blood donations I stopped and thought about it.

I realised I knew very little about giving blood and figured that was probably the case for most people. I then decided it would be worthwhile to donate blood and document the stages - a walk through first-time blood donation.

My idea was that on reading the process many people would be motivated to donate. Nurses in the Bermuda Red Cross Blood Donor Centre were excited at the plan. First, however, I was told to call the Centre on 236-5067 and determine if I was eligible.

The Centre lost 35 percent of its donors when screening for Mad Cow Disease was introduced back in 1997. A member of the American Association of Blood Banks, the local Red Cross Blood Donor Centre follows its rules and guidelines which hold that anyone who might have been exposed to Mad Cow disease either through ingesting infected meat or by direct contact with an infected animal, is at risk of passing on the disease.

I called the centre and was deemed ineligible after the very first question: “Have you ever visited or lived in the UK, Republic of Ireland, or in Europe for a cumulative total of six months or more from 1980 through 1996?” Having gone to college for a year in London in the early eighties, I was easily ruled out. In fact it is this criteria that is most difficult for local residents to pass.

As a reporter I was allowed to continue the project and set out to go through the motions for the sake of you my readers.

Here’s what happens when you decide you would like to donate blood.

1) Call 236-5067. A nurse will ask you seven or eight questions as a pre-clearance for donation. (see screening questions on this page). If you are eligible to donate an appointment is made for you. You are advised to eat and drink plenty of fluids before coming to the appointment. You are also warned that on the day of the appointment you should not do any strenuous exercise.

2) At King Edward VII Memorial Hospital all donors go to the Blood Donor Centre on the first floor. Here an attending nurse welcomes you as a new donor and asks if you have eaten and taken lots of fluids. If you have, your haemoglobin count is taken. To do this a finger prick of blood is placed in a needle and inserted in a haemoglobinometer (machine that measures haemoglobin). You must have a reading over 12 to be eligible to donate. The average reading for men is 15 and 13 for women. I had two readings of 10 and so found myself ineligible to donate yet again.

“This is a safeguard primarily for the donor,” said Dr. Betsie Lombard, consultant haemotologist in the pathology department at KEMH.

“You will need your blood more than we do,” said Donor Centre coordinator Barbara Cooper. “We ask such donors to wait a few months and then call in again. We give them our reminder slip on when to call back.”

Low haemoglobin levels are not uncommon with donors and I was given a handout on iron rich foods and short pep talk on the importance of iron to my overall health. Iron is the mineral necessary in the formation of haemoglobin which carries oxygen throughout the body.

Low iron not only means my tissues and organs may not be getting sufficient oxygen, it also has a role in guarding against colds and influenza.

3) If your haemoglobin level is normal you are taken into the office area where a file card with your personal details is filled out. Attached to the back of this is a list of medications you take. This is important because medications you take may be present in your blood.

4) In the office, the attending nurse will take out a donor kit which consists of a set of stickered numbers, three blood bags, a sample bag, tubing with clamps, two test tubes and a needle guard. The stickered numbers are placed on each of the bags, the needle guard, and the test tubes. This is done to ensure safety, security and confidentiality. The donor’s name is NOT used on the blood.

5) The donor kit and the donor are taken to the donor room and asked to lie on a bed. The collecting blood bag is attached to a rocking machine on the ground. The machine rocks to help prevent the blood from clotting. Rocking helps citrate, which is in the bag, to mix with the drawn blood.

6) Two clamps on the tube leading to the sample bag are opened.

7) Number on the needle guard is checked to ensure it correlates with numbers on the blood bag.

8) You are asked if you are allergic to iodine or alcohol. If you are not the nurse explains that she is scrubbing and putting iodine on the area to avoid infection.

9) Tubing is taped to your arm.

10) A needle is placed in the end of the tubing just in front of the needle guard.

11) Forceps clamp the tubing.

12) A soft ball is placed in your palm.

13) The needle is inserted in a vein in the inside elbow area.

14) As blood starts to flow the forceps are released.

15) Blood flows into the sample bag. When blood reaches a certain level in the sample bag, clamps on its tubing are closed.

16) The barrier in tubing to the collection bag is broken and blood drains into the collection bag.

17) The tourniquet on the arm is released and you are advised to squeeze the ball in your palm.

18) The nurse holds the tubing and by doing so is checking that it is warm and free flowing. If you have not taken in sufficient liquids the blood may flow at a slow rate.

19) A red light and a ‘ping’ sound from the ground machine indicate that sufficient blood has been drawn.

20) The time is noted on the collection bag.

21) The main collecting tube is clamped and the needle pulled out slowly.

22) Gauze is applied over the area and pressure applied. You are advised to hold your arm over your head for a short time.

23) The nurse asks how you are feeling and encourages you to sit up slowly. “We have them lean back on the wall at first as a precaution. Then gently sit up fully,” said unit nurse Sue de Verteuil.

24) You are then led to a refreshment room where there are cookies and drinks. There are water, coffee, teas, cranberry, orange and apple juices. You are encouraged to stay for at least half an hour and advised to drink.

25) You are thanked for your donation, given an email slip to fill out and as a first time donator can expect a call later in the day to see how you are feeling. You are also advised to contact the office if you have any questions or problems or if it is after hours, to go to the Emergency Department.