post-blood donation neuropraxia

last thursday, i went for my 15th blood donation. thank god, my heamoglobin level was 14 g/dL which way soooooo good for blood donation. (~_^) happy!

so i asked the nurse to take the blood from my left arm since i'm a right handed person. well, i noticed that the vein was not so good. maybe because of repeatativly been punctured for blood donation for the past 4 years.

the nurse introduced the neddle to my veins and then.....i experienced shooting pain. it was like having a mild electric current passing through ur arm. so, i told the nurse that she was hitting my nerve. she drawed a bit and then tried again for the second time. and again....there was a shooting pain. however, the blood was coming out so i just ignored it.

well, the whole process, i was so worried about my left hand. all become numbs especially at my left thumb area. i told the doctor, and he thought that it just because of the hematoma compressing the nerve. so, after the donation, i put some ice to reduce the pain and also the swelling. then...everything seem to be ok.

the next day, while i was washing my clothes...i felt that shooting pain again. and it become worsen and increase in frequency throughout the day. it disturbed my day, and i've become moody the whole day.

saturday....my on call day. while get ready to go to the ward, i felt numbness over the dorsal part of my left hand (between my thumb and index finger). tinnel sign was positive. and that time, i knew that, that nurse hit my radial nerve and i'm having neuropraxia.

today, there's still numbness. not improving. but it just sensory numbness. so nothing to worry about. i hope it will be dissappeared within this 1 week.

when u read this post, dont be scared to donate your blood. there is a small chances that u will be having this kind of complication. besides, this is my 15th attemp to donate my blood. and i never had any complication before except pain.

well, if u r around the hospital, u might think donating blood is not important. i saw so many patients that their life was supported from other's blood. especially in thalasemia patient that need blood tranfusion 2-3 times per month.

so, to whom that never try to donate blood, better try once. if u cant go with it, then stop. but just remember, the patient that receive your blood will use it for 3-4 months. just count how many 'pahala' that u will get from each red blood cells and every second they use it.

i dont count it but i take donating blood as part of my responsibility to help other. cause i dont have a lot of money to give to the poor, so i give my blood to the people in need. and i think it is same.

so, lets go and donate some of our blood.

p/s: noddy and nurul, walaupun aku tau korg nk donate and slalu fail sbb low heamoglobin level, dont give up k. mkn byk2 and when both of u r ready, bring me together to blood bank. i miss that half boiled eggs. hehe