My second apheresis at St. Johns Hospital, Bangalore.

On 30 September 2021, I made a call to Dr. Sitalakshmi, in charge of the St Johns Blood transfusion service, but could not contact her. Later she called me back to ask whether I was ready to donate platelets for a pregnant patient. I readily agreed. She had called me a week earlier (two weeks after my previous apheresis) but I was busy with classes and could not bunk from work.

 

On 31 September , I reached St Johns blood bank at 8.45 am. The two hour process started  at 9.15 and was over by 11.15 am. After taking 10 minutes rest and a fruit juice, I walked almost a km to State Bank of India branch in Industrial area in Koramangala for some banking related work. Perfectly fit.

The platelets help in blood clotting. This time about 100 ml, 3 x 10 ^^11 in number was collected and given for a pregnant lady who was suffering from excessive bleeding in the hospital. I wish the donation becomes useful for her.

Platelets, or thrombocytes, are small, colorless cell fragments in our blood that form clots and stop or prevent bleeding. Platelets are made in our bone marrow, the sponge-like tissue inside our bones. Bone marrow contains stem cells that develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. -www.redcrossblood.org

Platelets are tiny blood cells that help your body form clots to stop bleeding. If one of your blood vessels gets damaged, it sends out signals to the platelets. The platelets then rush to the site of damage and form a plug (clot) to fix the damage. -                 www.urmc.rochester.edu

 

Thrombocytopenia (low platelets count) signs and symptoms:

• Easy or excessive bruising (purpura)
• Superficial bleeding into the skin that appears as a rash of pinpoint-sized reddish-purple spots (petechiae), usually on the lower legs.
• Prolonged bleeding from cuts.
• Bleeding from your gums or nose.
• Blood in urine or stools.        - www,mayoclinic.org
  

Low platelet count is symbolic of Leukaemia. Platelets usually survive in the blood for 7 - 10 days and die naturally. 

What is a healthy platelet count - A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Having more than 450,000 platelets is a condition called thrombocytosis; having less than 150,000 is known as thrombocytopenia.  www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Here is a good link on blood and its constituents from the Uty of Oklahoma Health Sciences Centre, click here.

Life makes meaning when we give, not when we amass for ourselves .. When I tell others about blood donation and apheresis, I get mixed reactions from people.  Most of them are appreciative, but a bit cautious. Some of them raise concerns of hygienic blood transfusion services, while others find it bothersome to go to a blood bank, stand in queue and spend half an hour for humanity. But generally on the whole the response is positive and appreciative.

After blood donation with the knowledge that it is going to help at least three or four needy patients, there is a great feeling of having done something for fellow human beings without any hope of returns. Before the process, one is given two Calcium tablets and after the process, a can of fruit juice. 

 

With no tiredness and no lethargy, blood donation opens an infinite resource of positivity and optimism in your mind and body, helping everybody in your contact to bubble with zeal, confidence and energy. Ever since I started this process from the Govt. Medical College, Trivandrum, Kerala in 1984, there has been no looking back. We also have a great committed blood donation team at St. Johns hospital with whom I have become friends, Dr. Sitalakshmi and Dr. Ashley, especially after my forty third donation.

 

George

An Amazon Echo dot for Dayabhavan orphanage

After our visit to Dayabhavan two weeks back, Anila and myself decided to give an Amazon echo dot (gen 3.0) to Dayabhavan at Kunigal, Tumkur. Dayabhavan is an orphanage run by Malankara Orthodox Syrian church in Kunigal, Tumkur, Karnataka, India with 70 boys, non-HIV infected of HIV parents. 

Amazon echo dot is an Artificial Intelligence enabled voice controlled smart speaker with excellent audio reproduction capabilities.

The Amazon Echo Dot is a voice-controlled smart speaker that uses an artificially intelligent personal assistant named Alexa to perform a broad range of activities. Alexa can play music, set alarms, control other "smart" devices in the home, play games, and answer questions by searching for information on the internet, just to name a few of its many skills - www.businessinsider.com

Day before yesterday Friday 11 Sept, Father Jinesh called me to say the product has been delivered by Amazon.  The same day evening they have finished configuring the system to their wi-fi network. The echo dot has been kept in the front visitor's room and is accessible to the inmates, the staff and visitors alike.

The purpose of donating an echo dot has been thought out very much. There are many intelligent and curious kids among the inmates at Dayabhavan. We are hopeful that the product will instill an interest in some of the children to follow a degree and profession in computer science and Artificial Intelligence. 

Kids will be able to dream of the infinite possibilities open in life in front of them only when they see the real life product. Hope this small gift from our side will motivate the kids to think of Industry 4.0 and beyond.

 

Tracking Amazon echo or Google Home, who is leading (click here) ? 

Start working with Alexa, the Amazon AI (click here) ..

George.

UN's conniving inaction in Afghanistan

United Nations should have assisted the Afghan govt when US left or taken temporary charge of the administration.  That is the purpose of UN in conflict ridden places of the world. 

UN has a lot of questions to answer in this issue..

1. Does UN want to destroy Afghanistan ? 

2. Does US favour a weak Afghan govt ?  

3. Is UN with the oi-rich enemy-of-humanity Qatar in destroying Afghanistan ? 

4. Why did UN Sec Gen Antonio Gutteres remain silent and inactive in this case ?

5. Why did UN ditch the Afghan govt and people in this time of crisis and allow enemies of humanity like Pakistan and Qatar play a destabilizing role in Afghanistan ?

Answers please, Antonnio .. 😟😟

This question was raised by my daughter yesterday when we were having a discussion at home on global issues .. 😟

A destabilized Afghanistan means a disturbed Asia. A disturbed Asia means a silent and inactive China and India, which means a golden opportunity for US to play the Good Samaritan and establish yet again its dominance of the world.

George 

An apheresis procedure at St. Johns hospital, Bangalore

I had the good opportunity of going through a voluntary 2 hour apheresis procedure on Saturday 4 Sept '21 morning to separate platelets for a cancer patient in St. Johns hospital, Bangalore.

Apheresis is a medical procedure that involves removing whole blood from a donor or patient and separating the blood into individual components so that one particular component can be removed. The remaining blood components then are re-introduced back into the bloodstream of the patient or donor. 

 

Platelets, one of the 4 components of blood, (about 3 x 10^^11 was collected), is a yellowish thick liquid separated from our blood,, about 50 - 100 ml, given to critical / terminal cancer and leukaemia patients. 

Human blood contains platelets 45% and plasma 55% by volume, platelets helps the blood to clot and prevent blood loss. 

The monitor gives progressive info

Actually I went for blood transfusion, but since my last transfusion was just 2.5 months back, they suggested instead an apheresis procedure.

A young doctor there explained to me the procedure well and uncle google also was helpful, I agreed. I was told it is a really harmless procedure, I can do apheresis, every two weeks, if I want to. This time only platelets, next time could be only plasma etc. By this, more people can donate the diff blood components. Though this was my 42nd blood donation, this was my first experience at apheresis and it was cool ..

A very safe procedure, an approximate count of platelets taken was mentioned, 3 x 10 to the power 11, (300 billion or 300,000,000,000 platelets .. ). The procedure app took 45 minutes, totally 2 hours pre-harvesting and post-harvesting in an a/c room under watchful eyes. 

Having had a good breakfast, I was given two Calcium tablets before and one orange juice packet after the procedure. I am perfectly fine after the procedure, healthy and active, no hangovers at all.

If you want to touch the past, touch a rock.  If you want to touch the present, touch a flower.  If you want to touch the future, touch a life.” – Author Unknown

Thanking Almighty God for giving an opportunity to serve society, hope this will motivate others to continue give back to society ..  🙏🙏

An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching - Mahatma Gandhi

George