Fifth apheresis at St Johns Medical College ..

My fifth apheresis and my 46th blood donation at St. Johns Medical College Bangalore was carried out on the first of March 2022. Doing this after a conscious gap of 3 months. I went for a simple blood donation but was asked by the hospital authorities whether I would be ready to go for an apheresis. When i said OK confidently, they asked me to wait for some time and started the procedure. 

May be, I think the number of blood donors who are aware of the apheresis procedure is less and this results in less apheresis procedures being done. Being at number fortysix, I am more than excited to be of efficient use to my patients.

Last November I had done 4 apheresis and took a small rest. Also since I had a problem with low back ache, I kept the blood donation aside. Homoeo medicines were a great help.

 

I am still running 86 kg weight. When I go for blood donation, it reaffirms me that I am in good health and shape. Though not obese, I am slightly overweight and am trying best to reduce the weight to about 78 kgs in the near future, as advised by doctors. Hope with more blood donations, my body weight will come down. Otherwise as my senior colleague Prof. AMK Poduval keeps motivating all of us, we are perfectly healthy, fit, safe and sound. 

Dr. Vijayalakshmi at St. Johns was around while I was donating. Her behaviour is really appreciative, so caring, humble and modest, I feel like donating blood again. 

Thanking God for giving me the opportunity to donate blood to the needy cancer patients at St. Johns who are going through a time time of their lives. How lucky we are to be able to work healthy, happy and pursue our chosen profession !

This is how platelets look like ..

Not all hospitals have apheresis machines, St. Johns Bangalore has. Govt Medical College Trivandrum also has one. The proces being more efficient at getting the right blood components, ie. the platelets, plasma or red blood corpuscles, helps in the donation process by reducing the wastage of other blood components. 

The waste generated is high and I was told it costs almost Rs 10,000 to Rs. 14,000 to do a single apheresis and the cost is recovered from the patients or their sponsors. These days doctors are recommending apheresis over just blood donations, which is inefficient. About 300 ml of platelets are taken from each apheresis procedure. 

The Karnataka govt fixed rates for a blood donation, 300-450 ml or pint at Rs 700-950 and Rs 850 for platelets. (click here)

George..