The blood(y) process.

I had the opportunity to ask the lab technician about the process of getting replacement blood while she was extracting blood samples from me on Tuesday morning.

She told me that after my blood is taken, it will be blood-typed and the staff at the medical lab will look for a suitable blood for me from various sources. I asked if I still need to look for a donor to replace the blood, she said no. She told me that there is an agreement with the bloodbank at DOH and RITM that replacement blood for HIV patients will be for free, and there is no need to replace them. Cool, another freebi! She said all we need to do is to wait for the lab to finish blood typing and if a suitable blood is available at the bloodbank, they will make a request and ask my parents to pick blood 'segments' from DOH Tayuman. The blood segments are basically a sample of the replacement blood stored in the bloodbank and it needs to be matched with my own blood before the entire bag is taken. So although the blood is free, acquiring it is tedious because my parents will have to make two trips from Alabang to Tayuman.

I explained this to my parents, and although free blood is more than welcome, it did prompt another question. Why is my blood free, while other patients they talked to at the hospital told them they bought theirs? I tried to evade the question by saying I don't know.

It's another waiting game on Tuesday afternoon and my parents got bored, so they left and went to nearby Festval Mall for a stroll. I can't blame them, there was nothing to do in my room, and we didn't know when the request will be available.

At 6pm, the nurse informed me that the lab has found a suitable blood for me, and my parents need to pick it up as soon as possible, before 10pm. I quickly called my parents and they were back in half an hour. After my dad got the request, I told him that a nurse informed me we can use the ambulance to transport the blood segment if the ambulance and a driver is available. So my dad asked the nurse station if it was possible. Out of good fortune, the ambulance was available and they agreed to help us transport the segments provided we fill the tank.

At 7:30pm, the ambulance left the hospital with my parents to get the blood segments at DOH in Tayuman. The ambulance was back before midnight, without my parents though. They decided to head back home and return the following morning. The blood segments were handed over to the medical lab to confirm if it is a match for me, and I will be informed as soon as possible if it is.

Meanwhile, I was transferred to a new room -- a much smaller room, with a single bed, with electric fan and its own comfort room.

Again, I slept alone.

(To be continued.)