I'm pink. Not as brightly coloured as the animated panther nor as vibrant as a flamingo. Just a natural, human, pink. I hadn't realised just how ashen I had come to look lately until I looked in the mirror this evening but there's been a definite change. Today was blood transfusion day.

As with many things in my life at the moment this was a first and for those that have not had the experience of a blood transfusion I can liken it most to long haul air travel.

The aim of the transfusion was to repopulate my blood with a decent quantity of red blood cells. Their prime purpose: carrying oxygen. Whilst the transfusion does nothing towards curing my disease if I am going to withstand the treatment ahead of me then I need to be as well as possible in every other respect and this was a step in that process.

Checking in was a relatively simple process and my hand luggage contained the same ingredients it would have done if I was getting onto a plane: iPod; magazines; a book. Having made my way to my seat - one of two available in a room at the end of a Day Surgery ward - I settled in for the six hour ride ahead of me.

The journey began with a needle being inserted into my arm. This took two attempts whilst the doctor got to grips with a curvy vein and my, apparently, firm skin. Once she had found a straight line to go in though we were all set. The "scratch" is no worse than a standard blood test and no sooner was it in than the needle was replaced with a thin plastic tube. Once done I was left with what was essentially a small plastic tap taped to my arm.

As yet the blood had not arrived so to keep the tube open a syringe of saline solution was injected into the tap.

Imagine if you will putting your hand into snow. The feeling of cold on your skin slowly ebbing into the flesh of your hand. This saline injection was much the same only inside out. A feeling of cold but inside my hand whilst the outside remained warm. Quite, quite weird!

As I was still contemplating this somewhat odd sensation a bag of blood arrived and was quickly hooked to a drip stand and plugged into the new plumbing in my wrist. Having thought the saline a strange experience this, my first use of someone else's blood, seemed even more bizarre. Physically my whole arm began to feel warm and yet cold at the same time. It is not a painful experience or even necessarily unpleasant but you cannot help feel an awareness that something new is slowly swilling around your arm and into the rest of your body.

By the time I had exhausted my first bag my arm had recovered from the surprise nature of it all and the day continued as it would have done if I were on a flight: I was periodically asked if I wanted tea or coffee; lunch came in a small box; some of it was edible; the chair I was in became marginally uncomfortable; and I began to tire of the reading material I had brought with me. Only occasional flurries of activity on the main ward distracted from the mind numbing tedium of it all.

I had no choice but to reach into my luggage and fish out my iPod. After all I still had two more bags to go!