Do you donate blood?

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  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
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    Im not allowed because I have had transfusions myself... but thank you to those of you who do donate! I wish I could personally thank the people that donated blood to me because they saved my life. :)
  • vaderandbill
    vaderandbill Posts: 1,063 Member
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    I donate as often as possible and there isn't anything I dislike about it other than having to wait a year after a tattoo
  • nas24
    nas24 Posts: 880 Member
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    I do ,but i haven't in a while, for some reason
  • devonette
    devonette Posts: 263 Member
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    I used to give twice a year until about 15 years ago, and then there wasn't enough iron in my blood for them to take it. Every so often I try again, thinking something will have changed (I even did what they suggested by boosting my iron intake for a few days befoe, but still never enough iron.
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
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    I donate whenever I can. I feel like there is no excuse to do something so easy and actually save lives! I have a crippling fear of needles, so that's obviously the worst part. I've definitely cried multiple times before they put the needle in (anticipation is the worst). I haven't been able to recently due to either weight, anemia or a slight temperature. But when I can, I always do!
  • CarolinaGirlinVA
    CarolinaGirlinVA Posts: 1,512 Member
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    I wish I could, I have received blood twice in my life and would like to pay it forward. Unfortunately, I am anemic and have a low immune system. I have been tested numerous times for autoimmune disorders, but the test says negative.
  • NinjaChickie
    NinjaChickie Posts: 118 Member
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    I wish I could because my mom needed a transfusion a few years back and I wanted to help out, but there's a law (rule?) in Canada that if you lived in Europe for so many consecutive years after 1980 you can't donate... and because I lived there until 1996, I'm out. Something about mad cow disease.

    So thank you to all of you who do donate!. :flowerforyou:
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    Haven't been able to....

    Apparently, there's a one-year waiting period after getting tattooed. At the rate I'm inking, I'll never make the cut :laugh:
    This actually depends on the state where you were tattooed. If it's a state that regulates their tattoo shops, you don't have to wait.
  • samf36
    samf36 Posts: 369 Member
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    Please remember if you don't qualify it is not because someone is out to get you or dislike you because of lifestyle choices it is all about the health and safety of the RECIPIENT not the feeling of the making the donation. We need to insure a safe blood/plasma system. In the past we had a very unsafe supply and still there are times when "Bad Blood" slips through. I am very passionate about insuring we have a safe supply because my family relies on a safe supply for our very lives. There is 30 thousand units of purified, dried blood product sitting in my fridge right now. Is it safe? I have no idea but we are tested at least once a year for hiv and hep.
    If you have time there is a good documentary netflix "Bad Blood a cautionary tale"
    http://badblooddocumentary.com/
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    I used to donate quite often, but not anymore. I have a 0- blood type, so I am the universal blood donor.
    Here you are allowed to donate every 56 days, and the canadian red cross called right away when my 56 days were up and they were really pushy and made me fill like **** if I didn't have time to go or just didn't want to go that often.
    They kept pushing me even when I was breastfeeding, and as a result became severely anaemic.
    It took me a year to recover from it...
    My GP actually told me that I have never should have donated during breastfeeding, and I did like 6 times.
    Well, lesson learnt, I will not donating until I have done with all babies, breastfeeding etc. Plus even after that I'll never donate more then 4 times a year maybe even less.
  • samf36
    samf36 Posts: 369 Member
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    I wish I could because my mom needed a transfusion a few years back and I wanted to help out, but there's a law (rule?) in Canada that if you lived in Europe for so many consecutive years after 1980 you can't donate... and because I lived there until 1996, I'm out. Something about mad cow disease.

    So thank you to all of you who do donate!. :flowerforyou:

    It is all about prions and how they are not sure if you could pass them on in blood product. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) it is called and you should read up on it. Very interesting.
    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs180/en/
  • KrisyKat
    KrisyKat Posts: 749 Member
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    Haven't been able to....

    Apparently, there's a one-year waiting period after getting tattooed. At the rate I'm inking, I'll never make the cut :laugh:
    This actually depends on the state where you were tattooed. If it's a state that regulates their tattoo shops, you don't have to wait.

    Our state (Hawaii) regulates the tattoo shops here, but I was still turned away :huh: WTF??
  • vade43113
    vade43113 Posts: 836 Member
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    I want to, but keep forgetting to sign up... and the blood bank here will not take walk ins.... evil people...:grumble:
  • vade43113
    vade43113 Posts: 836 Member
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    Haven't been able to....

    Apparently, there's a one-year waiting period after getting tattooed. At the rate I'm inking, I'll never make the cut :laugh:
    This actually depends on the state where you were tattooed. If it's a state that regulates their tattoo shops, you don't have to wait.

    Our state (Hawaii) regulates the tattoo shops here, but I was still turned away :huh: WTF??

    Your normally turned away, for risk of infection. Even if it is from a state regulated one, the red cross don't want to say yes to one person and no to another.... so ether way, most still say one year wait time... it is more up to the red cross chapters and the health laws in the state
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    Haven't been able to....

    Apparently, there's a one-year waiting period after getting tattooed. At the rate I'm inking, I'll never make the cut :laugh:
    This actually depends on the state where you were tattooed. If it's a state that regulates their tattoo shops, you don't have to wait.

    Our state (Hawaii) regulates the tattoo shops here, but I was still turned away :huh: WTF??
    Hmm I can't speak for Hawaii. Maybe you could call the local Red Cross and ask them about it?
  • WickedGarden
    WickedGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    no, I would be one of those people that they would call ALL the time to donate (I'm O+), and every single time I have to get an IV placed, they blow my veins...EVERY time.

    if they promised to not harass me to donate, I may be more inclined to donate.
  • KrisyKat
    KrisyKat Posts: 749 Member
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    Haven't been able to....

    Apparently, there's a one-year waiting period after getting tattooed. At the rate I'm inking, I'll never make the cut :laugh:
    This actually depends on the state where you were tattooed. If it's a state that regulates their tattoo shops, you don't have to wait.

    Our state (Hawaii) regulates the tattoo shops here, but I was still turned away :huh: WTF??
    Hmm I can't speak for Hawaii. Maybe you could call the local Red Cross and ask them about it?

    10-4 Rubber ducky!! :wink:
  • tat2dmrsgrimm
    tat2dmrsgrimm Posts: 226 Member
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    Sadly, I am on indefinite deferral. The red cross has some issue with they fact that I lived in Scotland and ate british beef for 4 years in the early 80s during the big mad cow disease thing. One would THINK the fact that I was 4 when we moved back to the states and I am now 30 and I still do not Moo would clear me. :laugh:
  • tat2dmrsgrimm
    tat2dmrsgrimm Posts: 226 Member
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    I wish I could because my mom needed a transfusion a few years back and I wanted to help out, but there's a law (rule?) in Canada that if you lived in Europe for so many consecutive years after 1980 you can't donate... and because I lived there until 1996, I'm out. Something about mad cow disease.

    So thank you to all of you who do donate!. :flowerforyou:

    It is all about prions and how they are not sure if you could pass them on in blood product. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) it is called and you should read up on it. Very interesting.
    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs180/en/

    Me too mee too! I do not MOO!!!
  • EricNCSU
    EricNCSU Posts: 699 Member
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    It's been a while since I donated and I need to get back into the habit of doing it. Since I'm a bigger guy (although almost 100 pounds smaller now)... they always ask me to do double platlets and I'm always willing but then my iron is too low. I wonder if I've gotten my iron up with my healthier eating habits.

    The only bad thing, is now that I work out 6 days a week, and I know you need time to recover after when do I donate? I'd have to skip a workout day most likely. The local YMCA had a drive lately but it was in the middle of the day from like 10AM - 2 PM on a thursday which is no good for those of us that work.

    I get calls and postcards all the time (I'm O+). I need to donate again, it's been a while.

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