Do you donate blood?

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Replies

  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I try to! The past 2 or 3 times I've gone my iron count has been too low. So I get the "thanks but no thanks"

    I'm B- so I am very thankful for all that can and do donate!!

    Some people struggle with iron. Women, particularly so. You might want to look into raising that number, because it might help with your health overall as well (iron is a vital component in red blood cells, and a chronic lack of it can affect your blood's ability to transport oxygen).

    Eggs (with the yolks intact) are a great source of iron, as are beans, nuts, and red meat. You'll have a much more effective absorption of iron if you have a little vitamin C at the same time.

    So for a couple of days before donation, have a small helping of steak-and-eggs for breakfast with a small glass of orange juice. :)
  • RoseRoiz
    RoseRoiz Posts: 95
    I would love to however , when I went to donate they told me I do not weight enough!!
  • Boonster001
    Boonster001 Posts: 62
    I used to donate, but now they have the rule that if you lived in Europe for more than 6 months during certain times - you are not eligible. Some day maybe they will allow it again, it is so important.

    For all of you that donate - thank you! You are all amazing!
  • BGabbart
    BGabbart Posts: 173 Member
    I give everytime my time comes around. I am 0- so they love it when I give. I love the feeling of knowing I am helping someone. I also hate the finger stick but it has gotten better.
  • proudtexan71
    proudtexan71 Posts: 203 Member
    Yep, 4 times a year.
  • avafrisbee
    avafrisbee Posts: 234 Member
    I'm not allowed to donate anymore. The last time I went I felt fine, until I stood up. I lost all sense of balance and coordination and fell back into the chair. The nurse called all medical staff over. I had 3 nurses and 2 doctors around me. I still to this day (that was about 8 years ago) do not know what happened. They just kept telling me not to close my eyes to keep my eyes open. One doctor kept saying things like let me see your eyes, oh, blue very nice, oh let me see it looks like you have bits of brown and green too, let me take another look. I don't remember anything except for everyone telling me to keep my eyes open between the time I fell back into the chair and some time later when I remember sitting at a table with loads of ritz crackers and cheese and grape juice and a nurse telling me to eat and drink more.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Nope. Gays can't donate blood here...

    ... coupled with a SEVERE fear of needles. I get huge panic attacks and just could never will myself to deliberately have myself stabbed with a needle unless absolutely necessary.

    If these two things didn't apply, I would most certainly donate.
  • thetrishwarp
    thetrishwarp Posts: 838 Member
    I donate as regularly as I can. I had a low iron issue, and now I have to wait until July because of the grace period after getting a piercing. Since I don't have a problem with needles or anything, and I'm O-, I might as well!

    Also, I'm pretty vain, so I'd rather donate my blood than my hair. IMO, blood saves lives, wigs don't..
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    Not yet, but I always say I am going to!
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,849 Member
    I try to! The past 2 or 3 times I've gone my iron count has been too low. So I get the "thanks but no thanks"

    I'm B- so I am very thankful for all that can and do donate!!

    Some people struggle with iron. Women, particularly so. You might want to look into raising that number, because it might help with your health overall as well (iron is a vital component in red blood cells, and a chronic lack of it can affect your blood's ability to transport oxygen).

    Eggs (with the yolks intact) are a great source of iron, as are beans, nuts, and red meat. You'll have a much more effective absorption of iron if you have a little vitamin C at the same time.

    So for a couple of days before donation, have a small helping of steak-and-eggs for breakfast with a small glass of orange juice. :)

    I kept getting deferred. Now I take a multi-vitamin as well as an iron supplement and haven't been deferred since. I've questioned and researched getting too much iron but have not come anywhere close to being in danger of it. This is something I went out of my way to do to donate, with the added side effect of feeling a bit more alert. :smile:
  • _firebolt
    _firebolt Posts: 2
    I've donated four times and have passed out and/or felt woozy after every time. They've got the blood, all cleaned up and ready to be done, and I'm out. They don't tell me not to give blood, but now since I've lost weight, I'm under the amount and can't.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I used to donate platelets a LOT (in fact, I have donated at least 76 times over the last 14 years). But after my last pregnancy I developed an antibody of some sort that can cause a life threatening reaction in some rare cases (it can happen after pregnancies) so I'm not allowed to donate anything now :sad:

    My favorite part was knowing I was helping somebody, especially since the place I donated serviced a major children's hospital and a major cancer center here.
    My least favorite part became the needle stick. That many donations have built up a bit of scar tissue and sometimes it was no fun pushing past it (the other veins in the arm, and in the other arm, didn't do well with the "rinseback" that is part of a platelet donation).
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,849 Member
    I donate as regularly as I can. I had a low iron issue, and now I have to wait until July because of the grace period after getting a piercing. Since I don't have a problem with needles or anything, and I'm O-, I might as well!

    Also, I'm pretty vain, so I'd rather donate my blood than my hair. IMO, blood saves lives, wigs don't..

    I'm currently growing out my hair to donate it. While it doesn't save lives, it does help people. My sister lost all her hair when she had leukemia...she was 18 so hair was still important to her. I'd like to help out another little girl in a similar situation in the future.
  • Artemis726
    Artemis726 Posts: 587 Member
    <--- O- :) I used to donate a lot when I was younger, even though it made me black out because I know how important it was for O negs to donate. I quit when I started having kids, but my youngest is now 4 so I suppose it's time. I HATE needles. Ugh.
  • mfisher16508
    mfisher16508 Posts: 269 Member
    THANK YOU to all who do donate, I give blood to pts almost ona daily basis, the majority of mine being people with cancer and sickle cell.....you do a great service and I thank you.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    nope nope nope.

    1. super scared of needles
    2. rarest blood type. Even if they did want my Xanax-tainted blood (cause that's the only way they are coming near me with a giant needle), my blood would sit unused until it was thrown out. All that anxiety for nothing? Nah.


    I work with at-risk youth and help them get their GED. That's my contribution to society, but I have to keep my blood to myself.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    I have always been TERRIFIED at the thought of donating blood. I donated for the first time a few weeks ago. I'll do it again for sure. A MFP friend of mine lost her 6 month old son to a CHD a few months ago and that's what got me started.
    Next time I'll just warn them ahead of time that I'm a fainter. :blushing: :laugh: I knew I was prone to blacking out when my blood had been drawn in the past but tried to keep quiet about it. Then I became very lightheaded and started to black out so I had to say something. I don't know that those women have ever moved that quickly. I was the last donor of they day, so they said if I had actually fainted they would've just rolled me under a table and left me there. :tongue: They suggested I wear my hair in a pony tail next time because keeping cool would help me not black out?
  • jenniet04
    jenniet04 Posts: 1,054 Member
    Yep, as often as I can (I'm O+). Just got my 3 gallon pin a few months ago.

    I remember going to the blood bank with my mom when I was a kid and waiting for her to donate. I'm hoping my kids will donate when they are old enough.

    I love that I can help someone in need and get a snack when I'm done. :bigsmile: There isn't anything really that I dislike about it.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    I'm banned too... for a year due to fainting. It makes me sad.

    I can't believe you actually get banned for fainting! I was VERY close to fainting but not banned. I mean, they flipped my chair upside down and brought me a soda and a bunch of wet towels when I said I was feeling very lightheaded. I guess they just want you to say something before you faint if you can so they can try to prevent it.
  • JackieLM
    JackieLM Posts: 127 Member
    I am not allowed to (banned) because my vains roll and hide. They say that they do that when they have been poked too many times. Maybe after I get lower they won't be able to hid as much and I can start donating again.

    :-)
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    Not allowed because here in the US they don't want my "tainted" German blood :(

    I'd LOVE to donate. But oh well, what can I do?
  • stunningalmond
    stunningalmond Posts: 275 Member
    I'm banned too... for a year due to fainting. It makes me sad.

    I can't believe you actually get banned for fainting! I was VERY close to fainting but not banned. I mean, they flipped my chair upside down and brought me a soda and a bunch of wet towels when I said I was feeling very lightheaded. I guess they just want you to say something before you faint if you can so they can try to prevent it.

    I think it's because they don't want me to cause myself harm. My body doesn't handle it well and it was the third time I've fainted after donating. The way I see it is, I can handle fainting... it's no big deal. I'd rather go through that and save some lives. Haha! They don't see it that way :p I'm going to try again in a year.
  • galegetsthin
    galegetsthin Posts: 1,340 Member
    I do. Didn't used to. At my work, the mobile blood bus comes once every three months. Of course, the 2 hours annual leave we get for donating is a great motivator.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    I'm banned too... for a year due to fainting. It makes me sad.

    I can't believe you actually get banned for fainting! I was VERY close to fainting but not banned. I mean, they flipped my chair upside down and brought me a soda and a bunch of wet towels when I said I was feeling very lightheaded. I guess they just want you to say something before you faint if you can so they can try to prevent it.

    I think it's because they don't want me to cause myself harm. My body doesn't handle it well and it was the third time I've fainted after donating. The way I see it is, I can handle fainting... it's no big deal. I'd rather go through that and save some lives. Haha! They don't see it that way :p I'm going to try again in a year.

    I wonder if you can just warn them that you're prone to feeling lightheaded and bring a soda and a wet washcloth or something with you (if that would help).

    Sorry to the OP for getting off track. :flowerforyou:
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
    I did when I was younger, then had to stop because I would be so wiped out for weeks afterwards. Then when I tried to start donating again (hello 9/11) they wouldn't take my blood. Proteins in my blood (probably due to celiac, I suspect) trip up their Hep B test, even though I don't have it. So I'm banned too.
  • fightingautism
    fightingautism Posts: 84
    The first & only time I tried I passed out so hard & long they nearly called 9-1-1 & told me to do all of Medic a favor & never try to give blood again. I am an oncology nurse & give blood regularly to my patients but respect not all of us can. Some of us have incredibly strong vagal responses & it's not worth the time/effort to deal with us when so many others can give fine. Also, sometimes after one person passes out it starts a chain reaction of others passing out to the point they have to shut down drives. It's just easier for them to have the fainters be the cheerleaders instead of the players.
  • fightingautism
    fightingautism Posts: 84
    BTW, for those who do pass out. If you chug 15-30 grams of simple carbs, such as fruit juice or soda within 5 minutes of being stuck, it can offset the vagal response. Another thing, fainting isn't just fainting. Some urinate & defecate on themselves because you do lose all bodily functions. Again, Medic doesn't have time to shut down a drive to disinfect everything. And fainting isn't good for anyone, it's not harmless.
  • Llyrian
    Llyrian Posts: 100 Member
    I'm not eligible because I get a lot of tattoo work done and travel to countries like Mexico and Cuba.
  • Erica002
    Erica002 Posts: 293 Member
    I would if I could, but I can't.
  • mommy2AR
    mommy2AR Posts: 2,796 Member
    I do.. I love to know I am helping someone else. I almost died when I was 13 due to loss of blood and now I feel its a way to give back!

    The best thing about it is eating the stuff afterwards ;) LOL The worst is how long it takes

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