Donating blood today

carrieous

Should I work out before or after donating blood? I'm a fainter so I dont know which would be best for me?

JustJennie1

It's perfectly ok to workout before you give blood. I don't mean an hour or two before but if you're giving blood in the evening it's ok to workout in the afternoon. You should NOT workout after you have given blood as your body needs time to replenish what has been taken.

And you just reminded me that I need to give blood at some point.

carrieous

Thanks, I guess I better go run now!

carrieous

Ran 2 miles and did some free weights about 30 mins before donating. Also, ate a PB&J sammy beforehand. I didnt faint while donating so thats good. I do feel a little out of it now.

Since i gave up a bag of blood do i get to eat a big fat cheeseburger for dinner and not log it?

dunadan

Ran 2 miles and did some free weights about 30 mins before donating. Also, ate a PB&J sammy beforehand. I didnt faint while donating so thats good. I do feel a little out of it now.

Since i gave up a bag of blood do i get to eat a big fat cheeseburger for dinner and not log it?

I don't know about a cheeseburger, but you should definitely increase your water intake for the next couple of days to make up for the lost volume.

And good on you for donating. I'm a five-gallon donor currently on hiatus due to low iron levels that I'd really like to get over in order to get back into the swing...really hate not being able to give when the truck visits my workplace. :grumble:

CharRicho

Ran 2 miles and did some free weights about 30 mins before donating. Also, ate a PB&J sammy beforehand. I didnt faint while donating so thats good. I do feel a little out of it now.

Since i gave up a bag of blood do i get to eat a big fat cheeseburger for dinner and not log it?

Have a steak!

carrieous

SO its been 3 days since i donated blood and i tried to run today. It was very hard and i could only run half of 2 miles- had to walk the other half. It took twice as long as usual to get my heart rate down. Ever since Monday i've been tired, weak and like i cant get a full breathe in.

How much longer til i am back to normal and is there anything i can do to speed up the process?

bokodasu

Eat food, drink water. You need about 650 calories to replinish a pint of blood. Usually I'm fine by the third day, but I eat maintenance on the first two days - if you're restricting, it'll take longer.

krithsai

Eat a lot of iron rich food and load up on the liquids...OJ would be nice to get those energy levels back up. Good job on donating. It is something very close to my heart.

DawnieB1977

I donated blood 3 weeks ago. I had a PT session that morning and donated in the afternoon. I have low blood pressure and nearly fainted after! Ooops. I got told to drink a lot. No-one mentioned eating more. I got told off as I asked if it was ok to go to aqua aerobics that evening! The nurse made me feel like a complete idiot. I did aerobics the next morning and my friend told me that i looked exhausted!

I found that for a couple of weeks after I felt really, really tired and kept going to bed much earlier than usual. I didn't eat any more than usual though, and still carried on with all my workouts.

I'll definitely donate again though.

PurpleTina

Was it your first time? I only ask because I felt very tired for a couple of days after my first donation, but subsequent ones I have been absolutely fine. The nurse at our session says that somehow your body gets accustomed to donating and copes better. No idea how that might work, but it been true for me at least.

BennyLT

I'm a runner and donate too. I typically feel tired for a couple days when i run, and my heart rate is a little hot for a week or so.

I do know you get your volume back quickly like 24 hours as long as you drink fluids, but building red blood cells takes a lot longer. hence the time limit between donations.

SO my theory is that since Red blood cells transport oxygen. Less reds = less O2 = more fatigue... thats my theory anyway

lewcompton

Workout now... Hydrate before and after the donation. I give blood every two months or so within a week or so of when I'm allowed to do so. I also post that as calories burnt. Mayo Clinic suggests that its about 600 calories that you body then expends to replace the lost blood cells. Proper hydration and not working out afterward are good ideas... I do a light workout later, but I've gotten use to doing this.

momasox

The time before last this time I dontated I had the same issue. It put me out of comission workout wise for almost a week! This time I drank A LOT of water before and after. I also ate really good high iron foods the few days before and the day of the blood donation. This time was not nearly as bad and I was able to do my workout the next day with no issues.

seena511

create a custom exercise "giving blood" and put in somewhere between 500-600 calories and then put it in your log for today so that you can eat back what you need and not go over

carrieous

I donated blood 3 weeks ago. I had a PT session that morning and donated in the afternoon. I have low blood pressure and nearly fainted after! Ooops. I got told to drink a lot. No-one mentioned eating more. I got told off as I asked if it was ok to go to aqua aerobics that evening! The nurse made me feel like a complete idiot. I did aerobics the next morning and my friend told me that i looked exhausted!

I found that for a couple of weeks after I felt really, really tired and kept going to bed much earlier than usual. I didn't eat any more than usual though, and still carried on with all my workouts.

I'll definitely donate again though.

Yes! My BP is really low too. Well 118/58 which i think is low. Anyway i keep going to bed early too- my husband is getting offended! Im just to beat- and cranky too:(

carrieous

thanks, everyone. I will try eating more- tho i overdid it last night on pasta and even a Vday cupcake. Im surprised I'm still so weak- but it had been years since i donated (like 5)

michelejlm

If you live in Canada and are donating blood please consider using this partner ID:

HAE Canada's Partner ID: HAEC013349

I have infusions twice a week and any donation helps