Not a problem. Thanks, in fact! I was told that, since I’m on Humalog, which stops acting within 2 hours after I take it, my blood would be effectively inert as far as glucose transfer was concerned.
Wouldn’t be the first time I was led astray by doctors. Probably won’t be the last.
As amarinth said, and I said above we’ve both been deferred lots of times for low iron. I assume they don’t track that particular deferral since it is so common among women. Some places even phrase the question “Have you been deferred for any reason other than low iron?” Like I said above, if you fail, they make you wait a couple weeks between attempts, but let you try as many times as you want. I too feel guilty about “wasting their time” when I fail, but I figure they’d rather have me try and fail than give up completely. Also, I take it as a sign that maybe I should start eating a little more healthy.
The tattoo only defers you for a couple of months, maybe a year, not permanently.
It’s a year. From here:
Sitting at my desk looking at the faint track marks in my arms from regular donations.
But man, those cookies are good.
I’m O+ and I tried to start donating regularly after I recovered from my stroke. When I tried to donate, the hassle they put me through and the fact that I had to fucking BEG them to take my blood really pissed me off. I don’t have a clotting problem, I’m not on blood thinners or any other medication, and I am 99% recovered. Yeah, the 99% recovery is what gave the nurse pause. That’s when I started crying. Because no one 100% recovers from a stroke - part of your brain dies! You know how I’m getting back at them? I’m organizing a Blood Drive at my university. The need is greater than grudges.
BTW, AmericanMaid, that’s a good point about grudges. When the Queer group at my university tables against Hema-Quebec’s policies, we actually encourage people to donate, since we can’t. Along with the petitions, we have buttons that say “I gave blood for my gay friend who can’t,” and we put up pink triangles on a bulletin board representing each unit of blood that Hema-Quebec is missing out on.
That was me. Sorry.
:eek: I had no idea I couldn’t give blood because of the gay.
I always knew I was automatically disqualified since i’m a potential mad cow carrier, so I never bothered looking into other disqualifiers.
It’s a shame too, I’m O-.
This is awesome. You have great friends.
I used to donate about every 60 days, but then I tested positive for HTLV and they won’t take my blood anymore.
What I don’t get is the idea of people not donating because a certain blood collection organization did this or didn’t do that or because you think their rules are stupid.
Serious question: Is the Red Cross (or other blood collection organization) making money from blood donations? If not, your decision really isn’t going to affect the BCO one way or another. This isn’t like boycotting a store that has crappy customer service.
I can’t donate, I don’t weigh enough. And it’s too bad, I have a relatively rare blood type too, (either AB+ or AB- I can’t remember which.) When I was a few pounds heavier I even tried filling up with a BIG meal beforehand, as a friend of mine suggested; but nope, I was just shy of 110 pounds. 
Hey, if the POTUS can’t answer that question, why would you think the Red Cross can? 
Where are the blood donors? Exactly where they’ve always been. Blood shortages are a chronic problem. I’m not exactly sure why you think 9/11 would/should have changed that. 9/11 was a one-shot in getting people to turn out. Some of them may have learned that it isn’t as scary or painful as their imaginations had led them to believe and become repeat donors, but for most of them the donation was for a specific purpose. That purpose was timebound and that timeframe has passed. Now we’re back to the same old same old.
Enjoy,
Steven
2 Gallons and counting.
And the reason I do not donate is because I get at least one tattoo a year.
Back when I was 17, I donated for the first time. Shortly after that, I received a card from the Red Cross. It basically told me that my blood type is pretty much useless. But, it did say that AB+ is a good type for Platelets. As soon as I turned 18, I started donating Platelets. I have a very high count (over 365) so I do double donations in less time than it usually takes to do singles. I’ve never seen more than the first hour of the movie. I went every two weeks.
Anyway, my last time was just over a year ago. It was the first and only bad experience I had while donating (lets just say the nurse smelled like scotch and leave it at that). I couldn’t force myself to go back after that. So, I got a tattoo to prove to myself that it wasn’t the needle I was afraid of. Now, it’s been just over a year and I’m ready to go back.
However, once I get under 150 lbs., the Red Cross wont want my platelets any more. I don’t know what I’ll do then. I don’t know if this rule is worldwide but in Massachusetts, you have to weigh over 150. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life overweight, even if it means someone else will be helped out.
Not sure as to how true this is, but I have heard that in Ireland a pint of Guinness is offered instead of crackers and cookies to blood donors, due to the iron content. Also, they used to encourage expectant mothers to drink Guinness for the same reason (doubt that is still the case).
What’s the dope on payment for blood giving that I’ve heard about in the US - it’s not something we have here (just a cookie and a cup of tea), but those posters from the US, don’t mention payment at all - seems that you also only get a cookie and a drink?
The largest and most well-respected agencies (such as the Red Cross) do not pay donors for blood. Some companies/communities/whatever who sponsor blood drives may give away t-shirts and whatnot, but no direct payments. This is done to discourage those who shouldn’t donate from donating simply to receive money.
Some community blood banks, however, do (or did) pay donors. When I worked for the Red Cross, there was a community blood bank that paid $25 for each successful donation. It was just down the street from a mission (a place for homeless folks – at the time, usually hard drinkers or drug users – to sleep at night). Guess who made up the core group of donors to the community blood bank?
That was almost 20 years ago, though. I have no idea if this practice is still in effect.
About six years back I sold platelets to a private group in Texas for $25 a shot. I checked lately, and it doesn’t look like they still give money. I think it’s fairly rare anymore.
My blood center gives several options for drinks and they have pretzels as well as cookies.
But, mostly, yeah.