That’s right! I can’t donate blood myself, so it’s time once again for my yearly plot to assuage my guilt by making other people donate more!
So here is the deal. Go donate blood. People need it. I myself had two units of blood transfused into my veins last year. The blood drive lasts from January 1 through Valentine’s Day (February 14) so that gives you just over 6 weeks to go get stuck and drained and then come back and brag about it. Woohoo! Bloooood! Bloooooooood!
I would, but the Red Cross doesn’t want me and my teeny tiny veins.
So I’ll just hang out here and help you make the able-bodied feel guilty.
Won’t SOMEBODY think of the children?!
Then you have to do what I do, and find someone to donate in your place 
(Not wanting to turn this into a “Waaaanh! I can’t dontate!” thread…)
I’ve been turned down the last six times because my iron is too low (they require minimum 38, and I can’t get above 37 (been as low as 34, currently at 36). I’ve been eating spinach **, watermelon, and (lean) red meat (in addition to a normal healthy diet). I take an iron supplement twice a day. I have my semi-annual check-up in a couple of weeks, and the last time, the doctor prescribed the iron pills; I’ll ask him again. Am I eating something that’s interfering with the iron absorption? Should I take the iron pills with something to enhance absorption (someone mention taking them with Vitamin C (like OJ), but I can’t find any information supporting that. What else can I do, short of chewing nails???
I really miss giving blood, especially pheresis! 
** yes, I know it’s the wrong type of iron from one of Cecil’s columns, but I still like fresh, non-canned spinach
You’ve got my blood. I do twice monthly pheresis donations. anywhere from 2 units of platlets to a full bore “quadruple donation” - 2 units platlets, 1 unit red cells, and 1 unit plasma. I can only give red cells every 8 weeks though, so its usually 2 platlet, 1 plasma.
I tried to donate in November, then again in December. Both times I was deferred. I have been balking up on Iron - I am going to try again in January.
Wish me luck.
I’m planning to give tomorrow. That doesn’t make it into your 1/1 through 2/14 scheme, though…but that’s when the bloodmobile will be here at work.
In June - if they’ll let me (stupid low iron)
That’s when my 1 year deferral for my nose ring ends.
We’ll count it anyway.
Gonna try to donate on Friday, if I can get a couple of hours to myself.
Anyone know what the timeframe on regular ear piercings is before I donate blood?
I still think it blows that once I lose my virginity, I can’t ever donate blood again.
I just gave two weeks ago, does that count? They only let you donate every three months, so I’m disqualified from the 1/1-2/14 timeframe. :-/
Well, I can’t find that specifically at the FDA (maybe it’s there, though), but I don’t recall them asking that when I donate at LifeSource.
The FDA sets the minimum standrards, but different bloodbanks can be more stringent (I’m assuming you’re US).
Tattoos are 12 months.
One day gay men (I assume that’s what your second sentence means?) will probably be able to donate again - my guess is in the next ten years. I know the FDA considers reconsidering it from time to time, but I don’t think they’ve ever really reconsidered it yet.
Who only lets you donate every 3 months? The Red Cross and LifeSource are both 56 days, and that’s the only time limit I’ve ever heard.
I just gave in November, so while I can give blood again after January 13th, my husband can’t give again until the first week of February. So I marked our calendar for February 3rd.
We want to go in together and ‘race.’
I think I’ll get my oldest son to come along this time as well.
Whoops, after checking the website for the local blood bank, it turns out I was wrong, it is 56 days. Sorry. :-/
So I’ll be eligable again on the 12th of February, coming in just under the wire. Do I need to present proof of delivery, maybe take a picture of the bandage???
I’ll be getting stuck on January 5th.
That’s my birthday. I’m going in then too. I was going for my usual donation in November, but I had a seizure, my first in years. So I had to defer for three months. But February will come sooner or later.
-Lil
I’m planning to go next week. It has been 6 months since I last took that prescription drug which made me ineligible. Somebody might try to get me really drunk on the 31st, and I don’t want to do that while short-blooded.
I gave in mid-November, but I promise I’ll be back for more as soon as they’ll let me!