All his life, Dad came home and just handed over his paycheck to Mom. Yet he donated blood. But according to this, he wasn’t supposed to!
Just goes to show how the American Red Cross has allowed right-wing politics to overcome real medical judgement. For Civil Defense & others, you can just scoot across the border to Canada and give blood there – the Red Cross of Canada (and similar in most of Europe) doesn’t have these silly homophobic rules!
You guys are great! Thanks to everyone who has donated, and keep it coming!
I’m so excited to be donating this thursday, I don’t even mind giving up my lunch hour!
Besides, I hear you get all sorts of perks when you donate, like being carried around on a litter by big strong men, fabulous gourmet food. Sure they call it cookies and a cot, but I figure they’re just trying to weed out those who aren’t serious.
I wonder though, my info sheet says to eat a low-fat meal 2-3 hours before donating. Would oatmeal be a good choice? Don’t want to pass out because I ate the wrong breakfast.
Ashes, Ashes (we all fall down!), I think oatmeal would be good. I’ve found it’s just as important to not eat immediately before the donation as it is to have eaten a little something (did that make any sense at all?). I know it’s not a good idea to donate on an empty stomach, but one time, I had eaten right before giving blood, and when I got to the cookie table, I was still so stuffed that I couldn’t eat anything at all. I remember that fondly as the time I blacked out. Anyway, back to your question - I think a bowl of oatmeal a couple hours beforehand would be fine.
Tried on the 13th. They didn’t have any Iodine substitute. (NOT their fault - the FDA is giving them grief about how to transport the stuff. And I do understand the necessity for strict controls and so forth, but jeez does it make it inconvenient for those of us who are allergic!)
Tried at their Main Facility (45 minutes away) on the 14th. They blew a vein. sigh
I’ll try again next time…
Aahh Grasshopper, so very wise! I was wondering about whether I should have a snack right before (wise and a mind reader, yow). So it’s nummy oatmeal for me on thursday. Thanks!
Count me in for one pint of O+ donated January 12!
And Aries, I hate needles too (one of my oldest memories from childhood is being held upside-down by my ankles by a lab tech after fainting), and I’m now on my fifth pint!
Do it! Go, Aries! 
Malkabat
Yes we do. After thousands of Canadians received blood tainted with HIV and hepatitis C in the 80’s, new blood services with strict donation rules were established. And they are very strict. Google Canadian Blood Services or Héma-Québec.
I gave a pint of A+ back on January 9th… surprised it didn’t come out in mini-cubes, as the bloodmobile was uncomfortably cold!
Just before Christmas, I came down with a blood clot in my leg, spent a night in the hospital, etc. I’m fine now, but…
On December 29th, I was scheduled to give MY FIFTEENTH GALLON OF O-!!!
120 goddamn units!
Now I’m on Cumadin (rat poison!) for at least the next six months, and they won’t take the damned stuff.
AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!
I gave my tenth pint today, and it was t-shirt day too! Woohoo!
I donated last week, and cannot go again until March.
I got an MLK Jr tee, though.
I gave last week. The tech must have been tired as she tore my vein. I’ve been trying for three years to get a gallon pin (low iron) and finally made it. They were out of gallon pins that day. :smack:
Thanks for the reminder, I’m overdue to donate again – I’m one of those three-times-or-so-a-year-when-I-remember types, but they can always use another pint of my B+. And I always pump out in record time, about 3-5 minutes, so I guess I definitely drink enough water (and have never failed the iron test).
I’m also an organ donor, so does that mean I get two gold stars when I donate blood again?
I tried last Friday, but my iron was low. Which has never happened to me before, so I was quite annoyed. I’m eating lots of beef, spinach and raisins to try and get it up enough to give this Friday.
Hey! For once I’m ahead of the power curve. I already have an appointment scheduled for Tuesday.
I’m a universal donor as well and I give Double Reds. They actually take two pints worth of red blood cells and return the plasma to your body. If I understand correctly, by having two pints from the same donor, there is less chance of rejection by the recipient.
Takes about an hour but well worth it in IMO. Keep up the good work, Opal. 
Just got back from donating pint #10.
Brian
I’m going to donate tommorow, if all goes well. It will be my first time.
I don’t even know what blood type I am. I assume they do the test there and tell you?
Yep, they’ll tell you your blood type(not while you wait in my experience, but when you get your donor card it’ll be on there.) I’m O positive, just donated my last about two weeks ago. I have epilepsy so I have to slip my donations in between seizures. You have to be three months seizure-free before they’ll accept your donation. But so far so good.
-Lil
ultrafilter and I are giving on Thursday evening, Feb 5th at the Fairfax Donor Center in Merrifield. Any other MADs interested in joining us?