Describe what donating blood feels like

In My Humble Opinion
21

I was a chicken for years, probably because I’d had bad blood lab / hospital experiences, and because people kept comparing the sensation to being stung by a bee (I’ve never been stung and am phobic).

I finally sucked it up a few years ago, and it was painless. The blood services technicians are infinitely more skilled than the nurses at my local hospital or lab (and they don’t have students practice on you!) In my area, the way the cots are set up, you can’t see the needle going in and you can’t see the blood being drawn at all.

I second drinking lots of water. It takes far less time to donate if you’re well hydrated. I have very low blood pressure and have had no trouble (they make you wait at least ten minutes before moving on, plus you get snacks).

I felt so silly after the first donation for waiting so long. And I felt so good that I conquered my fear (and that my blood might help someone). I’ve donated several times since and had only good experiences. After the baby is born, I’ll be back.

22

What does it feel like?

It feels like you do when you might have saved somebody’s life.

Regards,
Shodan

23

Actually, two or three lives! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

24

Big blood donor here. In fact, my company is having a drive next Tues. I’ll be attending. I’m up to about 3 gallons or so total in the past 16 years, and really enjoy that I can provide a product that can not be made otherwise.

My issues with donation:

Long queues to get screened.

The trouble they have getting through the scar tissue on top of my vein (on the skin), caused by many years of many donations, though this is VERY minimal.

Things I like:

The above mentioned otherwise unavailable lifesaving product that I can give.

That they use my blood to create VZIG (Verizella Zoster Immune Globulin) which is given to folks that need some help fighting off chicken pox (pregnant women, leukemia patients for example)

…and of course, the cheap buzz I get from the beer and smoke I have later on! :slight_smile: (yes, I wait the required hour after donation)

If you can handle it, and meet the requirements, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go give.

-butler

25

I also wanted to second: Don’t be a hero and run out the door. Stick around, have a cookie & juice, and chat with the ladies behind the table. It makes you feel really good.

26

I’ve never had any problems, although I’m a tank of a man and don’t necessarily suffer from the run-down feeling people mention. Get very well-hydrated, as others have said, before you go in, and definitely partake of the free cookies and juice. They help.

27

Interesting that others have mentioned feeling lightheaded afterwards. I’ve never felt any after effects.

28

It’s rather draining. [d&r]

Seriously, though, I have found it to be too much to take afterwards – on one occasion feeling sick (nauseated, dizzy, and tired) for two days afterwards. I’ve donated three times and been turned down twice (the blood drop density test; my blood doesn’t always sink fast enough, or sink, period). Since I have a tendency to be anemic anyway, I’m probably not the ideal candidate, even though I’m well above the minimum-weight limit [sigh]. It’s such a good cause, though, I probably shouldn’t swear it off forever.

29

I was a bit disappointed to feel not a thing. My first time (day after 9/11) I had a real “ghost” of a phlebotomist (person who sticks you). I didn’t even feel the needle (dind’t mind that). I was amazed. But after I didn’t feel lightheaded, dizzy, nothing. It was really anticlimactic. I had been curious to see what it was like, what it actually *felt * like, and was left with the impression of standing in line at the bank, then getting some guilt-free cookies.

30

Disclaimer: When I donated, I weighed in at exactly one pound over the minimum. That’s not enough.

For the blood drive my senior year in high school, I packed up my courage, actually ate breakfast one morning, went down to the gym, and donated. They made me wait a bit to make my blood pressure and pulse go down a little (horrible medical phobia). Took about twenty minutes to fill a bag. They make you lie down for an extra minute or two with your arm up in the air to stop the bleeding. I passed out when I sat up, lay back down for nearly half an hour, nearly passed out again, and spent the rest of the day feeling as if I were burning a 110-degree fever (am I the only one who got really bad chills/feverish type stuff afterwards?) and was about to puke and pass out.

And yet I still felt good after it. They’re big ego boosters, those Red Cross folks are.

I myself can’t donate again (for several reasons), so I try to compensate by harrassing other people to do it. If I survived the process, you definitely can.

Also, I found it really weird in a creepy way, staring at a needle poking out of my arm but not feeling anything there.

31

Having the finger pricked to test the iron was the most painful part for me. The needle was no big deal, because the tech was an absolute pro.

I felt a bit slowed-down for a day or two afterwards, but it was worth it.

32

The Red Cross people are pretty damn adept at finding veins, which cuts down on the pain (first time I had general anasthesia they poked me 5 or 6 times; blood donation they get me the first time, everytime). So that isn’t the worst part. Sitting around and waiting is the sucky part. And I dunno if this is unique to me, but I am particularly conscious of bloodflow in my arm. Well, I am when something is being put in or taken out. It’s not painful or anything, just weird.

I get a little cold, but they’ll give you a blankie. :slight_smile:

I am Type O Positive, so they love me! However, do not go to a bar or party afterwards. It’s just bad. Trust me on this.

Some people get dizzy afterwards but I don’t. Last time I donated I was wearing platform boots (It was Halloween, people! Which means I am way, way, way overdue, I know.) and I was just fine.

And the Red Cross gave me a quick donation card that says “Type O Hero!” on it. It feels good. :slight_smile:

33

This strikes me as a bad idea. By my measurement, during erection, the penis contains 6 ounces or more of blood more than it does when flaccid. This being an appreciable fraction of a pint, the amount drawn during blood donation, it is reasonable to suppose that a male donor who became aroused while donating blood would be at a significantly higher risk of passing out or other short-term complications of blood loss.

As for my experiences:

First, you have to read over some forms with information about West Nile Virus, AIDS, and other containdicating factors. Then, there’s another form to fill out, with yes/no questions about the various risk factors. You used to fill this out yourself, but the past couple of times, a nurse has asked me the questions (in private) and filled out the form herself. They then take your temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, and prick your finger for a drop of blood to test your iron levels. The iron test may consist of dropping the blood into a vial of liquid (if it sinks, it’s enough) or centrifuging it. If your temperature, pressure, pulse, and iron levels are all healthy, the nurse gives you another paper with two peel-off bar code stickers on it, and leaves the room while you put one of them on your form and throw the other away. One sticker says “use my blood” and the other says “don’t use my blood”; after they’re removed from the backing, a human can’t tell the difference. This is in case you have some reason for your blood not to be used (for instance, if you suspect you might be infected with AIDS), but don’t want to admit it openly.

You then carry your paper over to another area and wait to be called. They sit you down in a comfortable chair (dangit, why can’t you buy lounge chairs that nice?), swab off one of your arms with iodine, and mark the vein with permanent marker. They squeeze a blood-pressure gauge on the upper arm to make the vein stand out, and stick in the needle. It hurts a little, of course, but only as it’s going in. You squeeze a little rubber ball every few seconds for 5-10 minutes and fill the bag. Then something beeps, and they draw off enough more to fill a handful of vials for tests. They press a bit of gauze against the hole and pull out the needle, then have you raise your arm for a bit and wrap a bandage around it. Then they send you off to the cantina, where you get your free cookies and juice and occasionally other goodies (sometimes local businesses will donate gift certificates, for instance).

Afterwards, you really will feel a little drained and perhaps a touch lightheaded, and you’re not recommended to operate heavy machinery. Drinking a lot of non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic fluids before and afterwards helps with this, and red meat or other iron sources is also a good idea. After about 5 hours, you can take off the big bulky bandage and replace it with a Band-aid, and by the next day or two, you should be feeling back up to normal.

34

The very first time I ever donated, I got light-headed afterwards. I’m convinced it was because I was so nervous beforehand, that when they said I was finished, I just relaxed and crashed.

Otherwise… nothing. Compared to some here, I’m just a newbie. Next donation I’ll be at 2 gallons.

I used to not look at the tubing, but now I do. Always looks (to me) like there is chocolate coming out.

35

Yeah the lightheadedness only lasts a little while. I’ve only noticed it as I get older. A few hours later you’ll never know.

Go now. It’s worth it. I work in a place with 200 people and am shocked by the few amount that go. The company is willing to pay while you get to sit around in a comfy chair for 45 minutes and people are afraid of needles or couldn’t be bothered.

They need all then can, please go.

36

I get stuck all the time for blood tests, so donating is not a problem. I do it whenever I can. I know I can be a pain in the ass because my veins are really, really deep and hard to find, but I seriously hardly even notice the needle, and the people at the donor center tend to be much better at finding veins than the lab tech at my doctor’s.(Witness the massive bruise I have on my arm right now). I ended up being stuck 4 times. It didn’t bother me, but I thought she was going to faint.

37

The first two or three times I donated, I felt very tired afterward. I always scheduled it at the end of the day so I could just go home and rest. Wisely considering this fact, the next time I did it, I went out dancing that night because it was the LA Lindy Binge. I didn’t quite collapse on the dance floor, but I did have to sit down with my head between my knees for a while.

Since then, though, I haven’t had any adverse reactions, except that my arm is usally numb for about half an hour afterward. I generally just give blood, eat some cookies, and then go out and do whatever. The last time I went in, they did this weird red blood cell separating thing, taking two units of cells but putting plasma and saline back in. It was pretty much the same thing, but twice as long. And when they put the saline back in, it’s like ice. It’s not really cold, but having a room-temperature liquid pumped into your veins is a decidedly strange experience.

38

The first time I gave blood I was on the lawn chair things they had set up, ready to get pricked, when I see my future calculus teacher slither out of a chair onto the floor and projectile vomit all over herself. I still gave blood. ;D

Given it a couple other times. The needle doesn’t really hurt, nor does the giving blood itself. Usually they won’t let you watch them stick the needle in or take it out, which has always annoyed me. It may be my imagination but there is definitely a different feeling in my upper arm whilst giving blood… like a very minute burning sensation.

You’ll have to give blood a few times to see whether you’ve got the veins for it or not and how resistant you are to passing out due to blood loss. Good hydration is key.

39

The worst part of giving blood for me is just how long it takes, with the screening process, which they do every single time. Prick and drop the blood. Tick off sheet of questions. Then see the nurse, who asks a series of questions that make me want to giggle, despite the seriousness of their intent. ("In the last six months have you ever had sex with anyone who has traded sex for money or drugs?) They check your arms for needle tracks, do blood pressure and temp readings, then leave you to stick a sticker on that says Yes use my blood or Don’t use my blood via bar-code-language.

The experience isn’t really bad at all. The needle stick isn’t bad, just one pinch and you’re done and draining. I usually bring a book and read while I’m in the lounge chair. Then it’s juice and cookies with the little old ladies and men who volunteer.

They give you a sticker to wear that says be nice to me–I gave blood today.

I’ve never felt light-headed or sick afterward, and never seen anyone else experience a bad reaction at the clinic where I donate.

40

If you’re planning on donating at Clarence Street, I’d check with them first regarding busy/quiet times. The last time I donated there, I had to wait 2 hours.