I’ve donated blood twice. My blood pressure is fairly low to start with, and I fainted after my second donation. My hemoglobin level also tends to float right around their cutoff, so I’ve been turned away twice because of it. Sort of scares me away from trying too often.
I know I should donate more. I work in a blood bank, so I see the good it does. If I ever see a shortage of Apos, I’ll probably be more inclined to donate. I’m also positive for a lot of the blood group antigens, so I’m not going to be helpful for anyone needing special blood because they’ve developed antibodies. I’ve considered a platelet donation, but I’m freaked out by the idea of having them take blood out of me and then put it back in. Platelets have a shelf life of 5 days - the DC-area snowstorm kept people from getting to donation centers for over a week, and we had a bad platelet shortage. We needed some for a patient and ended up having to wait almost 12 hours while our Red Cross had a shipment brought in from a different state.
I’m a regular donor, but I usually do a double red cell donation (using apheresis). I prefer it to the normal whole blood donation because they replenish your fluids with a bag of saline, and I’ve got great iron levels anyway. It does mean I only need to donate three times a year as well. I just donated yesterday, but the time before I had to do a whole blood donation because they recently excluded people on certain hypertension drugs from going on the apheresis machine. So this time I had to stay off my ACE inhibitors for at least 48 hours before donating (which is not a problem because I’m only borderline hypertensive when I’m off it).
I am a 13-gallon donor. I started at 17 and gave regularly. I am O-negative and, like Civil Guy, have no anti-CMV antibodies, so they want me for infants, burn victims and transplant patients, and I have done plasmapheresis. In college once they called me at my job and asked if I would come to the hospital and do pheresis and they sent a cab for me because I had no car.
About 10 years ago, I was having a routine blood test done and I came up slightly anemic, and the doctor couldn’t figure out why, so he sent me to a hematologist oncologist. :eek: At the first appointment, the guy asked me, among other things, if I was a regular blood donor. I answered proudly that I was, and he said, “Well, stop it! :rolleyes:” I had to keep going back every month for six months, and my anemia resolved itself almost immediately.
The doctor told me that from now on I could donate no more than twice a year, “as a token” were his words. So I do when I can, but it makes me sad. Plus, I like the cookies.
I haven’t voted. Maybe I should go with the “fool!” option.
I was too nervous about it until a few years ago, when I went ahead and donated, and found out that it wasn’t that bad and I was O+. (My dad was O-, he was extremely popular with the Red Cross branch in my hometown, judging by the postcard reminders he’d get.) Then early last year, I started failing the hemoglobin or hematocrit tests pre-donation, which I blamed on the donation times falling around menstruation. Until it didn’t. At that point, I hadn’t been able to donate for over 6 months.
Doctor checkup time, low-but-normal hemoglobin, iron pills, gynecologist visit, recommendation to Do Something about my annoying uterus (haven’t yet). I did successfully donate blood last month, though, and wasn’t even borderline on the test, so that was nice.
So mine is “donate when I can except for when an intermittent issue makes me fail the screening.”
It’s a bit different if you’re in the military - because of how food was supplied to European bases. Suffice to say that a 6-month stay on an Italian base puts you on the “list” - same as if you were in the UK itself.
I was stationed in Sicily for two years, so that leaves me out.
Yes. Like **Civil Guy ** I’m CMV Neg and O Neg. Apparently their favorite combo. I get called all the time. I’ve donated 3 gallons so far, then started having problems with anemia and flunking the initial screening test. It’s been awhile. I need to go back and try again.
I give occasionally, usually a few times a year. It’s hard to work with my current work schedule and the local center’s hours and general lack of speed. It’s close to my work but I can’t count on them getting me in and out in 45 minutes. Seriously, they take forever, and I make appointments well in advance.
Plus I’m AB+ so it’s not exactly like I’m in demand, either, and half the time I’m disqualified due to low iron content in the blood anyway.
At my old job, I gave more frequently since being late back from lunch was no big deal. If they brought the donation bus by more often I’d do it all the time – they seem to have a much greater sense of urgency than the people in the center.
One thing I wish they would do: let us take the big test online beforehand. That always seems to be what takes so long. I think it’s dumb that you have to answer the whole thing so often, but whatever, safety first – but at least let us do it in advance somehow.
I chose the last option. I used to give regularly. But when it started taking longer and longer for the post-donation bleeding to stop, I said, “No more.” Folks suggest that I could give from the other arm, but I’m keeping that one untouched in case I need a refill.
I am temporarily restricted due to pregnancy, though I do give when I can. Mostly at blood drives, but I work at a hospital, so they are more frequent here than most other places. Probably once every few months or so.
I will be eligible to give again 6 weeks after birth, assuming I don’t need a transfusion during labor for some reason. You can give while breastfeeding.
I do. I usually donate 2-3 times a year. It’s gotten a lot easier since my employer moved to a large building that holds it’s own Red Cross drives.
The Red Cross, BTW, calls me consistently once I’m past the 56 day mark. I’ve explained to them repeatedly that I’m only going to donate 3 times a year, but they refuse to stop calling.
I picked option 1, because I generally donate every 8 weeks when the Red Cross comes to our office. However, last time they were here I couldn’t donate because I was taking antibiotics. I could drive downtown to the Red Cross center, but I’ll just wait for them to come back to the office here.
Never have done it and still can’t, don’t meet the weight requirement (110 pounds). Even if I was at the minimum I’d still be underweight for my height so I’m not sure it would be a good idea. Why do they have to take the same amount for everyone?
I used to donate regularly. But since they changed the rules I can’t. I live in the UK for a year when I was 12 (I’'m 42 now) and because of this, I’m permanently banned. Stupid.
