Never lied, never needed to.
Got my Sixer pin last year, for giving six times in one year. If all goes well this year I will get my Ten gallon pin.
I like giving blood.
Okay, since my blood is not wanted, I don’t know anything about this donor thing. What is this, you can give blood but then tell them to throw it away by wearing a sign that says “take it but don’t use it”? Is that not a phenomenal waste of time, money, and resources? And, since virtually all invasive procedures carry at least an infinitesimal risk, isn’t that kind of stupid even it it weren’t wasting time, money, and resources?
My family, too, is in the same position as Irishgirl’s.
Me–lived in UK for 7 years
Sister–weighs less than 110 pounds (despite being 5’7")
Dad–faints at the sight of blood (!)
Mom–undergoing weekly chemotherapy
The ironic thing is, my mom, and for some time my sister, volunteer at their local blood banks.
Darn…read all the way through, got to the bottom and someone asked the question I wanted to ask.
Why go though all of the trouble and then put a sticker on there that says don’t use? (Reiterating what Lorinada said) Not only are you being stuck with a needle for no reason, you are wasting the needle, the bag and the donation center’s time…
~J
Again, I think the “Don’t Use My Blood” sticker is either because someone felt guilty about lying, or as Badtz Maru said, the person felt pressured into donating by a friend or coworker when they shouldn’t have been donating. It’s to save face from actually having to say to someone “I shouldn’t have donated.” I agree it’s idiotic to donate in the first place, but it’s to give someone that last out without embarassing them. It’s still a lot cheapter than testing the blood, having to notify the person, and having to toss the unit.
Sorry, the food/diet route and supplement route does not overcome the amount of iron I lose every month. I have had exactly one low/normal hematocrit level ever in my life. I eat all the proper things, I take the supplements and to no avail.
The only reason I speak up here (and sorry for a slight derail to the OP) is because so many people think anemia can be cured if only I would just change my diet. Little do they know I already have, with little improvement.
That sucks, Contrary. I’ve only been slightly anemic, so I’ve been able to get back in normal range with diet and a multi-vitamin most of the time. I hope you’re not experiencing too much fatigue from your problem.
If you’re on birth control pills (I assume you’re a woman from the “losing iron every month” comment), you may want to talk to your Ob/Gyn about going on one where you’re on it 12 weeks at a time/1 week off so you only get 4 periods a year.
Badtz Maru and porcupine have addressed the reasons for doing this, but I’ll also add something. When I’ve gone to donate blood, after the interview, you’re given your data sheet and a paper with a pair of stickers on them, then sent off to a private corner. The paper has “use” and “don’t use” printed on it, but the stickers themselves are just barcodes. You put the appropriate sticker on your form and toss out the paper. You can now give blood without worrying about people looking at your information sheet and finding out things you want to keep private, but later on when they scan the barcodes on the bags, they’ll know to throw yours out.
Or maybe those that lie won’t post about it. Really, seeing as how lying to the Red Cross (and/or other blood banks) is very discouraged in this thread and this board (generally), every person that says he/she lies will be criticized, flamed, and roasted.
My main problem is iron. Even when I eat the recommended amount (and some more) of iron, I still get low readings. In fact, even when I do everything recommended, my readings can be as borderline as the times I do nothing at all. A couple of times at the plasma center, they’ve let me donate (after a talk about how I should get more iron from my diet) even though my hemo reading is below 38 (their minimum). No, I don’t faint, and no, it doesn’t affect me (I go and eat afterwards, and usually eat meat or something with iron). At Lifesouth, the blood bank, they were nice enough to test my other hand for the iron levels after the first try (with the left hand) gave a low reading. No, I didn’t faint, and I kept asking for more cookies, rosy cheeks and all.
I will go later in the summer to give red blood cells pheresis, since I’m (according to them) A- and they want it. It takes me out of donating for four months, and I will most certainly go to eat something good and hearty and full of iron before I go there.
They don’t have that barcode system here in Australia.
I was a regular donor (every 6 weeks from the ages of 16 to 19) until they decided that I was a risk for mad cow disease. Being O negative (like the rest of my family, all regular donors and all deferred due to mad cows disease), not to mention vaccinated against a lot of things (they liked to use my hyperimmune plasma for stuff), my local branch really missed me.
I never lied, but seeing as every donation I ever gave has the (IMHO small) risk of being infected with mad cow disease, at least 25 people have already been exposed.
I don’t lie when they ask me the questions, but sometimes they don’t ask the questions in their complete form because they get lazy. So that puts me in the uncomfortable position of having to correct the questioner so that I can give an honest answer.
For example, last time I donated the nurse started condensing the questions to save time. When we got to the sex questions, I was in a bit of a pickle. The question should be, “Have you had sex even once with another male since 1977; or within the last 12 months, given a female money or drugs to have sex with you?”
This is how it went:
Nurse: Have you had sex even once with another male since 1977 or given a female money or drugs to have sex with you?
Me: Ummm… you mean in the last twelve months?
Nurse: Yeah.
Me: Then, no.
**
Wait…you’re NOT? You lying little bit…bastard!
**
And well you should be. Tramp.
Fenris, disillusioned
Yeah – not on them, in fact I make a ton of estrogen all by myself so I sure don’t need a bit more 
I promise I will stop derailing the thread now.
Oh and KarlGrenze, I completely understand your frustration. Fortunately I don’t have a rare blood type, I think that would be hard to know mine was really really needed and I couldn’t do anything.
I was surprised they would accept trying for a second time to see if the iron level was different. I don’t lie in the questionaire, but then just by the start of the questions I’m already saying “No”.
Judging by the posts already here, I’m expecting to not get a positive reaction…
But I do lie on the screening test and have since the first time I donated–three years ago. I, a man, have had sex with a man and I have donated blood 8 times, now.
I have always practiced safe sex and have been tested regularly and I do not see why that mere fact should put someone’s life at risk. I guess the official policy is one thing, but I am confident that if someone is in need of blood and only mine is available, that person would be more than glad to recieve it.
I see the policy as an extra form of safety and not discrimination. Since I know that my blood is clean, I do what I need to do to save lives.
What? No! Jesus. I don’t lie and don’t think anybody should.
I don’t think guessing the motivation of the questions is reliable enough. Blood banks go to quite a lot of trouble to harvest blood and I am sure they would like to be able to use everybody’s, especially people who have actually showed up and started answering questions. If they want to reject a willing donor on the basis of ANY of the questions they come up with, more power to them. I bet it is difficult to maintain a safe blood supply and people lying make it more so.
Also, at least sometimes (I am told), the fact that they test the blood does not necessarily create any information useful to the donors. I hear that some expensive tests get done by pooling samples from several donors, testing the mixture, and tossing all those donations if the mixture comes up positive. If, for example, a test cost ten thousand dollars (just a hypothetical example), it would be much better for all concerned to test pooled samples this way.
Hi, this thread has been inactive since 2003.
I’d rather *not *have blood from someone lying about their health risks.
Or zombie blood for that matter.
I received blood from someone who lied on the screening test. He turned HIV positive a year later and I had to be tested.
And how am I supposed to trust you’re telling the truth about practicing safe sex?
And I would like to have the chance to say if I would take the blood rather than you making the decision for me.
Do you think the gay community would support this decision? Hell fucking no. Donating blood isn’t a right. If you don’t like their criteria, then get them changed. You may not like the policy–I am not a big fan of it myself. But by lying when they ask you those questions, you’re not only presuming to know more about the medical field than doctors and scientists, but you’re also committing a huge ethics violation and an actual crime (or maybe it’s classified as a tort, I’m not a lawyer). This is one example of what happened to a gay man who lied to donate blood.
If the blood shortage reaches critical levels, I imagine they will re-evaluate the policy. It’s not up to you to make that decision, though. Until then, kindly stay the fuck away from the blood bank.
Seeing as how the thread has been resurrected…
I don’t lie on the test form.
Round here, lying on the declaration is a pretty serious criminal offense and will get you thrown into jail.
I’ve made more than 20 donations in total - due to donate plasma again soon if I have time to go down for a few hours and watch a movie 
We also have the option of calling AFTER the donation and telling them not to use the blood - no questions asked.
Also, any health problems shown by the screening will be made known to the donor.