donating blood

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I have only donated blood one time in the past due to a phobia of needles. Recently I have had an uncle become ill and requiring platelet transfusions. I get nervous and fidgety around needles. Have any of you with this phobia overcome it to donate platelets or blood? What helps to get you in the chair? I’m somewhat fidgety about the idea of needles. I’m thinking I could get over the actual fear, but due to my fidgeting it might help if the phlebotomist wrapped my arm to the donation chair. Do any of you donors out their have this done when you donate? Please reply with any tips you have. Thanks.

Also, since I’m a newbie to the board, I’m not sure if this is the right forum for this post. Please move to the appropriate location if necessary.

2

I donate blood a lot. It’s not bad. Just don’t look. Don’t look at the needle, don’t look when they stick it in your arm, don’t look after they’ve stuck.

You’ll do fine. Good Luck!

3

Welcome, sorry about you’re family.

As an RN and ex-donor, I’ve been on both ends of the needle many times, and I know that the facts of the situation often don’t affect your feelings. When I work with a real needle phobe I take an extra bit of time to talk them through some relaxation tech as I’m preparing, works wonders sometimes, sometimes not.

My advice would be to contact your local donation facility and explain that you really want to help your uncle and can they set you up with a staffer that handles needlephobes well, good luck.

4

Call the Red Cross and ask of it’s ok to donate while drunk. I’ve donated many times and I don’t recall any provision against it. Make sure someone else drives you to the donation site.

5

I’ve donated many times. I’m not a needle-phobe but I also don’t look. Most of the donation centers have TV and other distractions to relax you. Plus, there’s also the cookies. :slight_smile:

6

I don’t have a fear of needles but I dealt with a fear of donating platelets for 5 or 6 years before going back a month ago. I used to donate every 2 weeks for about 2 years until I had a very bad experience with a woman I suspect was drunk. I reported her and couldn’t bring myself to go back for years. I’d feel nauseated just at the idea of being hooked up.

I finally got myself back into that chair by convincing myself that I have a high platelet count and AB blood for a reason, and it’s not so I can let it circulate through my body only. My mother had surgery on one of her kidneys at the beginning of November and I couldn’t help but think that if something went wrong, there was nothing I could do for her. Actually, there’s nothing I can do for my sisters either as none of us has the same blood type. But, AB is the universal donor for plasma and with my platelet count over 400k, I felt I had to do something to help out someone.

It’s amazing how much a desire to help other people can get you to do something you REALLY don’t want to do.

I made myself an appointment and when I got there I was horrified to see that the woman who would be hooking me up was the same damn woman who caused me to be terrified of platelet donation. I stuck to it though. I was determined to get over my fear. By about 10 minutes into the process, the fear was gone.

I went back for my second appointment and had a different woman. I actually ended up having to do a single arm the second time (I prefer single arm but they don’t like doing it unless they have no other choice). I have my third appointment on Sunday.
If you can get over the fear of needles to get yourself into the chair, there are some things you can do to make yourself more comfortable.

Avoid citrus for a couple days before your appointment. I generally avoid all citrus starting at midnight Friday since my appointments are on Sundays. The reason for this is the citrate they use to keep stuff from clotting can make you feel very unpleasant. If you have been ingesting a lot of citrus, it just makes you feel worse. This was the cause of my issues all those years ago. Generally after the rest of your blood is back in your body, they take out the return line and purge the citrate into the trash. After an hour of mistakes causing me to feel like crap, this woman purged the machine with the return line still in my arm. I am already sensitive to the citrate so when that happened, I nearly passed out. I couldn’t get off my bed for over half an hour and wasn’t steady enough to drive for another hour after that. The tingling feeling in my lips didn’t go away for days.

They will offer you Tums during the donation process. If you feel any lip tingling, TAKE THE TUMS. The calcium in the Tums helps to counteract the icky feeling from the citrate. Since I know I have problems with it, I start my morning by taking 2 Tums before I even brush my teeth. Before I leave the house, I eat some yogurt and a glass of milk. In the car, I will generally have 2 more Tums about 15 minutes before I get there. Once I’m hooked up, I pay close attention to how my lips feel because that’s typically the first indicator that you need Tums.

Dress comfortably. I typically wear a long sleeved shirt but it’s easiest when the sleeves are loose. I wear fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm. I wear sweatpants, warm socks, and slip on shoes. I always take my shoes off before I get on the bed. You can sit how you’re comfortable. Most people keep their legs outstretched. I have my legs crossed indian-style. If they offer you a heating pad, take it. You may not need it at the start but there’s a damn good chance you’ll be cold before too long and it’s a pain to try and get it under you when you’re hooked up. You can ask for a blanket at any time but I like to get it before I’m hooked up so I can position it how I like it.

I bring my iPod and listen to audiobooks. If you do this, make sure you have the book where you want and playing before they put the iodine stuff on your arms because they really don’t like you to move your arms after that. You can watch the movie they show, or not. The one I go to has 4 TVs so there’s a good chance you can have them put on the news or some other show if you want. But, there’s usually only one movie going at a time.

Talk to the workers. They’re very nice. If you’re nervous, tell them. They see needle-phobes all the time. I like to watch the machine doing it’s thing and I like to ask questions about what the machine is doing and they’re always ready to explain it to me.

I think that’s it. Oh, there’s another thing. When you’re done, if you feel like you’re craving something - eat it. For some reason, I always crave red meat when I’m done. Sometimes I’ll have a hamburger, sometimes I’ll have steak. But, the few times when I didn’t fulfill the craving, I ended up feeling like crap within a few hours.

7

If you do decide to give platelets a try, call them beforehand. They may want you to come in for a sample so they can get your platelet count. If it’s too low, they may not let you donate. The level will determine how many units you donate. I give 3 units of platelets. On a single arm, it takes me about 115 minutes, which is just under the 2 hour maximum they can keep you hooked up. On a double arm, it takes me about an 45-60 minutes.

So you know what you’re in for:

When you get there, they’ll take you into a private room and go through the whole questionnaire with you. It covers all the usual questions; have you paid for sex, have you used needle drugs, have you lived outside of the country, etc.

If you pass that step, they’ll check your iron level. If it’s too low, you’re out. They do this with a needle stick.

They’ll check your arms to make sure that your veins are good and they’ll figure out which arm will be the out and which will be the in. They may take your picture to put in your file.

They’ll bring you out to your chair and get you comfortable. If your arms aren’t comfortable before the needles go in, they absolutely wont be comfortable when you’re done so make sure you’re happy with your positioning.

They’ll ask if you’re allergic to the stuff they use to sanitize your arms. I don’t think it’s iodine but I could be wrong.

They’ll put the cuff on and have you squeeze a stress ball thing so they can get the vein to pop up. When they figure out where they want to put the needle, they’ll mark it with pen and then sanitize your arm.

The out needle goes in first. They take a sample of blood and then crimp off part of the line so that they blood goes only toward the machine. Then the in line goes in.

The whole blood comes out and travels through the line to the machine, where it’s separated into platelets, plasma, and blood. You will continue squeezing the stress ball thing throughout the process. You can stop but not for long. You wont be able to see the platelets because they are kept inside the machine. But, the plasma bag is hanging up and you can watch it fill up. Apparently you can tell how someone’s cholesterol is, or whether they’re on birth control, based on the color of their plasma. Mine is a fairly clear yellow.

The red blood cells and a small amount of the citrate go back into your body. This process continues until either you freak out and make them stop it early, or when your unit is done. If there are problems, they may need to stop it early anyway so if you have someone picking you up, make sure you can contact them if you need to leave early.
If you have to do one arm for some reason, you only have one line put in. Instead of just the plasma bag hanging up, you have a plasma and a blood bag. The blood comes out and is separated, with the RBCs going into the blood bag. Then the machine swaps over to return and your RBCs go from the bag back into your body. You have a bulb to squeeze (like the bulb on a blood pressure cuff) but you ONLY squeeze on the out cycle. The bulb will deflate when you’re not supposed to squeeze.

So, I think that’s it. I can’t tell you much about donating blood because I’ve only done it twice. It’s a hell of a lot shorter process and can only be done every 8 weeks (maybe 6?). Platelets can be given every 2 weeks.

8

Thanks for the replies everyone. I’ll call my blood bank today and ask if they would strap my arm to the armrest. I think it’s my fidgeting that I’m worried about more than the actual needle.

9

People say “don’t look when they stick it it your arm”" all the time and it always amazes me that anyone would think this is good advice. The one and only time I looked away, I ended up jumping when I was stuck, spritzing blood everywhere, so they had to start again on the other side.

If I watch, I know the exact moment that I should expect the pinch. And that’s pretty much all it feels like: a pinch.

10

I’ve been donating platelets for years and have never been told to avoid citrus and have never had any problems eating citrus before and after. I’ll ask my sister and cousin (also regular platelet donors) but I’ve never heard of such a thing.

You would be eliminated as a platelet donor here if you normally had such adverse reactions to the anticoagulant. The anticoagulation can be adjusted somewhat, but if you’re react so bad that you have trouble driving for an hour afterwards and tingling lips for days, you will be encouraged to be a whole blood donor instead. That is really, really not normal.

11

I’ve donated whole blood about a dozen times with no problem. However, I cannot bear the thought of having my blood filtered and then put back in - I have visions of the cells being damaged while they go through machines, so I don’t want them back.

12

But that’s how you develop your latent mutant, super-powers! I figure when I hit the 100 milestone, I’ll be able to fly!
P.S. It’s not filtered, it’s just spun around, so your red cells go one way and your platelets the other. Kind of like how you can get a roundabout really spinning fast in a playground, so that all the little kids fly off.

13

Sounds like the incident causing the reaction was really, really not normal either; the tech dumped a line full of anticoagulant into her arm after she was done donating. I can’t imagine that would feel too great for anyone, let alone someone who’s sensitive to it in the first place.

14

I was responding more to the “don’t eat citrus, I have to stop eating it two days before.” The anticoagulant should not make you feel “very unpleasant”.

In any case, “purging the machine with the line still in your arm” sounds weird too. It’s a closed system of tubes and bags. There no need to purge any lines, because not a single thing is re-used. When you’re done, they pull out all the tubing out of the machine and discard it, bags and all, as biohazardous waste. If there is a problem with your line, they can abort, throw out the tubes they started with, reload fresh tubes and start again. They don’t drain the bags, they just unhook them and get rid of them.

I’ve been hooked up to three different machines (each newer than the last) and even the oldest legacy machine was done that way. In the newer machines, you do see your platelets, they are not kept in the machine they go to a collection bag that hangs next to the other IV stuff. They are almost schoolbus yellow.

15

Here are a couple pics of typical apheresis set ups. The first is the two-arm hook-up, the second is a one-arm hook-up. And this is what the system of tubes looks like when it’s loaded into the machine (note I’ve never seen a machine that still uses glass components, it’s probably an older machine).

The number of bags you’ll see hanging will depend on what they’re collecting. On the machines I’m hooked up to, there are usually three or four bags as part of the closed system, and then the IV bag that has the anticoagulant. The other bags are platelet collection, plasma collection, red cell collection, and an extra bag used for priming. Sometimes there are extra platelet collection bags. Not all of the bags are used (ETA: for example, they don’t collect red cells at the apheresis place I go to).

If you look at the one-arm pic, the guy has the anti-coag IV on the far left and either plasma or platelets on the far right.

16

Swallowed my Cellphone:

I should have specified that the citrus thing isn’t a requirement, it just helps if you have unpleasant reactions.

You are correct that really unpleasant is not a normal reaction and it nearly did stop me from donating. When I first started donating, I had a few instances where I actually had to stop the procedure because of the reaction I had from the citrate. One of the ladies sat down with me and we went over possible causes of my reactions. We determined that I needed less citrus in my system. I stopped eating/drinking citrus 2 days before donating and my reactions became so much more manageable. I added more calcium to my diet and they became almost normal. There was nothing wrong with me that a change in my diet couldn’t fix (actually that sounds like a lot of my problems). I still have a lot of citrus in my diet, just not the 2 days before.

I didn’t mean the platelets are IN the machine, like moving around in the machine. I meant the bag they are in is in the machine.When I’m done, they remove 2 bags from the machine. One is big and is filled a clearish darkish yellowish fluid. This bag hangs above the machine. The other is flat and the contents look milky yellow and viscous. This bag comes from inside the machine. I thought those were the platelets and the other was the plasma. I might have them backwards. It’s been about 9 years since I first asked what everything was.

I’ve actually always wondered why they purge the line, since all they’re going to do is throw it away. All I can say is that every single time (well, except that once) they have removed the return line from my arm and then tipped it into the trash to squirt out clear liquid. I have no idea if they do it differently in other places, I can only say this has been my experience in the 2 Red Cross branches I have gone to. I’ll ask them why on Sunday. That one time is why I stopped donating for 5 or 6 years. There’s a difference between the really unpleasant feelings from when I first started, and the OH MY GOD I’M GONNA DIE feeling I had from that experience.

17

Yes, I understood. What I was saying is that nowadays the collection bags are all external. But since I made that post, I emailed EC, who also donates platelets form time to time, and was informed that the really old machines used to have the baggie inside the machine. For me, that was so long ago, that I don’t even remember such a thing and I’ve been donating for years. The collection bags on current machines are as they appear in the pics I linked to - all kept hanging outside the box.

That sounds positively horrific! That’s really not allowed here, I don’t think. Everything is totally contained, always. When your donation is done, they have this small heat crimping iron thing to pinch the tubes shut and heat seal them closed so that not a drop of any kind of liquid ever escapes the closed system. Then the tubing is all discarded.

ETA: The newer machines are also faster, even the single lines. So 2 hours is pretty long with today’s machines, even for a slow donor. It sounds like the Red Cross clinics you’ve gone to have been stuck with the older gear.

18

I’ve had some hinkiness about needles, not so much feeling them as seeing them. I learned the moments to look away, so I don’t see the thing. When they remove it, the device pulls the needle back into a sheath so you don’t see it then.

Take a book or magazine you can hold with one hand. That way you don’t have to think about that thing in your arm.

Drink a lot of water before you go; it makes your vein easier to find.

The main thing, though, is to think, “I can endure this little inconvenience for a little while, and it’ll save somebody’s life.”

19

Citrate binds calcium, and if your blood calcium (specifically CA2+) gets too low, you can have problems, including tingling. Calcium carbonate (antacid tablets) and other calcium sources can help bring your blood calcium up if you are adversely affected by citrate. When I used to draw blood for labs with someone who was nervous, I’d make small talk with them and only pause briefly to insert the needle into the vein. It helped them and me.

20

At the College St. location back in 2005 they had the Old Machines and the Really Old Machines. They both got phased out and now they have the New Machines that have the flip top where the computer screen is in the lid, and the New-New Machines. I was never on the Really Old Machines, but I remember they used to pull open the bottom drawer to remove IV-like bags at the end of the run. I have been told that the double-arm machines are Really REALLY Old Machines that by 2005, were too obsolete for use here. Edit: THey probably work well enough, so I would assume they’re still used SOMEWHERE. Blood Services didn’t have them around at all by 2005, so I’ve never even seen one.

On the Old Machines I would take a solid two hours for a single platelet donation, due to my small size and platelet count. However, I would not use that as a guideline for any prospective donors because it does NOT reflect the typical donation experience where they are using up-to-date equipment. On the current machines, both the New Machines and the New-New Machines, my donation is usually 51 minutes and I suffer no side effects.

As for oogy, the Old Machines didn’t bother me, but I never got along well with the New Machines with the flip tops. The returns were too fast and by the last rinseback I’d feel rather ill. I can totally vouch for congodwarf there. Roxie made a note in my chart so they’d avoid ever putting me on that machine again and said they avoid using them because other donors had complained too. They could dial down the antigoagulant, which helped, but the return was still too fast and after the final one at the end it felt like my innards were vibrating.

Yes, this is normal during apheresis. Tingling around the lips is most common and chewing Tums usually improves it. However the extent to which congodwarf is describing his/her discomfort would likely result in an aborted run here. As mentioned above, with me on the flip-top machines, I was feeling a lot more than the usual “buzzing lips” and they nearly aborted my run during the last ten minutes out of concerns that I was having an adverse reaction to the anticoagulant. An aborted run would kill the donation, so since I was almost ready to come off the machine anyway, they just observed. I believe that an adverse reaction to the anticoagulant can include cramping as well. Edit: while I did not feel crampy or nauseous, on that particular model of machine I did not feel well AT ALL toward the end of the run. However I was fine about 20 minutes after I was unhooked and had my juice and cookie.

Responding to the OP:
The best way to put up with the needles stick is to remind yourself that the recipient is likely putting up with a whole lot more and probably doesn’t have a choice about it. I also DO look at the needle because I don’t like the surprise stick, but I pinch the top of my ear as they do it so the needle poke doesn’t bother me as much. I have no issues with needles, but the sight of my blood coursing through tubes makes me queasy, so I have them cover my arm with a blanket so I can’t see it.