Yep. It’s that time again.
The blood is gushing out like there’s no tomorrow.
I’m sore and cranky and just want it to be done and over with.
I don’t know why this happens all the time.
Yes, boys and girls, Ginger gave blood today. It’s been too long since I have, since I couldn’t donate while living in the frozen north. When I am in proximity of a blood clinic, I am there every 56 days. They like me, I’m O rh Positive, and lots of people can use my blood. Plus, I’m not a crack-whore or anything, so that helps.
So. Who here willingly gives their blood to Canadian Blood Services, or to the Red Cross, or blood-collecting agency of choice? Gives being the operative word here. We hear stories up here about how our American friends sell blood - that’s not legal here. Although they did give me a nice sub, juice and cookies.
It was a pretty good trade, methinks!
And I’m on the Unrelated Bone Marrow Doner Registry as well, and I matched someone on my first for HLA’s (Human Lucocyte Antogens) and I had to go in for additional testing, and, and… Well thats it. I havn’t heard anything back yet, however I might donate Bone Marrow.
I would give blood more often, but my fear of needles induces unconsciousness more often than not. They need my blood, just like Persephone, since I’m O Positive, so I do my part.
Me me me me me. O+ as well. For a long time I couldn’t give due to medications I was on. Now I give fairly regularly. I may temporarily disqualify myself - I’m hoping to go to Egypt next February, and I may be getting a tattoo at some point, both of which I think DQ me for 6 months.
I’m not going back in for a while, having just finished the antibiotic cycle for Lyme disease (&@^^# ticks), but I usually give fairly often. They provide subs and/or pizza at some places? All I ever get is a cookie and a cup of juice!
Also, I believe in America it is illegal to sell blood as well (I’ve never seen an opportunity to sell it, anyway). But you can legally sell plasma (they put the blood cells back into when done extracting the plasma).
I try to give. Really, I do. But my veins have other ideas.
The last three times I attempted to give blood, my vein collapsed when the bag was less than half full.
I have only successfully been able to give twice before. Quite a few years ago, now that I think of it.
The very last time I tried, I told the lady it had happened before, and she said maybe I just wasn’t good blood giving material. I’m O rh Positive, as well. sigh
Thanks for reminding me-I belive I just finished the window in which I could not donate due to some overseas travel to a developing country that I did for work. Hopefully it’s only a 6-month thing and not a year, because I’ve got trips to rural Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Hong Kong scheduled during the rest of the year.
I think they’re doing a blood drive downtown one day this week or next-I’ll make sure to stop in and give them some of my O-.
I am petrified of giving blood. I just can’t do it, no matter how badly I want to. Funny, since I regularly stick needles in animals jugular veins, but don’t come near me with so much as an insulin syringe if you plan on poking it in my vein. Plus, I always seem to have a new tattoo, which prevents me from donating. My grandfather just had two blood transfusions in the last month and a half, so I feel particularly bad about my phobia right now. (not just saying I have a phobia, I really do…I come close to passing out whenever I need to have blood drawn, and my pressure skyrockets. I’ve scared a lot of doctors this way).
I’m up to 37 (I think) pints (or, in bloodbankese “units”) - closing in on 5 gallons. I’m A+ and try to give every time the Bloodmobile is either at my work or my church (usually within a week of each other, so I have to pick one). We usually get OJ, or a soft drink, and a cookie. The drive leader at work often has handmade (ceramic or sewn) goodies. The good stuff comes from the blood bank for each gallon. A couple prizes I’ve earned include a little insulated soft-side lunch box, and, at 4 gallons, 4 etched (with the blood bank logo) drinking glasses. BTW, our main blood bank here is the Florida-Georgia Blood Alliance, which keeps nearly all the blood local. A minor issue arose recently when the Red Cross started collecting blood here - FGBA fears it will dilute the already small pool of donors, and the Red Cross sends blood all over the place (it is said).[sub]Please, don’t anyone have any visions of a diluted pool of blood, just don’t even get that image in your brain…[/sub]
Posters just went up at work - vampire bus on site Aug. 29 (or whatever that Wednesday is).
I rarely give whole blood, but I donate platelets as often as I can. Giving platelets takes about twice as long as giving whole blood, and both arms have to be immobilized for it. It’s not fun at all.
Ginger, I’m also O positive. I knew we belonged together!
I’ve always wanted to give blood, too, but every drive I’ve had the option to participate in has had the worst timing in the world. During HS, they were always on game days or during my period. Senior year, I’d had my wisdom teeth removed about a week and half earlier and still had sutures in and was taking antibiotics. Here at college, the bus shows up every month, right in the middle of my period. And this bus gives you a shirt that says I saved Kenny! I want one so badly but I seem fated to not give blood.
Kelvin, I think 17 is the legal age in Texas because, as I mentioned, my HS hosted blood drives and I remember classmates giving during Junior year. It may depend on where you live.
