I would like to know why I was not able to fill even a pint of blood when I tried to donate. I was very cold, would that matter?
Are you a zombie, or a robot?
Why not both? You got something against zombots?
I find that if I don’t really, really hydrate myself before going, I have a lot of trouble filling the bag. I have low blood pressure and tend not to drink that much on a normal day.
Not at all. In fact, some of my closest friends are zombots.
Makes sense – I know that it’s recommended that you make certain to drink lots of water on the day you go to donate.
Most likely you went a little bit into shock. That reduced your blood flow.
My father was never able to give a pint of blood despite repeated attempts. That is he wouldn’t fill a bag in a certain amount of time and the Red Cross had a time limit on how long they wanted you to try. He was told some people just have difficulty. I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t know if the reason they don’t want you to try is you’re tying up one table too long.
It’s worse than that, you’re dead jen.
It’s worse than that. You’re dead, jennoclem.
Even zombies appreciate proper grammar.
experienced donor here. with my b negative blood (second rarest) they’re forever calling me to donate. i think i’m to four gallons or something now.
drinking water does keep your veins from shrinking, which is generally the main culprit behind people not being able to donate. the large bore needle has to go in just right, or it ends up against the vein wall. that can be a real owie *and *trash your attempt to donate if your veins have condensed.
as mentioned if you want to donate that day, you will have to drink far more water than you’re apparently accustomed to - beginning pretty much the day before. low blood pressure can also hinder donations as well as a bad stick.
the pre-screen will determine if your BP is good enough, so no worries there.
good luck next time.
I have difficulty even giving a small vial of blood for a blood test. My blood pressure drops, and the blood just stops flowing. I’ve been told this is a pretty common reaction. Have you ever given blood before?
Conjugate “braaaiiinnns…”.
Me too. If I’m a little dehydrated before a blood test the nurses have a really tough time with both finding a vein and drawing enough blood, but if I have a bottle or two of water before it’s much less of a problem.
Pshaw, whole blood’s for amateurs :-).
Experienced plasma-seller here (880 ml, twice a week), confirming that hydration helps A LOT to keep your juice flowing. As Scuba mentioned starting the day before is key if you’re body’s not used to being drained.
I get blood tests every few months. Two cycles ago, the nurse commented that I probably didn’t drink much that morning. So I asked my sister, who happens to be a certified phlebotomist. She confirmed that everyone here seems to be saying - it makes a big difference.
I also have trouble after having blood drawn. It seems like a blood sugar drop. I’ve learned to take an orange juice with me, and I drink it before sitting up. (Yes, I lie down to get blood drawn…it keeps the nurse from having to catch me.) Since I started this protocol, I’ve been much better. 
Was somebody watching you? I can’t donate when someone’s watching.
My veins collapse. Every. Single. Time.
I’m a very bad stick. Blood tests, IVs - whatever - they have to stick me 2,3,4 times to get what they need.
And I hate needles.
Sucks to be me.