See subject line. I prefer to minimize the amount of time I spend with an uncomfortably large needle stuck in my arm, subject to the constraint that I not end up with any unpleasant aftereffects when the process is done (e.g. fainting). So how can I do this?
-I have tried the Valsalva maneuver, but if the plot on this Wikipedia page is correct, it appears blood pressure returns to normal a short time after beginning the maneuver.
-First aid for shock or blood loss calls for lying down and raising both legs to increase/preserve blood pressure in the abdomen and head. So during donation I have tried raising one knee so that the sole of that foot is flat on the bed, in the hopes that elevating my leg like that is enough to increase the blood pressure in my arm. Maybe this isn’t enough? Would I have to raise substantial portions of my body (e.g. both legs high up above my abdomen)?
I’m not sure whether either of these techniques speeds up the delivery of a pint of blood, but the good news is that I don’t seem to be suffering any aftereffects: never had any unpleasant symptoms after donating.
So are these things working? Whether they are or not, what else can I do?
I just gave blood a couple of days ago and it went very fast.
I walked to the donor centre from work, just five minutes or so. The nurse who did the haemoglobin check said I was ‘bleeding well’ and attributed that to the brief exercise.
I am thinking the variables here are pressure, but also pipe size. I have low blood pressure, AND have had multiple phlebotomists tell me “you have the smallest blood vessels I’ve ever seen,” and thus got to watch entire full-length movies in the course of blood donation. Thank god that due to an extended UK visit I am no longer eligible to donate. Anyway, ask if your veins are standard size. Maybe that is the problem.
I have tiny blood vessels and low blood pressure, and have had it take anywhere from five to thirty-five minutes to donate a pint. The two variables, as far as I can tell, are how hydrated I am and how good a stick they get. I can only control one of those, so I work on that. IME, drinking a bottle of water five minutes before donating is not useful; I need to start at least several hours before.
Also, last time I was in it went really fast (like under 10 mins) and I said “Oh, musta been because my blood pressure was on the high side today” and the phlebotomist said “nope, that doesn’t really make a difference.” I didn’t independently verify here statement but that’s what she does all day - I believe her.
I do to. When I used to sell my plasma my blood pressure was very consistent, but the time it took to donate would vary much more: maybe less than 45 minutes on a fast day, an hour and a half on a slow day. The two biggest variables I noticed were the quality of the stick and how hydrated I was (which was immediately apparent when they measured my hematocrit). I donated twice a week for several years, and I quickly learned to stay well hydrated if I wanted to be comfortable at the plasma center.
Last time I went to have blood drawn in a lab and was under-hydrated (I had to come back, it sucked) the lady told me to start hydrating the day before!
I have found that a constant flexation of the fingers in the arm I’m donating through speeds things up significantly. I usually do a simple rolling motion, closing the little finger first, with the others following to form a fist, and then opening the hand again. No force used, just a constant roll of the fingers. Given the blood is drawn from a vein, no increase in your arterial blood pressure is going to make any difference, but the local increase in venous flow due to the muscles in the forearm flexing is going to make a huge difference to the flow into the needle.
I have extremely low blood pressure but my donation time goes fast. I drink coffee ahead of time so they don’t refuse me. Not sure if it makes a diff or not.
This is also what I do to speed it up although I do use some force when making a fist. On occasions when I have been able to see the flow rate measurement while donating, the effect was quite pronounced and almost instantaneous.
My fastest donations are when I feel a bit anxious, presumably an effect of adrenaline.
Where I donate they give you a little piece of pipe to squeeze to speed things up. Not that I need it - I’m very fast. People next to me who start before me frequently are still there when I’m done. I really think you don’t have a lot of control over it - I’ve been fast for 40 years.
Drink lotsa water & eat something salty for breakfast - contrary to what a phlebotomist said in 1 answer, blood pressure absolutely makes a difference. It’s common sense; think of a garden hose - the harder you push the trigger, the more water comes out, the wetter ur lawn gets faster.
Also, exercise b4 donating - I used to bike to my donation centers, & b.p. was 150/90 upon arrival. If they think it’s too high they don’t automatically bump u - they recheck in 15 minutes & if it’s ok (I think it’s systolic < 180, diastolic < 100), ur good to go.
As others have already stated, the donation is from your veins, and so the difference in pressure there will be negligible, even if your arterial BP is a little high. And if your arterial BP is really high, you aren’t going to be donating because you’ll fail the health screening. “Ur” lawn and garden hose has nothing to do with it.
Drinking plenty of fluids prior to donation is going to help, as your veins will be nice and fat and the phlebotomist will be able to get a good stick. Squeezing your fist is the most helpful thing you can do during donation, because the muscle contractions will help move blood around in your arm. The stuff you’re doing during your donation, Machine Elf, won’t really do anything. They shouldn’t hurt you, either, unless the Valsalva starts making you dizzy - and if the phlebotomists see your eyes roll back they’ll be unplugging you in a flash! Trust me, these people collect a lot of blood, and the process has been studied to death and streamlined so it will be safer and faster and more efficient. The pre-donation instructions, and the instructions the phlebotomists give you during the process, are given because those things have been shown to work well.
troubledwater - when and where were you actually making a blood donation while watching a whole movie? Was it a whole blood donation, or was it platelets or plasma, or for research instead of transfusion? I ask because there are limits on how long the process of whole blood collection is allowed to take, both for donor safety and for the integrity of the unit collected.While I’ll have to look up the specific time in the rules, It’s much, much less than an hour and a half.
In Australia, it is 20 mins. I know, because I have run up against it a number of times - I’m a slooooow bleeder.
Drinking and the fist squeeze are the speeding up techniques recommended here, and they seem to work for me (well, they did before I was disallowed for the whole “mad cow” thing but that’s another story)
I used to donate platelets regularly, and this worked best for me. Not sure why rolling works better than squeezing, but it’s what the techs recommended, and did work better. When giving platelets, you can see the pressures and flow rates etc., and the impact is significant.
I’d still be doing it, but the effects of the citrate anticoagulant were getting to me. I did get my 10-gallon pin, though.
This is what I do. I pump my hand, opening and closing a fist, and tense my arm muscles in sync. Seems to do a pretty good job. Professional wrestlers do the same kind of thing to keep blood flowing out of minor cuts.
