Does Anyone Donate Blood?

[VRBeauty]

Date: 1/29/2010 12:28:40 AM
Author: choro72

I haven''t donated in the US because I don''t make the weight limit. I hate been short. Are they strict about it? I should go in and see if they will make an exception. I do want to try platelets, but my friend who does it regularly always have to take the afternoons off. I can''t afford to lose time like that...

My local blood bank no longer has a weight limit... you might want to see whether yoir BB has changed its policies too. Once upon a time the weight limit used to get me about every other visit, but that changed long before the policy changed!

I donate when I can and when I think of it. I''ve never had a memorably bad experience. Most of my family cannot donate for one reason or another, but I can so I do.

 

[honey22]

Date: 1/30/2010 2:26:29 PM
Author: swimmer

Date: 1/29/2010 11:49:40 PM

Author: honey22

As a side note, don''t you guys in the US get paid for your donations?



Anyhoo, in Australia, we don''t get paid, we just do it for the warm and fuzzies

. Due to health reasons, we are only allowed to donate whole blood every three months, but can do platelets and sera every two weeks I believe (they filter your blood through a special machine that returns your red blood cells back to you and take other components).

Honey, it is exactly the same in the US, we give simply for the warm fuzzies. We call it ''donate'' because we give it for free. I have met several AUS and Kiwis who thought we get paid for blood in the US, they were planning on selling their blood to pay for gas...obviously that plan did not work! I wonder where that crazy idea came from! Some places pay a tiny amount for plasma because there is more risk involved, but even that is rare in my experience.


My dad is a universal donor, so he gives a ton, he calls it the easiest weight loss trick ever. He does get a bit huffy that they offer to send a car for him now that he is a senior citizen! too funny, so he walks part-ways there just to prove that he isn''t an old codger.


I got malaria years ago volunteering in West Africa, so can''t give anymore, but thank those of you who can who go through the discomfort and time commitment to do so! How often can you save a life in just an hour? Bravo to you all.

Oh that''s interesting Swimmer! I didn''t know that. I have seen quite a few "american" movies where people get paid to donate blood, and I guess I just got the idea from there? I think it''s a common misconception here, maybe a lot of other Aussies and NZanlders thought the same thing? I didn''t mean to imply that Aussies were better people for donating for free, whether you get paid for it or not, it''s still a wonderful thing to do!!!

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Wow! I had no idea there would be so many replies to this thread! How wonderful that so many of you take time to donate. I''m also surprised at how many type O- there are here! That''s great!

You''ve all convinced me to continue to donate. At my office they always have signs posted that say "Donation takes about 45 minutes beginning with paperwork and ending with juice and cookies." My donations usually take closer to an hour and a half since I have to spend so much time lying down waiting to feel normal. I hate that our blood drives are in the morning. I have to feel crumby all day after I donate. Maybe I''ll see if I can convince FI to go sometime this week.

I love being part of such a wonderful community full of caring people.

 

[MagsyMay]

I used to donate years ago, but after passing out a good 3-4 times, I gave up. My blood goes out super fast (despite me having REALLY low blood pressure), so they always make me wait 30 minutes and try to send me on the way but it usually takes a little more than that for my body to recognize the blood is all gone and react accordingly.

The last time in college they made me leave and I felt the dizziness coming on and tried to get the teacher to have someone help me out, get me water, something... And I passed out cold from a standing position and cracked my head open on a desk!

So after another bad experience at my church where I ended up vomiting, passed out, etc... I gave up!

 

[wsu12]

I donate blood like clock work every 56 days. I have done this for the past 3 years. Not once have I had a bad reaction or has anything negative happened. I would not hesitate to recommend blood donation to other healthy adults.

I have also done a direct platelet donation. This was a much longer process and to be honest is not something that I was interested in doing again. It was just the time frame that was an issue (It was nearly 3 hours from start to finish for me)and had nothing to do with the actual donation process.

 

[Alienor]

I was raised in Europe so I am banned to donate blood in the US. This is due to the mad cow disease. When I will move back home, I will start to donate on a regular basis.

 

[radiantquest]

I like to donate. I have been doing it since high school. I am O+ and they say that it can be used on anyone and really appreciate my donating. I do have a hard time sometimes because I keep doing things that prevent me from being allowed to donate. I have been told a few times I couldn''t donate because of a tattoo in the last 12 months and I was also unable to donate for a while because of a medication I was taking. I am now free of things that should prevent my donating.

I do get a little light headed so I usually take a juice box and some crackers with me. They usually provide cookies too. I am looking forward to the next drive.

 

[Elmorton]

Are people getting confused about donating plasma in the US? That''s different - definitely paid. I knew people who did it for a quick buck in college. Plasma is apparently a little bit painful though and takes a lot longer than a simple blood donation.

I''ve never donated blood - when I turned 18, I got a tattoo, so that took me out of the running for a year, and then I couldn''t do it because of international travel. A year ago last winter, I wanted to donate blood, but when I got there, I had low iron. It totally freaks me out, even though I know it''s not a big deal.

My DH donates blood (well, now platelets) regularly. He always goes in late mornings on days where he works in the evening, so he jokes about how it''s just him and the senior citizens watching soap operas for an hour.

 

[oobiecoo]

I''ve never done it. In high school I was slightly below the weight limit and when I finally weighed enough I just didn''t feel comfortable donating. I often "crash" from low blood sugar even though I''m not diabetic or hypoglycemic or anything like that and just don''t want to chance it. I''ve had to bring my friend home more than once after she passed out while giving blood. I also have really small veins and bruise terribly.

I think if you can do it and it doesn''t affect your well being in any way at all then its great!

 

[VRBeauty]

Date: 1/30/2010 9:10:51 PM
Author: VRBeauty

My local blood bank no longer has a weight limit... you might want to see whether yoir BB has changed its policies too. Once upon a time the weight limit used to get me about every other visit, but that changed long before the policy changed!

OOPS! I was wrong. My blood bank still has a minimum weight requirement (110 lbs.). They used to have a minimum blood pressure requirement that''s been removed.

 

[Patiently_Waiting]

I donate at least 3-4 times a year. SO donates with me. I love being able to help out those in need with only a small bit of my time and some minor discomfort. I will continue to do so as long as I am able, even though I still despise needles

 

[partgypsy]

It''s great to hear of so many people donating or trying to donate, it''s literally the lifeblood of hospitals. In college I donated, then went back again about six months later to donate but was too anemic not only could not donate but that I neede to go to a doctor. I had to take some ungodly dose of iron every day for 3 months to get my blood up. That''s when the doctor said I should not donate blood because of being so prone to anemia. I didn''t really notice any bad effects the time I donated, just that it took a long time; there were multiple people who came in after me who finished before I did.