Spinoff: Do you donate blood?

[Cinderella94]

I get what you're saying and I think it's a ridiculous rule also but by donating blood you are helping individuals not the organization.

Be angry at the organization all you want but please continue to help those of us that do need the blood that aren't prejudiced. (I know you don't choose who your blood goes to, obviously, but you get what I'm saying).

 

[onelilspark]

Wow. I'm shocked to find out gay men can't donate. How silly.

I can't for my own safety, I've got a VSD, which means that if I do get an infection in my bloodstream from donating blood in a less than sterile environment, I have a harder time fighting it off than most people...or something like that. But yeah, can't donate blood. Rule might have changed, but the possibility that I could die if I donate blood scares me. Sooooo no.

 

[akcire]

As a very healthy B+, I donated every 60 days for 10+ years (Every year I was invited to a thank you dinner and given the latest mug, t-shirt, jacket, etc). At one point I was even doing direct donations to a leukemia patient at our local Children's hospital--the oncologist used to call me his favorite bleeder. Then I got cancer (sucks) and had radiation. I can no longer donate.

I am off of the "regular" call list at the donation center, but I still know when they get really low because then even I get a call. I just remind the employee of the lovely medical note, identifying my body as a toxic waste dump. Bah, to cancer!

For those of you who maybe considering donation, a really cool benefit is that the calories your body spends replacing the blood with regular donation is equal to about 2 lbs of weight a year. So let me tell you, blood donation nights were a good excuse to eat a second helping of dessert (or help to maintain a healthy weight, if you want to be all grown up about it).

 

[Captain Hindsight]

I have the very valuable O- coursing through my veins... And my local blood bank knows it, only because I did donate once before finding out that they do not accept blood from homosexuals. Now I'm not gay, but I refuse to help out any organization that would discriminate like that. They call me multiple times a month asking if I could come in to donate blood. I tell them that I am gay, and ask them if it is a problem, which of course I know will be. Then I tell em to talk to the people at the top and give me a call when they can get their heads out of their nether regions!

I get what you're saying and I think it's a ridiculous rule also but by donating blood you are helping individuals not the organization.

I'm hoping that by not donating blood it will get them at least thinking about how rediculous their rules are, if it can get them on a phone to lobby the higher ups then even better! Guess you could call it a passive-agressive approach to blood donation!

 

[m&m's mom]

I had skin cancer and just had to wait until I had it removed and I was good-to-go.
I have donated every 8 weeks for years and years. I allow myself one day past the Eligible Donation to have it done. I go in on the website and it tells me next eligibility date.
After my DD was born 16 weeks early and initially was unable to make her own blood, I sure was glad I had donated to so many over the years since my DD needed it.

I have a hint for others saying they have difficulty donating. Start a few days before drinking very large amounts of water. This plumps up the veins and make it easier to donate.

 

[kmccain]

Seeing all the people that have needed blood and want to donate but can't, i am glad i donate every 60 days. I sign up for the next time after every donation.

I have been donating steady for almost 13 years now and often before that. Luckily i never had any trouble donating.

I lose a pound every time!

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

i'm not allowed to because i have an auto-immune disease, but i admire those who do.

I was going to post the exact same thing!!

 

[lakelandgal70]

Have you ever donated blood, or do you donate on a regular basis?

I used to donate every once in a while - not regularly, but probably once a year. I also donated plasma a few times. Then in 2007 I needed a blood transfusion after having my daughter. I'm eligible to donate again, but I still haven't since. (ETA: I also had another baby in 2010, so my eligibility has been on and off.)

My dad donates blood every 60 days.

I have in the past but I would never donate now. I have chronic lyme and other infections and the thought of even a remote chance of passing that on in my blood makes me ill.

 

[disfan07]

I would but I'm not allowed to. Combination of meds I'm on plus some of the illnesses I have plus the one's that they are still trying tp diagnose... The only time I have donated was when I donated to myself before my brain surgery.

Also, my doctors are not thrilled with the thought of me donating in general....I have so much blood drawn on a regular basis that they just don't think it would be the best idea for me to donate anyways but that's a moot point since i'm not eligible right now as it is

 

[MattsPrincess]

Nope, never met the requirement. The one time I actually weighed enough, I had just gotten a tattoo. And now i've lost weight and no longer meet it again.

 

[mhsjax]

I would love to, I have great veins and needles don't bother me, but that darn hepatitis just gets in the way. I would also love to sing up for bone marrow, but again, they don't want me and I can understand why.

 

[MP2002]

Taking this chance to say thanks to all of you folks who donate.....I get an infusion every 3 weeks of a product taken from plasma and it takes a boatload of people to supply so thanks very much to all you generous folks!!!

 

[fairestoneofall]

i don't because i get quite ill when i do.

i had to donate autologous for surgery when i was younger and i fainted. i ended up pretty ill for a day or two.

when i was a few years old, i donated through work. and again, i got quite ill after the fact (my boss sent me home because i was "green" and then got physically ill). i felt terrible for a few days that time.

i wish i could donate. but i just can't handle how ill i get when i do.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

i don't because i get quite ill when i do.

i had to donate autologous for surgery when i was younger and i fainted. i ended up pretty ill for a day or two.

when i was a few years old, i donated through work. and again, i got quite ill after the fact (my boss sent me home because i was "green" and then got physically ill). i felt terrible for a few days that time.

i wish i could donate. but i just can't handle how ill i get when i do.

My DH gets ill from even getting his blood drawn, so donating is completely out of the question. The doctor once told him it's an overactive vaso-vagal response.

 

[Temporaryname]

I thought I remembered instances of people supposedly catching Mad Cow disease from stepping in cow feces. Something about it becoming airborne maybe and people having their shoes checked at airports? Maybe that later was found to be false, but I remember something like this in the news.

That's hoof and mouth disease -- something that's devastating to cattle but not contagious to humans.

Mad Cow is caused by eating cows who contracted it by eating sheep brains and spinal cords. It's one of the reasons why "grass fed" or vegetarian fed beef is so popular now.

I can't donate because I lived in England, even though, ironically, I was 100% vegetarian the whole time. So I'm confident that I don't have Mad Cow (or rather Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, the human form) but I still tell the truth and get kicked out.

 

[shellabell]

I donate platelets every few months at City of Hope. Started doing it before my aunt was diagnosed with cancer but realized the importance much more after.

 

[gk90]

I'd love to, but I'm anemic (my iron level is usually around 9, even with supplements, and the minimum level is apparently 12). I've tried 2x - take my supplements as usual and have a steak-and-spinach dinner the night before, and still I get turned away.
My DFi has excellent blood, however, and donates platelets every 3-4 weeks.

To everyone with anemia issues: there's a high iron food that tastes fine, is easy to eat and nobody has mentioned it yet: breakfast cereal! Total and Multi-grain Cheerios have 100%of the iron RDA, and Post Vanilla Almond Shredded Wheat has 80%. There's another brand of maple frosted shredded wheat that has 90% (maybe Maypo...I used to buy it at Dollar Tree)
I found out that I had anemia when I went in to give blood one time and found out that my hg level was 7! Eating cereals was one thing that got my levels back to 14-15.
So if you have anemia don't bother with spinach or meat--there are other foods far richer in iron. Breakfast cereals are the highest, then clams and oysters (which I love, but lots of people don't)
http://www.uhs.uga.edu/nutrition/iron.html

Yes. I try to do it a few times a year. Last month I gave a 'double donation'. It was really cool. The blood came out, was seperated into 3 parts and then the plasma went back into my vein. That happened 3 times and took about 30 minutes. They get a double batch of red blood cells. I have to wait 120 or so days until I can do it again. You also have to be a certain height and weight.

I've done platelets + double donation simultaneously a few times and while it feels good to know you're saving a life, it takes me forever, over 2 hours.

I'm from the UK too, so no one wants my blood

The hospital team that comes in to my workplace for blood drives won't take my blood--I was born in London in the 60s but haven't spent more than a week in the UK since the early 70s. The major blood network where I live does take my blood, though. They used to call all the time--I wish they would spend more time and resources in finding new donors rather than hounding their regular donors. It got to the point where I would dread seeing "Blood Center" on the caller ID, DH and I would joke "they're after our blood again!" He used to be a regular donor but had a bad reaction one time after giving platelets, maybe I should remind him to give blood again.

Right now I'm on deferral--I had surgery in October, they had to replace a ruptured elbow ligament with donor tissue. When the blood center called and I told them about it they said not to donate for a year.

 

[disykat]

I'm O- so I used to donate.

It was fine until one time I unexpectedly passed out - multiple times. I was at the blood bank thankfully, not a mobile unit or the church blood drive! They almost had to call an ambulance but I was able to walk out of there. It was a little traumatic. Now, even having a little bit of bloodwork done makes me woozy.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

I do not because I have a terrible fear of needles. Otherwise I would not have a problem with it.