Thread: Giving Blood..

Originally Posted by slug_burner

I too am a mad cow candidate so have not donated for many years.

Good on you for giving it a go. Get back in there and see if some prep will make a difference.

I did not have issues at the time of the visit but on a few occasions had some pain around the site from where they stuck the needle in. I put it down to the nurse's technique and a small issue given the community benefit.

Sometimes it may not be the nurses technique but the bedside assistants needle removal methods. If they press ont he cotton ball before they take the needle out they can cause it to come out rough if I remember rightly (used to be a volunteer way back when). I only had one person fade out, everyone else was fine especially if you kept them nattering

I used to donate but unfortunatly have crossed over to recieving both blood and organs so cant donate whole blood or organs now but still get called help when the bank is short of factor 12 a plasma product

I have been donating for years.

Recently, a bout of illness required a few blood tests. First lot was fine, but then the Doc wanted to check something else.

Had 1 vial pulled from my right arm, until that stopped flowing, and then next from my left. They still needed to get a third one, but the collection centre is only allowed to stick you twice, evidently.

Got up to leave, and did a lovely 180 degree spin, with the nurse catching me & pushing me towards the bed to lay down. I actually felt like I was going into shock.

Basically, I hadn't been eating or drinking for a few days, pancreatitis will do that to you, and it all caught up with me. Biggest problem was, I couldn't drive, so had to ring the kids & get them to walk. Of course, the rain started bucketing down at that point... oh well... they needed a wash anyway...

Originally Posted by uninformed

There is a reason you can donate plasma every 2 week's and whole blood every 6...... Drink plenty of water in the 24hrs leading up to. Eat normally and within no more than 2 hrs of donations.

Giving isn't for everyone, but way more should.

More like every 12 weeks for whole blood. I've never been allowed to donate more often than that.

Have been donating for years (70 + donations) and always whole blood and never had a problem As others have said, hydration is the key.

Many years ago a few of us gave blood each time our ship pulled into Hong Kong. Afterwards they sat us down and gave us bottles of the local beer, never a shortage of volunteers Bob [ and no, it wasn't me who offered to donate from the other arm, for more of the same ]

It seems that giving regular whole blood donations tends to condition the body to withstanding a sudden blood supply reduction, with regular donors less susceptable to adverse after effects than people who are not when other factors are similar. I don't have any problems. 110 whole blood donations but have yet to get around to trying giving plasma, which is less suited to my normal habit of fronting up at a blood bank without notice while I am in the area near one for other reasons.

I have also heard it claimed that if similar traumas causing shock occurred to a regular and a non blood donor, symptoms are usually less severe for the donor because either organs susceptable to reduced blood supply cope better or the circulatory system has become more conditioned to adapt.

It is also a good thing to work out the best donating side. As standard they will choose the opposite to your handidness.

For me that doesn't work, always gotta use the Right, even gave the work experience kid 5 goes before he believed me that he would only get it in the right. Poor kid was shaking and becoming more tentative with each attempt. Nothing like poking the big 6'4" guy with a needle and then finally admitting he might have known what he was talking about at the start.

I think he may have learnt a little lesson that day.

They wont touch my blood, the way I see it beggers cannot be choosers and if only 30% of the populous donates surely they could use my blood even if only on other people who lived in the UK. If it were I and my choices were potentially get infected with mad cow disease or die I'd be signing a stat dec instantly.


MOO