5

9/15/2009 2:19:01 PM

Does anyone know if repeated donations will cause vein collapse?

I doubt I've donated enough for this to happen, but I've heard it happens to drug users - I realize that drug users dont know how to apply a needle or anything like that, but still.

9/15/2009 2:28:01 PM

if it did, it doesn't happen for a long time, given that people strive to be members of the ten gallon club.

9/15/2009 2:32:09 PM

Yeah, I think repeated donations are safe. It's not like you're shooting heroin twice a day. You can only give blood once every six weeks or so. Which makes it pretty fascinating that you can become a member of the ten-gallon club. That requires 80 donations! It would take about ten years to become a ten-gallon donor. Whew.

[Edited on October 23, 2009 at 2:19 PM. Reason : .]

10/23/2009 2:19:18 PM

I give blood a lot. Doing it tomorrow, actually.

10/23/2009 2:27:11 PM

Cool story from last month:

Quote :

" Man's next blood donation will be gallon No. 40 New York print shop operator began donating blood 58 years ago WOODBURY, New York - A New York man is donating his 320th pint (half-a-liter) of blood this week, making him one of two people in the U.S. who has given 40 gallons. Seventy-five-year-old Al Fischer of Massapequa plans to reach the milestone Tuesday, 58 years after he started giving blood. According to a New York Blood Center official, only 83-year-old Maurice Wood has donated more blood than Fischer. Wood is a retired railroad inspector from St. Louis. Fischer, a print shop operator, donates blood about six times a year. He says he and Wood are engaged in a friendly rivalry and last spoke to each other a few months ago. Long Island Blood Services executive director Harvey Schaffler says Fischer has helped almost 1,000 people."

[Edited on October 23, 2009 at 2:32 PM. Reason : .]

10/23/2009 2:30:20 PM

I've been told they will call me if they need my blood. It's a pain in the ass to find a spot to poke me. Last time I tried to my blood started clotting in the tube so they had to take it out. It took me 20 mins to give 1/4 of the bag. I can't sell my plasma cause the needle is even bigger.

10/23/2009 2:41:50 PM

I give once a year.
The fact that I have O- blood makes me feel I should donate more.

10/23/2009 4:21:53 PM

Rejected for iron poor blood

Going back tomorrow!

11/11/2009 1:58:14 PM

Yes, but no one loves my AB+

11/11/2009 1:58:55 PM

i had blood work done 5 days ago, for the first time ever. I have never given blood. my arm was swollen and hurting within a couple minutes. I couldn't bent it all the way. it got better for a couple days. then yesterday it started to bruise.

she hit the vein the first time because blood flowed into the needle real quick. is it me or did the nurse do something wrong?

11/11/2009 2:37:22 PM

Quote :

"I realize that drug users dont know how to apply a needle or anything like that"

you assume that most of the phlebotomists that work for the red cross do? haha



also, no... i can't give blood because the red cross hates the gays.
(this hasn't stopped me from actually giving blood, however!)

11/11/2009 2:40:47 PM

The Red Cross comes into my building complex 4 times a year. That makes it extremely easy for me to saunter over and give them a pint of A+

11/11/2009 2:42:53 PM

I'm A+ as well, we're pretty worthless to most banks

good way to lose weight though, i wonder how many cals you burn by donating blood

11/11/2009 3:21:07 PM

i can't because i'm gay. too bad that i'm a healthy male that's willing and able.

11/11/2009 3:22:43 PM

What is the time limit for giving again after a blood transfusion?

11/11/2009 3:26:11 PM

Nope. Lived in Germany and Austria.

11/11/2009 4:25:51 PM

Quote :

"good way to lose weight though, i wonder how many cals you burn by donating blood"

According to Mayo Clinic, you burn approximately 650 calories by donating blood.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/donate-blood-jax/know.html

11/11/2009 5:14:18 PM

W00t! Just gave blood. Fainted after standing. He drew my blood too fast for someone with really low blood pressure. Mine's 90/60 and it shouldn't have been drawn so fast.

11/12/2009 5:24:32 PM

Nope. Tattoo less than a year ago and I'll be getting another one pretty soon.

11/12/2009 5:37:03 PM

Quote :

"Nope. Tattoo less than a year ago and I'll be getting another one pretty soon."

does not compute.

11/12/2009 5:39:18 PM

so i just looked up requirements to donate blood and found this site
http://www.bloodbook.com/donr-requir.html

Quote :

"Be at least 17 years of age; upper age 60 (420d*). "

Quote :

"* 60 Human years = approx. 420 dog years "

wtf

11/12/2009 5:49:24 PM

they have pet blood drives (not the red cross but pets can donate blood) so maybe that is why?

yes i can

but i don't recommend doing it if you've been anemic for the past few months and on iron and b12 supplements and popping 2 iron pills right before you donate so you won't get rejected and just passing the hem test

cause i did that

and i felt like poo for 2 days after

11/12/2009 9:00:32 PM

I had what felt like a near-death experience last night as a result of yesterday's blood donation (which caused me to faint upon standing).

Four hours later, I was getting ready to go out to dinner. I guess I removed the compression bandage too early and I started gushing blood all over my house and I passed out. When I regained consciousness, I put pressure on my arm and tried frantically to call every neighbor and stay conscious. Nobody answered. I was so woozy. All I could think was that I was going to bleed to death on my bathroom floor. I seriously thought I was going to die.

Finally, the friend I was meeting for dinner picked me up and I pulled myself together enough to ask him to please, please take me to Walgreens for another bandage.

Then, I fainted in Walgreen's as I was trying to get bandaged.

Note to self: don't remove the bandage for a loooonnnggg time. Or maybe just don't give blood.

11/13/2009 2:27:26 PM

I gave blood on tuesday

11/13/2009 2:28:18 PM

^^good god

11/13/2009 2:31:10 PM

Yeah, I don't really think "gushing blood" is caused by taking the bandage off too soon

Also, people seriously wonder about the calorie burn of donating? Wow.

11/13/2009 2:33:05 PM

^4 that sucks, but seriously, i do believe you but that is very unlikely that you would bleed out from a 16 ga needle in a vien. it might have been more the fact that you were still woozy...other factors might have played a part, are you a small girl?, last time you ate?, alcohol consumption/dehydration from the previous night? but then again if you had bled out a liter and a half and you are small it could have made you faint (including the pint+ you donated)

[Edited on November 13, 2009 at 2:37 PM. Reason : nm]

11/13/2009 2:37:28 PM

Well, and I would think that I'd be fine to remove the bandage after 4 hours. My house is a disaster. I've got more energy today so I can clean the biohazard zone. Ugh. I have a really gnarly hematoma that keeps spreading.

I think he drew my blood way too fast. 7 minutes for someone with 90/60 blood pressure seems way too fast.

I'm 125 lbs, which is acceptable for blood donation. I ate a good-sized wrap for lunch a couple of hours before donating. But I had a couple of glasses of wine the night before, so maybe my blood was thin. I donated at 3 in the afternoon though, so I figured I'd be fine. I don't take aspirin or other blood thinners.

[Edited on November 13, 2009 at 2:40 PM. Reason : .]

11/13/2009 2:38:13 PM

i can never donate blood because of this

Quote :

"• From 1980 through 1990 - Belgium, the Netherlands (Holland), or Germany""

11/13/2009 3:47:44 PM

Quote :

" Pulse: 80 to 100 beats/min and regular. Blood Pressure: acceptable range is 160/90 to 110/60. England/United Kingdom - visited or lived in from 1980 to 1999: deferred indefinitely (this standard varies between United States FDA and The American Red Cross and the American Association of Blood Banks. Western Europe - visited or lived in since 1980 deferred indefinitely "

welp, never mind, my pulse is never that high unless I'm exercising moderately+ and my BP is usually lower than that sitting.

also i was born overseas and had visited most of western europe/uk in the 1980's while a child, never got any shots there, ironically i've given blood before and at my HS (private catholic school) i would be willing to think that at least 50% of the kids that donated have/had also been to europe before then...

[Edited on November 13, 2009 at 4:00 PM. Reason : 52bpm right now]

11/13/2009 3:53:44 PM

^ My pulse and BP are never that high, yet they let me donate. My pulse is around 50-60 and BP is consistently 100/60 or 90/60. Where'd you find that?

From redcross.org:

Blood Pressure, Low
Acceptable as long as you feel well when you come to donate. If your blood pressure normally runs low, it may be more difficult for your body to adjust to the volume loss following donation, especially if you are dehydrated. Drinking extra water before and after donation is important.

[Edited on November 13, 2009 at 4:06 PM. Reason : .]

11/13/2009 4:03:57 PM

http://www.bloodbook.com/donr-requir.html

11/13/2009 4:07:12 PM

Crossing my fingers that they don't reject me this time!

1/7/2010 9:24:14 AM

this thread reminded me that I have no idea what blood type I am.

1/7/2010 9:30:14 AM

lucy, you're giving blood 3 days before you run a marathon?!

1/7/2010 9:31:11 AM

^ I'm going drankin' tonight and want to get drunk fast.

And I have 3 days to recharge before Disney.

1/7/2010 9:44:43 AM

girl

you don't make no sense

1/7/2010 9:48:22 AM

Ugh. I got the same guy from last time and he fucked my arm up again.

He drew too fast again and then forgot to remove the cuff before removing the needle, so I started bleeding everywhere. They're currently cleaning my arm, the chair and the floor. It's disgusting.

I have a date tonight and now I have to go home and change shirts bc mine has blood on it now.

1/7/2010 12:08:04 PM

1/7/2010 12:11:31 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvRjGLRQQVk

1/7/2010 12:13:05 PM

^^^what place do you go? Sounds like its some crap shack set up on the side of the road operated by hobos.

Are you trying to prove something by giving blood 3 days before a race? Doesn't seem like a smart move.

1/7/2010 12:21:26 PM

I go to the Florida Blood Centers Headquarters building. It's just this one guy who sucks.

And I'm not trying to run a fast marathon, so I don't really see a problem with donating. It's not like I'm running fast on Sunday.

1/7/2010 12:25:30 PM

Who, Dr. Giggles?

1/7/2010 12:27:31 PM

I would just....give blood after the race? After your last episode just seems to make more sense

1/7/2010 12:27:51 PM

I thought about that, but I figured my iron would be low post-race, then I'll be in the Bahamas, and I didn't want to wait 3 more weeks to donate.

1/7/2010 12:32:59 PM

B- and O- are in especially short supply. I donated today; can donate again 3/9/10.

--
Normally, my BP is 110-120/70-90.

Today, it measured at 136/102 and 124/98 I have no idea wtf is going on (you know, other than that I'm seriously stressing over this job that I hate, but that's only recent and temporary)

Once I can donate platelets again, I will. It's such an easy way to get regular, frequent, accurate BP readings

1/12/2010 3:50:03 PM

nope. lived in Germany during Mad Cow outbreak

1/12/2010 3:58:31 PM

I have o+ blood. But my veins are so hard to find and so small that the last time I gave blood it took me 20 mins to give 1/4 a pint of blood. They had to stop it cause the blood started to clot in the tube. They told me I'm not a good canidate to give blood but they will contact me if my type is in shortage.

1/12/2010 5:36:05 PM

running a marathon 3 days after giving up a pint of hemoglobin rich blood is a bloody brilliant idea.

i hope you can make up that fluid volume faster than the average joe.

[Edited on January 12, 2010 at 6:05 PM. Reason : .]

1/12/2010 6:04:51 PM