I'm considering being a blood donor

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YehoiakhinEx232

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I’m thinking about being a blood donor, is there anything I should consider, especially in regards to the current climate in the realm of medicine, that I should think about before looking into this further?
 
The facility will do a thorough screening to make sure you don’t have any blood-borne diseases and that your blood cell count is high enough .
There is no risk to you as a donor.
And you’ll get juice and a cookie when you’re done!

Good luck.
 
I’ve donated gallons over 20 years of donating. It’s a wonderful thing to do, saves lives, and cannot be replicated. If you have a rare blood type, such as O Negative, it’s especially more important to donate.

Also swipe as many packs of Oreos and Lorna Doones after that you want.
 
Also, check out the Red Cross website, they can give you more info.
We’re not a medical forum.
 
Thank you so much for considering being a donor. You are needed! Find out when your donor center is open or a donor event or even a bus will be nearby. You will be greeted and have to fill out or be asked questions about your health and medicine history. They will probably prick your finger in order to make sure your hematocrit is in the normal range and probably take your blood pressure. Then you will get to relax in a reclining chair while they clean your arm and start the process. About 15 to 20 minutes later (it can vary) they will remove the needle and you will hold pressure for a few minutes. Usually after you are done you will get some juice and cookies! You can resume normal activities right after unless you got light headed. That sometimes happens and is due to nerves more than the amount of blood removed. If it does, they will have you rest in the chair a bit longer. That’s it! One other piece of advice, drink lots of water a few hours before your donor time. It helps your veins pump up nicely.

I’m a retired Medical Technologist and used to help in the donor room many times. I love our donors. Any specific questions, just ask.
 
The staff will ask you questions about medical history, drug use and abuse, sexual history, travel.

If you pass the screening they’ll take your blood, if not they’ll let you know.

Once they get the blood, they test it for HIV and some other pathogens.

And that’s that. You’ll be on the list, and they’ll be calling you in 6 or 8 weeks to give again- you can do it every 60 days or so.
 
As the others have said, do donate.as far as considerations in the medical realm; it will be used as whole blood, platelets, packed red blood cells or plasma. Research use of blood does not come from donations from the general population.
 
Actually, yes it can! Plasma from the donation is frozen and has a shelf life for thawing and using it for a patient. Once it has passed its expiration for patient donation it can be sold to research companies and makers of plasma byproducts like Factor 9 for hemophiliacs. The donor center gets to recoup some money to help keep the donor center viable. So, it is first stored for patient use but if it isn’t used then it can be sold. Patients always come first though.
 
It’s a corporal work of mercy. I do it often! Bless others and be blessed! My son’s life has been saved by the gift of blood 5 times. Total strangers saved my boy, and I am eternally grateful.
 
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Donate and pray that the blood will go to a Cathlic or a sinner ready to repent and confess.

I donated yesterday btw
 
Thanks for all the answers and information, I am fairly encouraged to do this, I’ll look into it more.
 
Definitely make sure you’re not anemic or anything before you go. If your iron levels are below a certain level, they’ll send you home, so make sure you’re eating well and taking iron supplements if you have substandard blood! 😛

Also, make sure you don’t push yourself too hard right after blood donation. I donated at a blood drive at work, grabbed my cookie and juice, and ran up the stairs to get back to work. Bad idea… I spent the next 15 minutes recovering from the wooziness! 🙂
 
I cannot currently donate blood because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time (if you travel overseas, you might want to check the restrictions), but I used to donate. Since I have the best blood type (be positive 😉 ), and it’s less common, they would call me sometimes.

A friend was involved in an accident and I was able to donate blood in his name, which was helpful to him.
 
What does O mean? A mere attention-getter! But B+, that’s an actual cheering message!
 
I’m a blood banker…we take the blood that is donated and distribute it to the patients that need it.

Quick rundown on blood types.
Your body’s red blood cells have sugar configurations on their membranes. These create antigens. They have specific purposes on your red blood cells. These are attached through enzymes that you either genetically have or you don’t.
These sugars have long names I’m not going to type here but you can google them.
A types have one specific sugar. B types have another specific sugar. You can have both sugars attached making you an AB type.
O types do not possess the enzymes to attach either sugar…so they don’t have them.

Being positive or negative means you either possess the D antigen or not. There are lots of other antigens that are categorized by groups that most people…outside of doctors and the lab …don’t know about.

Knowing your blood type is important because the ABO and Rh D antigens create the most severe reactions if you are given the wrong type. A patient who has O blood type but is given A blood can easily die from such a severe reaction.

The two most common types are A and O positives. We give out O positives during emergencies the most.

Everyone should donate because we need all blood types. You can consider donating plasma and platelets too because they contain clotting factors for surgical patients or patients who need a lot of blood during an emergency.
 
I assume your hospital lab does the same thing our does–we type everyone, and never, ever rely on the patient’s word or a patient’s bracelet or card in their wallet or a relative’s word.

I thought that AABB requires typing before blood is given, and if there is no typing, then Oneg is given.

(I work in Microbiology and it’s been at least five years since I’ve worked in the Blood Bank, so probably things have changed.)
 
If you are new to donating and you feel nervous, here are a few tips that help:
  1. Don’t look at the equipment. Don’t look at your setup being set up, or the needle, or other people’s setup or needle. Look at the ceiling. It’s the most fascinating ceiling you’ve ever seen in your life.
Or you could just close your eyes when you feel like it.

Looking is for the experienced.
  1. They will give you a baton to keep your hand busy. This will help the blood to flow freely but in a controlled manner. Only squeeze it when they tell you to. Otherwise, roll it continuously with your fingers and hand. You’ll feel it less, and it won’t jiggle the needle. (Some people squeeze it like they’re arm wrestling. This is bad.)
  2. You will get a booklet to read. It will ask many intimate questions. They have to do this to keep the blood supply clean.
  3. They also will ask if you have taken any of these medications. They have to do this because some drugs are so potent that even when they have been diluted in your body, the drugs can harm the recipient (or the recipient’s unborn baby).
…

Very few people who are eligible to donate, ever do it. Of those who do, very few of them do it again. But it saves lives. I hope you will try it. 🙂
 
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