“Unlike ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire,’ this blood is the only lifeline a patient receives.,” Jefferson said. “Survival solely depends on donors being on the other end. We must collect as much blood as possible because more than ever patients are counting on every single unit we have scheduled.”
And plenty of upside. They take your blood pressure and heart rate, and about a week after your donation, you can look up your cholesterol on-line with your donor code and password. (This is United Blood Services in our area -- I dunno if the Red Cross does that nationwide.) An AMA study found that giving blood every six months led to fewer heart attacks and strokes. I tried to google up the published study but couldn't do it -- I suspect it's cached away somewhere with a cost of $25 to read the original study.tlynn78 wrote:Everyone who can, should donate. No downside, and free juice and cookies!
t.
Ditto.earendel wrote:I used to donate regularly but over time my veins got to the point where they would roll or they were too deep. When the phlebotomist would try to insert the needle it would take 4 or 5 times before it would work. That got to be too painful. Later I went to a doctor and his nurse found a spot where blood could be taken for lab work. Unfortunately it's too small for the Red Cross to use to take blood.
peacock2121 wrote:We all pretty much know how I like to contribute, how I like to volunteer and how I like to take on getting better at something.
Donating blood is one of my biggest failures. I really want to be good at it and I am not.
Makes me feel weak and 'less than' everyone else.
Can you donate under a fake name? Do you have to show proof of who you are? Or would a false identity be illegal? Are all donation centers linked to a single database? It seems like you should be able to donate whenever you want, if you have your doctor's approval.SportsFan68 wrote:I tried to make a blood donation appointment this morning and got a message that I was ineligible at this time, and to call a toll-free number if I had any questions.
So I called the number, and Pedro advised me I'm not eligible until May thanks to a new limit on donations per 12-month period -- five. Pedro stated it was a new FDA regulation instituted because of donor health, but he did not know specifics. I asked if it was all donors, and he said yes.
So I googled it, and it seems that many donors are being deferred because of iron deficiencies. This is very frustrating -- I suspect that the reason my iron levels stay high is because I've been donating regularly, except for one-year deferrals when I've traveled to malaria risk areas, since I was in my 20s. Plus I was counting on continued additional protection against a heart attack.
What's especially frustrating is how they seem so desperate for people to donate, and call us heroes, and blah blah blah. This is churlish to say, but I'm going to say it anyway -- I hope the number of iron deficiency deferrals is unchanged as the year wears on, and they'll have lost all those donations for nothing.
I'm sorry for your disappointment. I'm not an expert on nutrition and blood chemistry, but your hypothesis seems more inspired by the archaic practice of leeching than by any modern science.SportsFan68 wrote:This is very frustrating -- I suspect that the reason my iron levels stay high is because I've been donating regularly
I thought donating blood was supposed to reduce iron levels, which can be beneficial.MarleysGh0st wrote:I'm sorry for your disappointment. I'm not an expert on nutrition and blood chemistry, but your hypothesis seems more inspired by the archaic practice of leeching than by any modern science.SportsFan68 wrote:This is very frustrating -- I suspect that the reason my iron levels stay high is because I've been donating regularly
I'm sure the Red Cross rules are designed for the safety of both the blood donors and recipients. Would you want to receive blood from a donor who lied about anything they were asked, Ed?TheConfessor wrote:Can you donate under a fake name? Do you have to show proof of who you are? Or would a false identity be illegal? Are all donation centers linked to a single database? It seems like you should be able to donate whenever you want, if you have your doctor's approval.
If you support background checks, you're infringing our Second Amendment right to bare arms.MarleysGh0st wrote:I'm sure the Red Cross rules are designed for the safety of both the blood donors and recipients. Would you want to receive blood from a donor who lied about anything they were asked, Ed?TheConfessor wrote:Can you donate under a fake name? Do you have to show proof of who you are? Or would a false identity be illegal? Are all donation centers linked to a single database? It seems like you should be able to donate whenever you want, if you have your doctor's approval.
Ditto, twice in a row. This time, however, I ate a quarter cup of raisins every day for 3 weeks, stopped drinking my lunch-time bottle of tea for the week before, and ate tomatoes with lentils every day for lunch the week before. Increased my hemoglobin from 0.11 to 0.13, so I was able to donate. What's weird is that if after sticking you they find your hemoglobin is to low to donate, they say "wait 10 minutes and we'll try again." WTF?christie1111 wrote:I got deferred last time for low iron. Maybe I am partly to blame for the change in rules.
Because all measurements have room for error/variability. Taking a sample from your dominant/non-dominate hand can make a difference in passing. Especially if you are borderline. Still in the safe reagion for taking a pint but outside of their guidelines. If I fail the first time I always let them try a second time even though the finger stick is the worst part of the procedure, IMHO.Catfish wrote:Ditto, twice in a row. This time, however, I ate a quarter cup of raisins every day for 3 weeks, stopped drinking my lunch-time bottle of tea for the week before, and ate tomatoes with lentils every day for lunch the week before. Increased my hemoglobin from 0.11 to 0.13, so I was able to donate. What's weird is that if after sticking you they find your hemoglobin is to low to donate, they say "wait 10 minutes and we'll try again." WTF?christie1111 wrote:I got deferred last time for low iron. Maybe I am partly to blame for the change in rules.
It's a great thing, for those who can. One of my brothers is a 'universal donor' so he gives as often as he can. I don't remember how many gallons he's up to. I'm not as on top of it as he is, more a when I think of it donor.BackInTex wrote:I've never been denied.
I don't give as often as I used to, but when there is a drive where I'm at at the time, and I am eligible, I donate. I used to drive to the donation center on the weekend if a drive was near, but I haven't done that in a while.
Ed, yes, they require a photo ID (Driver's license). I don't think any of us want the blood supply to have fraudulent donors. I know I don't. There are many reasons, one being the safety and health of the donors.
SportsFan68 wrote:The only reason I brought this forward is to give my avatar change a context. United Blood Services sends this customized calendar to all "gold" donors every year, people who donate at least three times. In 2013, United Blood merged with Belle Bonfils Center, the major center in Denver. I hope that's going well.
Thanks again to all of you who donate and help make better lives for many sick and injured people.
