Donating Blood

[Z3Dreamer]

Drove by a Walmart while in the Tampa area on vacation. This was in February 2022. There was a brightly painted bus advertising One Blood. Decided to investigate. It was a blood donation drive. They made it so easy to donate.

Back in home town NC, there is a group called Blood Connection that has drives at hospitals, Walmart's, schools, police stations, etc. Blood Connection also makes it so easy. They have similar buses.

I encourage those who are able to give. Some other notes:

• You can do the paperwork online before your visit.
• You can make an appointment, so there is very little waiting.
• The snacks are wonderful. Sugar filled sodas, Cheetos, BBQ potato chips, cookies and other bad things that I don't keep around the house. I view these limited sins as my reward.
• Both reward you with points that can be redeemed for gift cards. You won't get rich, but you can treat yourself to something small.

The biggest plus for me is that blood donations in my youth were not organized very well. I also did not communicate well with those who were appointed to weed out the bad blood. The two organizations above do such a good job.

[Dash man]

I used to give blood regularly and encourage it. Wish I could now. I was given a strongly worded letter by the Red Cross never to give blood again because I lived in England for three years while in the Air Force back in the 80s. Ridiculous!

[JoeWras]

Big fan of The Blood Connection down here in the Southeast. Red Cross is OK, but a bit sterile sometimes. Still nothing wrong giving via the RC.

TBC has an awesome reward program for platelet donors. Since I'm over 18 donations on a rolling year, I get at least $40 in potential gift cards. They have bonus points so often it is more like $65 to $90 per donation. To DW, I call it my "blood money." I get Amazon cards and they are nearly as good as cash. I'm using my latest blood money to buy a weather station.

Surprisingly, they were filled on Christmas day (open 1/2 day). I donated the day after and it was needed. Platelets cannot be stored and must be used in 3 days or so. The need is always there, primarily for chemotherapy patients, but also for other disorders and accidents.

They are looking for people on New Years day. It would be a great time to donate!

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash man I used to give blood regularly and encourage it. Wish I could now. I was given a strongly worded letter by the Red Cross never to give blood again because I lived in England for three years while in the Air Force back in the 80s. Ridiculous!

Yeah, it is the mad cow thing, and it looks like they'll never lift it. It is a shame. The rules are the same for Red Cross and all the other community centers. They don't differ.

I happen to have the best vein ever in my left arm, and I pass all the rules. Therefore, I give frequently because it is the one thing I truly feel called to do in my life.

[EastWest Gal]

We have a friend who is CMV negative. He routinely donates plasma and platelets which are used for preemies in the NICU. I’ve donated a few times but have fainted afterward.

[Aerides]

I left England in early 82, and can never give blood either. Shame, would love to, and did so often, before they started restrictions.

[VanWinkle]

I gave blood for 7 years but have found it is expected now instead of appreciated.

[Lewis Clark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash man I used to give blood regularly and encourage it. Wish I could now. I was given a strongly worded letter by the Red Cross never to give blood again because I lived in England for three years while in the Air Force back in the 80s. Ridiculous!

The rules about blood donation and potential mad cow exposure changes recently, in October 2022. The FDA approved the changes, and the Red Cross no longer forbids people in your situation ... and mine .. from donating blood. Other blood agencies may not have updated their policies yet.

Check with your local blood bank for specific details.

[Dash man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lewis Clark The rules about blood donation and potential mad cow exposure changes recently, in October 2022. The FDA approved the changes, and the Red Cross no longer forbids people in your situation ... and mine .. from donating blood. Other blood agencies may not have updated their policies yet. Check with your local blood bank for specific details.

I just read an article on Va.gov:

“The deferral, however, is still in place for past or recent residency or travel in some European countries. For instance, FDA guidelines do not permit donation by individuals who have spent 3 months or more cumulatively in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1996.”

https://www.va.gov/pittsburgh-health...fda-lifts-ban/

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastWest Gal We have a friend who is CMV negative. He routinely donates plasma and platelets which are used for preemies in the NICU. I’ve donated a few times but have fainted afterward.

I am O-, CMV- and used to be a member of the "baby club" at our local hospital and loved being fortunate enough to donate every 3 months knowing that it was most likely going to be given to newborn babies. I myself was given lots of blood transfusions as a newborn with a blood disorder and am forever in the debt of the folks who donated the blood that was used to save my life.

Once the mad cow disease thing hit I was no longer able to donate blood except on a couple of occasions while visiting England. When we moved back in 2016 I turned up at the first blood drive only to discover that my atrial fibrillation that had started the year before disqualified me.

Thanks to all of you who give blood, rightly called "the gift of life"

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan I am O-, CMV- and used to be a member of the "baby club" at our local hospital and loved being fortunate enough to donate every 3 months knowing that it was most likely going to be given to newborn babies. I myself was given lots of blood transfusions as a newborn with a blood disorder and am forever in the debt of the folks who donated the blood that was used to save my life. Once the mad cow disease thing hit I was no longer able to donate blood except on a couple of occasions while visiting England. When we moved back in 2016 I turned up at the first blood drive only to discover that my atrial fibrillation that had started the year before disqualified me. Thanks to all of you who give blood, rightly called "the gift of life"

Thank you, Alan, and thank you for your past donations. O- people are always needed. I'm O+, and thus not as universal.

I still feel appreciated at my center. O+ is OK for platelets, but AB+ are the best for platelets. O- people are key for red cells and are frequently discouraged for platelet donations. It is really an interesting supply/demand issue.

My Megacorp once did something really, really nice. For those of us who donated at MC during Red Cross blood drives, they had a year end party. They invited a few people who received blood products. We had a simple lunch and got to speak with the willing participants. It was a great way to make a connection! I wish blood centers would do this too. It was very meaningful.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash man I just read an article on Va.gov: “The deferral, however, is still in place for past or recent residency or travel in some European countries. For instance, FDA guidelines do not permit donation by individuals who have spent 3 months or more cumulatively in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1996.” https://www.va.gov/pittsburgh-health...fda-lifts-ban/

Things are changing right now, and most centers follow the FDA guidelines. New in the works are the rules for men who are in same-sex relationships (MSM). They eased the restrictions a while back, and are working on more easing hopefully soon. I had a gay friend who passed away 15 years ago (not AIDs, but rather cancer), and he was dismayed to be rejected. There is progress in this area.

The problem is that the testing is really good, but not so good as to catch a few viral particles, hence the rules. It takes time. It will get better.

Back in the 90s, it was a disaster. The testing was terrible and if you had high liver enzymes, they would "permanently" defer you. I put that in quotes because they reneged on the rules. My friend liked to binge drink and got deferred because of his liver tests a few days after a binge. They have fixed that. He fixed himself (stopped the binges) so why not?

Hopefully, some day they can figure out testing for the Mad Cow prion thing and let in more people who spent so much time in Europe.

[jollystomper]

I do the "double red" donation so it is fewer times each year. I do have a Red Cross center not far from our home, so that helps. I am also part of the "baby club" (i.e., my blood does not have the CMV virus) and that is an incentive for me to give.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollystomper I do the "double red" donation so it is fewer times each year. I do have a Red Cross center not far from our home, so that helps. I am also part of the "baby club" (i.e., my blood does not have the CMV virus) and that is an incentive for me to give.

Thank you!! All O- people should really consider the double red thing. You are a rare donor and are needed.

It took me 20 years to try apherisis. A determined phlebotomist finally wore me down and I did it, about 4 years ago. Now that I do it every 2 or 3 weeks, it is no big deal. Double red folks can't do it as often so they should at least give it a try. The technology has come a long way. No more double arms, just one arm. At my center, I watch Netflix movies. They have nice TV screens on the donation beds. I'm retired, I have the time.

** Sorry for all my posts, this is one of my passions in life.

[pacergal]

DH has donated frequently in the past. The two times I tried, I also fainted and felt awful the rest of the day, even with good food and tons of liquids.

To those who continue to donate, thank you. I have been a recipient in the past.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacergal DH has donated frequently in the past. The two times I tried, I also fainted and felt awful the rest of the day, even with good food and tons of liquids. To those who continue to donate, thank you. I have been a recipient in the past.

It is OK. It is not for everyone. I used to be a whole blood donor and it took a toll. Every now end then, I give red cells (along with platelets, they can tune the machine) and I can feel it for two weeks. I don't notice anything with platelets only, which makes sense since they die after only a few days.

Aside from the fainting issue, some folks just have small veins which makes it difficult. I have this one fire hose. I don't have muscles, height, strength or anything else -- I have this vein. My gift.

Oh, and regarding fainting: I've seen people walk into the blood donation area and drop right there, just at the site of it all. It isn't for everyone. Those of us who have the gift need to use it.

[latexman]

I used to donate blood routinely, until I was diagnosed with (and cured of) melanoma in 2005. That disqualifies one from donating blood, for life.

[athena53]

I'm at 69 donations since DH and I moved here in 2003- deferred 6 months at a time for a half-dozen trips to India as well as for bone grafts every time i got a dental implant. I donated plasma and platelets after I retired but my platelet count is now too low to donate (still in normal range) and they tell me I'm too old and too skinny to donate plasma. Unfortunate- I did enjoy binge-watching HGTV while donating.

So, now I'm just donating whole blood every 8 weeks. I love the idea that I'm donating something they still can't make in the lab (although they're working on it). My favorite bad-for-you snack is Nutter Butter cookies!

[Gumby]

I missed my scheduled donation today because I have a cold. This thread reminds me to reschedule. The Red Cross tells me I have donated 73 times so far.

[Z3Dreamer]

How did you find out that CMV- is a thing? And how did you find out that you are CMV-? My blood type is A-.

I have done "double red" twice. The first time they just asked if I wanted to you. My reply was: "Would you rather I do "double red?" This time they asked if I wanted to, again.