Blood donation - ever done it?

[Zonny]

Canadian Blood Services says that only 4% of Canadians donate blood. Have any of you ever done it?

I try to do it fairly regularly, but don't as often as I could (you're eligible every 56 days to donate). I've never done platelet or plasma donation, but have thought about it. Regular blood donation isn't that hard - takes less then an hour, and although it's not painless (they do put a needle into a vein in your arm, how can it be painless?), it isn't that bad. The time spent with a needle in your arm depends on a few factors such as how much fluid you've had today and how big your veins are. For me the time spent with a needle in my arm is nearly always under six minutes. Today it took me five.

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

I did it once when I was in high school... I really should do it again, they still call me all the time lol

[Zonny]

I did it once when I was in high school... I really should do it again, they still call me all the time lol

I told them they had to stop calling me, it was annoying. My blood is the most common kind, A+. Apparently they contact you more often if you have rare stuff!

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

They call me every time there's a clinic in the area... solved that problem when we got rid of our landline lol.

[dq14]

I lived in England during the mad cow beef scare. I'm not allowed on the chance that I might have eaten tainted meat .

[xox2010]

I have considered it. I almost always have low iron though so I don't think they would take my blood because of that.

[Zonny]

I have considered it. I almost always have low iron though so I don't think they would take my blood because of that.

Yes, they do an iron test before they take your blood, every single time. Finger prick, take a wee bit of blood and put it into a machine. They used to drop it in a thing of some kind of liquid and time how long it took to sink.

They ask you SO many questions about whether you've lived in Africa or other places, were you born there, etc. I always think that they could skip a bunch of those questions by just asking, "Ever been outside of North America?|

[TaraF]

Nope I'd very much like to but I can't due to medical conditions, also can't donate any organs. Oh and upon death I'm not allowed to donate my body to a medical school either. My body is so useless which SUCKS because I would be so happy to give whatever I could to help another in life or death. I applaud anyone who donates whatever they can, blood, tissue, organs, etc. It's the most selfless thing one can do.

[torontogal12]

I lived in England during the mad cow beef scare. I'm not allowed on the chance that I might have eaten tainted meat .

That was like 10 years ago! You still can't donate? Do they expect you to suddenly start showing symptoms in 20 years?

[i_forget]

I cannot donate. I have iron deficiency anemia.

my body is up for grabs for medical research or organs though. I am sure they will be fighting over me

[linnyeg]

Yep I'm a regular donor (when they'll let me!) I'm O-, the universal donor, so I feel like it's something I should do. I'm at somewhere around 30 donations right now, with a life goal of at least 100.

[Natalka]

I started donating blood as soon as I was eligible, and got to 25 before I had to stop because of health issues.

[macw1960]

I used to donate every 2 months (even though I hate needles) as they were in our area that often for years but do to medical reasons I am unable to now.

[Angela273]

I was on migraine meds and thought that I was not able to donate blood because of them. I eventually found out that they could filter that particular medication out of my blood, so I donated once.

I had a stay in SICU in Regina in 2007 and was given less than 1 in 1,000,000 chance that I would make it out alive, let alone with my leg. I had 4 emergency surgeries in 48hrs and experienced a lot of complications. I received blood transfusions during that time. I have been on blood thinners ever since, so I am unable to donate blood. I am A+. I have an appointment with my vascular surgeon on May 2nd. We are looking into me having more surgeries in order to improve my quality of life. I may be able to donate blood for my own planned surgeries. It is complicated and there are many things to consider.

Interesting piece of information. When I had that hospital stay and was receiving blood transfusions I found out that family members are unable to donate blood directly for an individual in need. Part of what I was told was that this was done just to avoid waste because if a person donates blood for specific use then it might end up going to waste. My older brother donates blood several times a year and is also A+. This is when I learned that a mom or dad can donate blood directly for their child to use ONLY when the child is UNDER 1yr of age. I have a 7month old baby boy, so... Just something to be aware of.

[lilo0003]

I used to but am also anemic, so I was always rejected. I should try again to see it they'll take me as I am currently trying to manage my anemia through diet. Since I have not fainted in a while It may be working.