keyshawn

The bloodmobile [Red Cross] came to my school today, and I was able to get out of a few classes to give blood....With juice and cookies [watching the simpsons] while resting afterwards..
It was about the 4th or 5th time I've did it [been eligible for only a year or so], a great way to share your gift of health(y blood) to others.

How often do you give ? If not - is it because of the fatal fear of needles, or that you're too ashamed to admit in the questionaire that you have paid to have sex with someone in the past 12 months ?

share your experiences....

Destrox

I use to, but no longer do.

Main reason, the people at the local blood center DONT UNDERSTAND that I'll donate when I want to so STOP calling me for fucks sake. Yes I know I have a rare blood type, yes I know where you are located, yes I know when you are open, I'll do it when I can. A week later I get called again... I've since black listed their number.

That and I'm simply way to busy with school and work to have the time needed to do so. (I get reallllllly tired every time I donate and need to eat and sleep afterwards.)

Didnt vote, didnt feel any choice was fitting.

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madcow

I posted this in another blood thread, but since this is a poll I guess I'll mention it here too. I can't donate blood cause I lived in England for 5.5 years. Anything over 6 months and they won't take it anymore. Nothing I can do about it.

JustDisGuy

Used to donate regularly, but they didn't want my blood after I got a case of mono-nucleosis (sp?). Seems weird, because the doctor told me that pretty much everyone has the mono 'bug', but only people who let their immune system get depressed get symptomatic.

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gremlinx8

I'll donate when the school is having a blood drive- which has been three times.

MiSo

i've donated once in high school.... like 4 years ago.
the person who did it was a complete moron. they kept playing with the needle while it was in my arm because the blood was coming out slow. the experience messed me up for quite a while. normally, i am not afraid of needles but ever since that experience when i give blood i pass out. i've never been afraid of needles in my life. i hold my arm out like a champ.. i dont flinch but for some unknown reason my body takes over and i'll start to lose it. now everytime before i give blood samples (dr. check up..etc), i tell the workers to get smelling salts ready... i might need it.

i'll probably never donate blood again.

Dilbert1234567

i did once, i want to again but i cant until the blood bank will clean my arm with something other then iodine, i am very alergic to it. they wont clean me any other way.

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Pip

I was a blood donor for a while, but I quit because my Hb-value was dropping something fierce even though I ate all the icky iron pills and NOBODY at the blood bank noticed or cared about my blood values! I started at 137 and after five times it was down to 112 or something... not good. I started donating plasma instead, but the only plasma place was shut down.

Slavakion

Why do they use iodine rather than isopropyl alchohol?

Donated the beginning of november and planning to again. Got my donor card yesterday -- B+.

FatherTed

Exactly the same here. I used to do it all the time, but then lived in London for 9 years in the 90s and now, as a result, the Irish blood Transfusion Service wont touch me with a barge pole

It's a bit frustrating, as I think it is WELL worth doing and would like to as often as possible.

Redlemon

I give about twice a year, but I only started a few years ago.

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Blackthorn

Unfortunately that's very true. I have a friend who I donated with every eight weeks almost to the day and then a few years back they made the change in policy to prevent (so they say) they spread of BSE.

More later....

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animosity

I wish the blood bus would come this morning. I have nothing to do for the next 3 hours and I could go for some cookies and juice.... CRAP! I left my grapefruit juice at home! DAMN.

ratbastid

Every time I give they ask if I'm allergic to latex or iodine. They've got other options (isopropyl, I presume).

I give every six to eight weeks. My very first donation was September 15, 2001. It takes a national tragedy to get me over my fear of needles, evidently...

Carno

I used to donate blood, but I went to a third world country for a month, so I can't donate for a while now.

maleficent

I give about every 8 - 10 weeks, when there is a blood drive close to where I live (I want the diamond pin). But gawd, those phone calls are so freaking annoying. They've been calling about 3 years, and every time they call, they ask about my email address, which I got rid of four years ago, every time they call, they are supposed to update my information. I swear, I want to donate a few hours to them just to create them a database that is usable. I'm pretty convinced they are using a chisel and granite.

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thinktank

I've never been able to, last time i tried they put in the needle 6 times, three in both arms, but couldnt get enough blood out.

the_marq

I gave for the first time in a long time last week. After being inelligible for a few years I happened to be at a meeting in a big office bldg downtown and there was a portable clinic set up in their lobby. So I rolled up and dropped off a pint of the good stuff.

They told me the average person will fill their donation bag in about 7-10 minutes, mine was done in just over 4. If I get into a car accident; I'm bleeding out in VERY short order.

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#3 in a series

present_future

I give as often as I am able to. The nurses love to see me coming, because my veins pop out of my arm like I'm some sort of heroin junkie. I think my record for filling the bag was somewhere around 4 minutes or so.

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vox_rox

Actually, I'm exempt from doanting blood as I am in the pheresis program at my local blood services. For those of you who are unaware, pheresis is where they take blood out, seperate it into components and take either just the plasma, or just the platelets, or both, and give everything esle back. For plasma it takes about 4 times longer than a blood donation, for platelets it can sometimes be close to two hours.

The beautiful thing about it is that since you don't have to go throught the time consuming process of creating red blood cells, you can donate plasma and/or platelets every two weeks or so.

so, I don't give blood, I dontate plasma and platelets instead. It's a bit more work, and somewhat more time-consuming, but it's a pretty cool thing, and much in demand.

Peace,

Pierre

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absorbentishe

I've been donating since I was 17. I try to do it at least 4 times a year, some more, others less.

flat5

I go to the hospital every two or three weeks where they take out 500cl of blood
and throw it away :-)

hemochromatosis

http://www.ygyh.org/hc/whatisit.htm

Jonsgirl

I haven't been able to donate since I was in high school. Between tattoos and deployments, I haven't been able to to.

I'm not even sure if I'll be able to after a year in Iraq. I may be banned forever. eep!

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Gustoferson

I've donated blood 4 or 5 times in the past few years. I try to aim for twice a year though i haven't quite been keeping up to that standard. The actual donation part is usually pretty quick for me, but for some reason it takes an hour half the time to even get to the donation chair.

I hated hated hated needles, and still do to an extent, but I managed to finally suck it up enough to give blood. Also, a trip to the hospital for emergency surgery (an appendectomy) a year ago has futher helped me get over my needle hatred. You learn not to mind when it takes three attempts to get an IV in when that IV will contain morphine. So I'm not nearly as bad as I was, but I still looked away and talked to the nurse while she was sticking me this last time to distract myself.

The first time I ever gave was actually September 12th, 2001. The blood people were already scheduled to come by my high school that day for a blood drive, and I had signed up for a time a week or so in advance so i'd be able to (they usually ran out of time slots in the drives at my school). Then the attacks happened on the 11th and they decided to open it up to the whole community on the 12th, which really bogged the whole deal down and got everyone out of quite a bit of class time. And football practice time, our coach was pretty upset about that, but we still won the next game so it was all good.

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Bobaphat

I have donated several times when I was in high school and college, but the last few times I did, I began having dizziness spells almost blacked out a couple of times because my blood pressure was too high. I have stopped smoking over the past couple of years and my blood pressure is working its way back down to a normal level slowly but surely. I will probably start giving it another go once I am comfortable with my health again.

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Gustoferson

I'm fairly disappointed that I've never gotten dizzy or felt like fainting or anything. I always thought it sounded kinda cool.

Hell, I've even tried to do it, the past two times I gave blood it was late afternoon and I purposely didn't eat anything all day. But still, nothing, just like normal. Though I did get winded a lot easier later in the day when i went up some stairs, but still no dizzy.

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flat5

you want to get dizzy? spin around in a circle a few times :-)

You want to faint? Breath deep and quick 10 breaths.
Then have someone behind you hold their arms tight around your chest.
You'll pass out. I did this in 5th grade. I was out for over two minutes.
Might be dangerous?

themisfit

I do as often as I can. My grandfather got blood transfusions quite frequently before his death so often soon they coudn't match him anymore.It's vital for so many people.

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omega2K4

I don't think I can donate blood, I'm on a immunosuppressant (Imuran) and I don't know if gets in the blood (but I imagine so).

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