lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on Jan 14, 2015 16:06:02 GMT -5
I used to give blood. I am what they termed a slow bleeder. It took me twice as long to fill my pint as everyone else. Then most of the time I'd pass out. After 9/11 was the last time I've dontated. If there was an emergency call for donors I would do it again.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 14, 2015 16:06:46 GMT -5
It is now. That was then. They don't pay for blood any more? Only for plasma & that is actually considered a payment for your time, not for the plasma.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Jan 14, 2015 16:13:26 GMT -5
I fill the bag quickly and I'm glad. We get raisin oatmeal cookies and orange juice afterward.
For years we had a little competition in my department at work to donate often. I think we encouraged new donors who continued after having a good experience.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jan 14, 2015 16:13:55 GMT -5
They don't pay for blood any more? Only for plasma & that is actually considered a payment for your time, not for the plasma. If they give you coupons for ice cream, show tickets and gift cards, it's still payment. Just not cash payment.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 14, 2015 16:24:42 GMT -5
Only for plasma & that is actually considered a payment for your time, not for the plasma. If they give you coupons for ice cream, show tickets and gift cards, it's still payment. Just not cash payment. Must not be in the eyes of the law. From what I know it isn't legal to pay for blood.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jan 14, 2015 16:44:38 GMT -5
People just didn't donate blood like they do now. My aunt is a nurse and she remembers being asked/forced to donate as were interns and residents. Of course doctors were never asked. Now people step up and do it but it wasn't always like this.
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Jan 14, 2015 16:46:06 GMT -5
DH gives platelets every two weeks. I have a 10 gallon pin but get deferred more often than not now for low iron.
We are both in some type of registry for special sub types. Apparently there are additional screenings that can be done for proteins or something or another beyond type and RH factor. If someone is really sick (like going through chemo or a small child) they try to match those additional elements so the recipient doesn't get the collywobbels. You have to be able to go in to donate when called at a moment's notice because obviously you won't know in advance if anything is needed.
DH was called on this once and went in - he took 1/2 a vacation day to do so. It's time consuming but so worth it.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Jan 14, 2015 17:00:50 GMT -5
I used to get called when the local supply of O- was low, which was often. Ironically it often was a day after I had given at a drive at work. I finally told them to take me off the call list because I was giving every 3 months at work. I was shocked to find out the callers were not volunteers but a paid agency.
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Jan 14, 2015 17:10:36 GMT -5
I am registered American Red Cross blood donor. I don't see it as a big deal. I have a common blood type as well (B+) and donate blood 5-8 times a year. If even 50% of my blood helps someone in need, I think I'll have acheived my goal. Not THAT common. B+ is something like 9% of the population. Ok... I had no idea. I was always told that its a very common blood type.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jan 14, 2015 17:17:01 GMT -5
Not THAT common. B+ is something like 9% of the population. Ok... I had no idea. I was always told that its a very common blood type. O-positive: 38 percent • O-negative: 7 percent • A-positive: 34 percent • A-negative: 6 percent • B-positive: 9 percent • B-negative: 2 percent • AB-positive: 3 percent • AB-negative: 1 percent www.livescience.com/36559-common-blood-type-donation.html
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jan 14, 2015 17:26:50 GMT -5
DH is O - If you think I didn't worry when I heard that but thankfully it could be an O + heart too.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 14, 2015 17:39:10 GMT -5
I used to give blood regularly until my year from hell. The transfusions I received kept me from donating a year afterwards and the first time I went back, they had difficulty finding a vein. Mine are shot from so many IVs during that time and it's reached a point where I need access to my veins for MY health.
However, anyone that donated O+ blood in the US in 2011-2012, thanks a lot for donating because I lost enough blood during a 4+ hour surgery that I needed some of mine replaced.. I know during this time I probably received about 8-10 units of packed red cells - enough such that I am now more difficult to cross match too. When you receive blood, they narrow it down to the major blood groups. If you have never had a transfusion, you are naive and don't have reaction to the lessor antigens found on cells in the transfusion. More transfusions = more reactions to those minor antigens and you become more difficult to cross match.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2015 19:01:57 GMT -5
First let me thank all of you who donate blood. When my daughter was 2 years old she was diagnosed with ALL (Leukemia), she went through a very aggressive long term of chemotherapy. During that time she received countless blood transfusions.
After witnessing her receiving "the gift of life" from anonymous people I vowed to return the favour. Since then I have donated regularly. I am O- which is in high demand as a result I get called in fairly often when supplies are dangerously low.
I have found that it was not painful and that the people who are trained to take blood do so extremely well and are very nice people, overall it is a positive experience. ~ O-negative Blood Group and Blood Donation O-negative blood group is the "universal donor" blood group. This means that a person with any blood group can receive O-negative blood. This is very important in emergency situations when a person requires immediate blood transfusion and there is no time to test his/her blood group. Such person can be transfused an O-negative blood.
People with O-negative blood group can only receive O-negative blood. Therefore, occasionally it might be difficult to find O-negative blood for transfusing an O-negative person.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2015 7:30:19 GMT -5
I give 2-3 times a year. Every time, I wish I could just borrow a scalpel, slice a wrist, and let them have what they want.
I HATE needles (almost to the point of a phobia), but, donated blood really DOES save lives, so, I "bite the bullet" and deal with it.
Oh, and I'm A+ (only card I EVER got in the mail with an "A+" on it... LOL)
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Jan 17, 2015 7:42:45 GMT -5
My mom lost a lot of blood when she had my sister and almost died... Yes, it does save lives.
That is why I pay it back by donating blood as often as I can.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on May 22, 2015 8:32:29 GMT -5
May 22 Update - Virgil Gives BloodI decided to try donating again yesterday, and--to my relief--there was no repeat of the painful experience that turned me off donating in the first place. I also discovered that I've rectroactively donated blood. The address they had on file for me was from my time in Ottawa, which was only 6 years ago. I apparently donated blood there twice, although I have no memory of it. The only instance I remember was the one time in Calgary some 15 years ago. They fed me pizza, coffee, and mini cookies after it was all done, hence it wasn't altogether an unpleasant experience. All the while I kept thinking of the victims of the uncia, shredded by their claws and teeth, left for dead (the uncia often hunt for sport and leave wounded prey to die of exposure), and I knew that donating blood was something I had to do. If I could save even one victim of the spotted plague, it would be worth it.
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on May 22, 2015 8:56:48 GMT -5
Yea! Virgil Showlion!!! Knew you had it in you (literally!) Good for you! (now goes and slinks off in shame as I've been deferred the past three tries) As far as the last two sentences, I'll chalk that up to delirium from the blood donation.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on May 22, 2015 9:00:09 GMT -5
DH has received both blood and platelets. Thank you to all O-
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wyouser
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Post by wyouser on May 22, 2015 10:18:44 GMT -5
If you can give, give. If the tech can find veins that flow readily, give often! Does it save lives, yes. But, now the theme of this thread has triggered warped little thoughts that are running through my mind.....I would think if you asked a vampire, he would readily agree giving blood (to the vampire) saves lives....After all, a vampire can't live without it. But, Vampires are the undead. Are you really saving the life of a being that isn't living if you donate to the vampire? Can you save the life of a being that isn't alive? I know, I know. Back to my rock in the back yard.....
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on May 22, 2015 10:22:07 GMT -5
If you can give, give. If the tech can find veins that flow readily, give often! Does it save lives, yes. But, now the theme of this thread has triggered warped little thoughts that are running through my mind.....I would think if you asked a vampire, he would readily agree giving blood (to the vampire) saves lives....After all, a vampire can't live without it. But, Vampires are the undead. Are you really saving the life of a being that isn't living if you donate to the vampire? Can you save the life of a being that isn't alive? I know, I know. Back to my rock in the back yard..... Dude, do yourself a favor and go get some sleep...you're rambling.
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kadee79
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Post by kadee79 on May 22, 2015 10:51:02 GMT -5
I'm A- and tend to be anemic....I take an iron pill every day! I can't give due to it taking me anywhere from 3 days to a full week to recover....I did give once, that's how we found out.
However, I am on a list with our local Red Cross....for dire emergencies only...I can be called to donate. So far, I've never been called but would gladly go if needed.
My first hubby was O+ and his body produced blood faster than he could be transfused. He gave as often as possible since it also seemed to help his blood pressure stay in better control! And he could fill a bag in record time when he donated! And a few times his BP was off the charts and a couple different Dr.s said he should have either exploded or been dead!
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on May 22, 2015 15:34:51 GMT -5
I'm A- and tend to be anemic....I take an iron pill every day! I can't give due to it taking me anywhere from 3 days to a full week to recover....I did give once, that's how we found out.
However, I am on a list with our local Red Cross....for dire emergencies only...I can be called to donate. So far, I've never been called but would gladly go if needed.
My first hubby was O+ and his body produced blood faster than he could be transfused. He gave as often as possible since it also seemed to help his blood pressure stay in better control! And he could fill a bag in record time when he donated! And a few times his BP was off the charts and a couple different Dr.s said he should have either exploded or been dead! Given the list of requirements for donating to Canadian Blood Services (CBS) here in Canada, I'm surprised anyone can donate. You can't have traveled in Europe/UK for any length of time, can't have traveled in Africa/Mexico for any length of time, can't be using X, Y, Z drugs, can't have had sexual contact with X, Y, Z people, can't have undergone the following procedures, ... . The checklist must have had 150 items on it. Then they put you in a private room and get you to stick either a bar-coded "Yes, Use My Blood" or "No, Don't Use My Blood" sticker from a secret ballot onto your donation form, which I learned during my first visit was a "panic measure" to allow HIV+ individuals to silently alert CHS of their HIV+ status without any possibility whatsoever of a third party discovering it. Given 60% of North Americans are infected with at least one STD (STI), I'd be surprised if even 15% of the population at large qualified to donate when all is said and done.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on May 22, 2015 19:16:48 GMT -5
I can't give due to low iron. DH used to give all the time but now they won't let him as he spent time in Japan during specific years and they say he can't give. He used to give platelets too, but can't now.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on May 22, 2015 21:50:13 GMT -5
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Artemis Windsong
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Post by Artemis Windsong on May 23, 2015 9:22:52 GMT -5
A good activity for the engaged couple is to go donate blood in Canada.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on May 23, 2015 11:12:28 GMT -5
Given 60% of North Americans are infected with at least one STD (STI), I'd be surprised if even 15% of the population at large qualified to donate when all is said and done. Unless you mean have had an STD ever, then I'm going to call this stat absolute BS. And I'm pretty sure the STDs that are curable wouldn't preclude someone from donating blood as long as they don't have it at the time, at least in the US. Actually I looked it up out of curiousity
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on May 28, 2015 15:52:03 GMT -5
The real answer is that likely your blood never have and never will actually save a life. For that to be true, your blood would need to be given to someone who needed blood and used up every drop of the available blood at a location (that they could take). Individually, nobody's blood will ever save someone's life, neither will mine, neither will anyone who donates. This is one way to look at it. Though if everyone stopped giving due to this, then nobody's life would be saved.
Your blood, every time used, saves a life if the patient survives. The person needed blood to survive, they got your blood, it helped them survive, you saved their life. I think the tact your taking is that without your blood they simply would have used someone else's...which is true.
I think a fair analogy is that you are trapped inside a room with a door which opens only from the outside and will soon die from lack of oxygen. The door has 3 handles which need to be turned by 3 different people at the same time. There are 50 people standing there willing to do this task. They draw lots and #4, #21, and #50 are selected, they turn the handles and you are freed. Did they save your life? If they hadn't been there, you still would have been saved if at least 3 people had been there. If nobody was there, then you would have died (or less than 3 were there).
Did the 3 who actually opened the door save your life? Did the 50 who showed up jointly save your life even though they weren't all used? Did nobody save your life? I think most would agree that if only 3 showed up, that those 3 would have saved your life, since without them you would have died.
I believe those 3 saved your life. Therefore with blood donations I tend to believe that as long as your blood actually gets used, and a life gets saved, that you saved a life.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on May 31, 2015 12:38:09 GMT -5
You don't have to let newbies practice on you. The best person at the primary doctors office looks like a goth person. She can take your blood nicer than anything. . I can see people panic when they get her and I reassure them she's awesome. DD can do an I V with no sweat in the back of am ambulance. That's a good trait to have.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on May 31, 2015 12:59:12 GMT -5
In my clinic there isn't too many that I won't let near me, but my clinic listens to the patients. If a bad nurse comes in to fill in for a good nurse while they are on vacation, management hears about it.
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