Blood Donation Processes : Drawing Blood for Blood Donations

[Tangeh]

I donated for the first time on Halloween, and I was so nervous. I was barely above the weight limit lol. But the staff was all very friendly and everything went great! They explained what was going on (sort of like this video), and it was really interesting. I got free cookies and I found out that I'm O positive! I'm going for my second donation this Wednesday! :)

[butch4lyfe]

HIS NAILS!>?!?!?

[210482fmj]

i do not think giving blood is healthy for donors. draining a persons body of some of their blood cannot be considered healthy. It's quite a risky idea and i don't trust the doctors opinion

[MegaAngrygerman]

@210482fmj which is why you have the right to refuse to donate. i was in a situation where there was a blood drive at my school. i had to go take a test after school and these hordes of people were asking me to donate, and one doctor grabbed my shirt. i pushed him away and threatened legal action against him. i really wish people would respect my right to refuse.

[turkeyluvsu9]

@210482fmj Your blood is replenished in a short period of time. Woman lose blood a week each month, and you don't find each woman unhealthy and with a lack of blood, in fact within an hour all the blood you have lost from a period has been replenished. It's hardly risky.

[210482fmj]

@turkeyluvsu9 BUt it isn't natural to have needles put in your body. Research shows that needles cause permanent damage to veins even if only minor and unnoticable.

[turkeyluvsu9]

@210482fmj It isn't natural to be on laptops, use mobile phone or drive cars but we still do that. They wouldn't let & encourage people to give blood so many times if it was going to really harm us. And like you said minor & unnoticeable. Stop finding something to make it sound horrible so others shouldn't do it. Giving blood is an unselfish and wonderful thing to do that saves lives everyday.

[210482fmj]

@turkeyluvsu9 I agree but you have to be in good health to give blood. I already suffer from muscle weakness and even after sweeping the garden path my arms are trembling like a plate of jelly and i have had it for years and it doesn't improve. Also what pisses me off is my useless doctor just keeps saying i need to strengthen my muscles when i know it is my muscles are not well and cannot do that. This is why i cannot give blood and don't trust doctors

[dafhgadsrhadjtb]

@210482fmj ew, that doesnt sound healthy. how much do you weigh? sounds like you need to eat more.

[mommyberlin]

@HLD1975 you might be able to better your time if you drank more fluids. start a few days before you donate and drink lots of water,gatorade,kool aid..no caffeine(its a diuretic so your body wont absorb it). it helps to dilate your vein(will hold the needle better) and increase your flow if you are well hydrated. thank you for donating,you just saved 3 lives!!

[brewt1mer]

i donated blood for the first time last week...if you read my comment and you havent done it before then give it a try..it doesnt hurt and you will be helping others..

[kawaietbelle]

does anyone if u have to be >47-50kg body weight to donate blood or is that weight have to b in proportion to ur height, since im quite small ( approx 148cm) and skinny my weight is 42kg, age 20yrs , does any1 no if my weight ok for donating blood? (in ireland)

[mommyberlin]

@kawaietbelle 110 lbs which is 50kg? i believe. you are too light. it's a safety risk if you do not weigh enough.generally,the only time your height is considered is for an automated preocedure since the procedures are by total blood volume which your height is calculated into; the weight requirements are higher than 110 too. I am in the USA,but many countries have the same guidelines. some might take a person weighing 105 ibs...but no less than that. sorry!

[kawaietbelle]

@mommyberlin O ok, thnx, but i think im healthy and bcoz im not tall , so less weight due to smaller bones ah well..

[MenollytheBeagle]

I used to donate blood every two months or so but I've gotten busy and haven't done it in ages. I feel so guilty. :(

The only time I had a bad effect was walking home after donating- BAD idea. I threw up afterward. They really mean it when they tell you to take it easy.

[JasonXSawyer]

@MenollytheBeagle The reason is because when you walk you need more oxygen,but since you donated blood your heart is slower (bradycardia) and it doesnt circulate enough oxygen to tissues.thats why you have to take it easy

[VampyrVixenVenom]

I donated blood today for the first time, I am happy =]]

[Stormy62485]

Hey! You guys have the new, spiffy shakers!! Only our mobile units have those. We have the old-school Sebra shakers without the digital readout, but they're better than trip scales I guess. lol

[mommyberlin]

@Stormy62485 they are nice,but i have a fondness for reliable old dropscales,lol

[Stormy62485]

We only use bp cuffs for difficult phlebotomies because it helps out a lot making the small veins bigger and the deep veins pop out more. Generally speaking though, we use tourniquets that are made from soft cloth and stretchy material. They're really nice, and they aren't as bulky as the bp cuffs. Plus, the cuffs tend to wear out and won't maintain pressure as well, so we have to use hemostats on the cuffs to hold in the air.

[ItsJustJasmine]

I either throw up or pass out whenever blood is taken.. i have a weak stomach..

[vickchix]

how long generally does it take from inserting the needle to taking it out again?

[Nix123456789]

around 10-15 minutes

[kiironashitogeru]

I have a question. What do they inject in your arm before the large needle is inserted. Is it saline solution or a localised painkiller?

[Stormy62485]

@kiironashitogeru a painkiller. We don't use that here in the US, though.

[ShortChelsea]

@Stormy62485 The only time it ever hurt was when my vein wouldn't hold the needle. It was awful. Every other time has been great, though. Thanks to everyone who donates. It saved my life when I was a newborn.

[sirtadz]

i also work in a blood center , and max donation is 15 minutes after 15 minutes u have to tag the blood bag saying plateletes cant be used from that bag

[Stormy62485]

@sirtadz Same here, except we don't collect platelets from whole blood donations, we just tag it as a difficult draw if it's over 15 minutes, and the lab has to check for clots that might make the separation of components more difficult. There's not a whole lot of platelets to really collect in whole blood. We just separate it into cryoprecipitate, FFP, and RBC's.

[19YeeYee79]

After the 15 minutes the coagulation proteins are activated, so the plasma has not enougth coagulation proteins. It will be god to have the mixer, it will help you to obtain better products.

[Chrisward71]

1st