Do you donate blood?

[ladyk]

Not any more. I'm on lifetime blood thinners so they can't accept mine.

[sharknado]

I like tattoos too much

[ginger]

Yes, but I've gotten out of the habit. Thank you for the reminder!

[calle28]

I am a donor! I was also a blood drive coordinator at my job.

I am anemic though, so I can't donate as much as I would like. I'm probably going to have to take a break.

I've been donating for over 5 years and I still get a bit nervous everytime.

[game blouses]

I used to but they didn't want my blood type (AB+) plus I have small veins so they didn't think it was worth the time, lol.

I did enjoy doing it before then though.

[wambam]

I don't, but I probably should. I'm generally fine with needles and I'm a healthy person.

I did give once in high school and got on their call list and they called me incessantly, even after I went to college.

[Jalapeñomel]

When I am not denied, I do.

[katfco]

I'm not able to because they often have a hard time with my veins, so the last time I went, they told me not to.

[jinkies]

I've done it a handful of times. Basically if they come to my office I'll do it but I don't seek out the opportunity.

The last time I donated, it hit me really hard. I felt run down/woozy for about 48 hours. I'd never had trouble before, so I'm not sure if it had something to do with my activity level or nutrition that day, or if I'm just getting old.

[wampuscat]

Mar 26, 2015 15:22:42 GMT -5 Maud said:

The US doesn't want my blood because of mad cow disease, so no.

Ditto.  I'm not allowed to.

[badtzmaru22]

Mar 26, 2015 15:22:42 GMT -5 Maud said:

The US doesn't want my blood because of mad cow disease, so no.

Same. Moo.

[april37]

No, not any more. DH and I used to donate to a specific blood donation center. They would call on a regular basis and ask us to come in and donate again. Then, the calls got ridiculous. They would call ALL the time. We would ask them to stop and they wouldn't. It literally was on the verge of harassment. We started writing down dates/times/names etc and threatened to call the police if they didn't stop callings us. They finally did stop but we haven't donated since.

[Serenity9]

I haven't. I really should. I've had bad experiences with blood tests and needles before, so I'm squeamish about it. But being squeamish is nothing compared to what the people who need it are going through. Well-founded guilt. I need to do it.

E.T.A., Like @tambcat, I didn't donate for a while because I didn't meet the weight requirement; I assumed I would now, but apparently they raised the weight requirement, and I'm borderline. Huh.

[speckledfrog]

I used to. I had several appointments in a row where I was just shy of the iron requirement and then I just stopped going.

[gummybear]

Yes I am O- so they stalk me. I give regularly (4x a year)

[Deleted]

Mar 26, 2015 15:24:17 GMT -5 april37 said:

No, not any more. DH and I used to donate to a specific blood donation center. They would call on a regular basis and ask us to come in and donate again. Then, the calls got ridiculous. They would call ALL the time. We would ask them to stop and they wouldn't. It literally was on the verge of harassment. We started writing down dates/times/names etc and threatened to call the police if they didn't stop callings us. They finally did stop but we haven't donated since.

Same with me.  Even after I got turned down once because my pulse was too high (I'd just climbed a huge number of stairs to get there).

I put their number on my automatic reject list on my phone. 

[meggers5]

I'm banned for life.

[mrsukyankee]

Yes, but not recently. I gave every 12 weeks for 5 years here in England.

[mountaingirl]

I just did a double red blood cell donation on Monday. I have O+ blood and a high platelet count. They love me.

[Deleted]

Nope. Can't.

[pooh8402]

In general, yes. I haven't done so in a while due to fertility medications, and now pregnancy. and I have tattoos. I've always been told that you have to wait 6 months or a year after a tattoo before donating.

[mich1]

I used to, but not anymore.

My veins are so scarred up from my year of medical hell that the few remaining unscarred veins are for future medical needs for me.

[1confused1]

I used to give regularly until one of the nurses found my irregular heartbeat. Now I can't do it without a doctor's note.

[miniroller]

I used to be pretty regular at donating (3-4x/ yr), but had a transfusion 5 years ago. Two more to go!

[motzie]

Yes, when I'm not pregnant or breastfeeding I'm good for 3-5 donations a year.

[MixedBerryJam]

I'm actually pretty nervous about donating blood (I know I shouldn't be!). I've been donating platelets for years, but twice now in the last year or so I've had pretty serious reactions: once I passed out while I was actually donating; and once I collapsed walking back to my car, and ended up in the hospital for two days. So they've told me I can't do platelets any more, but if I wait 6 months they'll try taking my whole blood and see how I react to that. I really miss donating platelets, though.

[Deleted]

Yes. Normally 4-6 times a year. I'll start again when I'm done breast feeding.

[cbwm1]

Every 56 days or whatever the guideline is. The Red Cross loves me.

[underwaterrhymes]

I used to.

But then I started traveling internationally for work to spots where you have to wait a year or so before you can give and then I got pregnant and I've been pregnant or breastfeeding ever since.

[LeggsBenedict]

nope.