I have found I need to prepare a few days in advance. Drinking lots of water, and eating a good, heavy meal the night before. And as much as it kills me, I eat the junk they provide after.
I also have O- and feel a moral obligation to give as much as I can. Every 56 days is too much for me, so I aim for every 90.
Post by verycontrary247 on Aug 13, 2017 11:49:12 GMT -5
I've found donating platelets is easier on the body because they put the rest of your blood back after removing the platelets.
Eating a big meal heavy on iron and protein before donating and drinking a lot of fluids starting 48 hours in advance also has helped me immensely.
I donate platelets every 3 weeks. They have a much shorter shelf life than whole blood (like 5 days?) so the demand is constantly high no matter your blood type. It definitely takes longer than donating whole blood though (2-3 hours).
ETA to answer your question- donating platelets is not a painful process. It's actually pretty relaxing. They hook you up and then you can watch tv or Netflix for a few hours until it's done.
Post by mrsukyankee on Aug 13, 2017 12:27:53 GMT -5
Do exercises while giving blood - flex your butt and thighs. Cross and uncross your legs. Let the people know that you get faint so they can move you up from lying more slowly. Make sure you drink a lot of water beforehand and eat something solid as well. I also have 0- blood and give as often as they'll allow in the UK.
If you can find a place where you can lie flat while donating (and for a short while after), that helps me feel less like I'm going to pass out. I also make sure to never look at the blood pumping out of my body. Plus the other food/hydration tips offered by PP.
Thank you for asking this and thank you for the replies! I am B- which is always in short supply. I donate regularly but have found that it leaves me feeling like the walking dead for days afterwards. Why I never thought to up my iron and protein intake prior is beyond me.....
I'm the same when I donate blood. What helps me the most is making sure that I'm staying active and hydrated for a few days before. I also make sure that I'm eating plenty of protein. I don't worry about iron so much outside of my multivitamin. Iron isn't very absorbable and it takes awhile to build up in your body or get repleted so for me taking it consistently on a regular basis as part of my multivitamin is more helpful than downing iron tablets and chowing down on spinach the night before I donate. I think taking a vitamin with iron is a RedCross recommendation now, too, for frequent donors.
After, I like a protein shake. It's got hydration, protein and sugar all in one. And then keep hydrated after and try to take it easy (like not walking 4 flights of stairs immediately after or working out after).
I donate every eight weeks. I used to always get supper dizzy after but now I just get a little lightheaded when I sit up. Things that have helped me are drinking a ton of water several days before, laying down to donate, moving my legs, and having a fan blow on me. It sounds like a lot but it's not really, the blood center sets up a donation site at my work every 2months so I've gotten a good system down.
I tried to donate double red last time but they couldn't get the catheter to work, so I imagine it's a bigger gage needle and my veins are always hit or miss. The more I looked into it, the long term side effects are kind of questionable (iron stores, fatigue, etc...) so I'm going to stick with single units.
My blood is pretty common so I've actually been denied donating, at walker reed of all places, and steered into platelets.
It takes much longer and can feel sorta funny, but it's easy recovery. I waver in whether I'm heavy enough to donate blood do I definitely feel effects though I've never passed out.
However, platelets aren't type specific, so if you're motivated to donate due to o-, I'd work on the other suggestions first. Hydrate, eat, juice, iron. In the end it's all important.
I have donated over three gallons. Heed my advice as holy.
Drink a shit ton of water in the few days leading up to donation.
Try to eat red meat in the days leading up to donation.
Depending on what time you donate, eat a BIG meal before you go. If I have a 9:00 appointment, I'll totally go to McD's for breakfast and not feel an ounce of guilt. If I have a 1:00 appointment, I'll eat a huge lunch with carbs.
Afterwards, I continue drinking a ton of water, eat the crap snacks they provide, and eat carbs the rest of the day.
It's my tried and true method and it works like a damn charm. And the more you donate, the easier it gets. I promise.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Aug 13, 2017 23:50:26 GMT -5
I am a regular donor. I have found that I really need to time my donations with my menstrual cycle, if I can. If I'm in the first 10-15 days of my cycle, it takes me a lot longer to recover than if I'm in the second half of the cycle.
Also, I eat red meat/spinach/dark greens/etc and take iron supplements for the three days before and after I donate. Plus, extra water for the three days before and less caffeine for that same time period.
Post by morecowbell on Aug 14, 2017 8:29:18 GMT -5
In Canada, Canadian Blood Services has increased the waiting period between donations for women from every 56 days to every 84 days. I'm unsure what the timing is in the US, but maybe consider spreading out your donations to give your body additional time to build itself back up. I also agree with previous posters on eating high iron foods, being fully hydrated, etc. I always feel much better after donating when I've had a good meal and coffee beforehand.
In Canada, Canadian Blood Services has increased the waiting period between donations for women from every 56 days to every 84 days. I'm unsure what the timing is in the US, but maybe consider spreading out your donations to give your body additional time to build itself back up. I also agree with previous posters on eating high iron foods, being fully hydrated, etc. I always feel much better after donating when I've had a good meal and coffee beforehand.
Same in the UK. It's primarily to do with differing iron levels in male and female blood.
I have the same problem, and the Red Cross tech told me to drink a 20oz Coke before donating - not the healthiest thing in the whole world, but it did the trick and that's what I do every time now!
I have the same problem, and the Red Cross tech told me to drink a 20oz Coke before donating - not the healthiest thing in the whole world, but it did the trick and that's what I do every time now!
This might be a really dumb question, but now I'm curious - could this give someone high blood sugar when they receive the transfusion?
I have the same problem, and the Red Cross tech told me to drink a 20oz Coke before donating - not the healthiest thing in the whole world, but it did the trick and that's what I do every time now!
This might be a really dumb question, but now I'm curious - could this give someone high blood sugar when they receive the transfusion?
Hmmm. I think that's a good question, actually! No idea - but I'll ask the next time I donate!
Drink and eat a lot for a day or two ahead of time. I am O- too so I feel like I have a duty to donate, but I haven't reacted well the last few years. I've found that I can't donate in the morning because I need to have a couple good meals in my system beforehand. So I only give after lunch now.
Post by fancynewbeesly on Aug 15, 2017 14:44:07 GMT -5
I don't have any tips but I want to thank you SO much for donating. My daughter is O- and has had many, many transfusions and since she can only accept O- blood, there were some days we had to wait for hours for the blood to arrive.
Out of curiosity, do you actually have to weigh 110 lbs to donate? I'm about 10 lbs under that so I've never donated because I saw that on the Red Cross website.
Out of curiosity, do you actually have to weigh 110 lbs to donate? I'm about 10 lbs under that so I've never donated because I saw that on the Red Cross website.