OT: Blood Donations

[KnottedYet]

I can't. Once you've had cancer you are a huge NO-NO in the donation world. No blood. No bone marrow. No participating in AIDS vaccine trials.

Oooh, do I sound bitter? I don't mean to be bitter! Everyone who can, please donate while you can! Someday you may be disallowed, and you will feel regret and gnash your teeth over being left out!!

Do it NOW!!!

[Dianyla]

Do it NOW!!!

Unless you're anemic or have low iron. Which a huge percentage of female athletes are, due to menstrual blood losses and the higher iron requirements of endurance exercise.

Be aware that the simple "iron drop" test done by blood donation organizations is very rudimentary and will only disqualify you from donating if you're seriously anemic. If you are borderline it will often say you're good enough to donate.

I'm not trying to trash the Red Cross or other phlebotomy charities, but please just be aware of this. Visit your doctor and have your serum ferritin levels tested to know whether you need to be supplementing with iron pills if you still wish to be a blood donor.

[East Hill]

Mr. East Hill and I donated last on December 29. I have donated over 54 units in my lifetime. Mr. East Hill is not far behind, with 49 units.

We'll donate again after our minimum recovery time.

KnottedYet, I would assume that you had leukemia or one of the lymphomas? Not asking you to reply, but it is possible for some cancer survivors to donate, as per the American Red Cross website:

Cancer
Eligibility depends on the type of cancer and treatment history. If you had leukemia or lymphoma, including Hodgkin’s Disease, you are not eligible to donate. Other types of cancer are acceptable if the cancer has been treated successfully and it has been at least 5 years since treatment was completed and there has been no cancer recurrence in this time. Some low-risk cancers including squamous or basal cell cancers of the skin do not require a 5 year waiting period.

Precancerous conditions of the uterine cervix do not disqualify you from donation if the abnormality has been treated successfully. You should discuss your particular situation with the health historian at the time of donation.



East Hill

[SadieKate]

I wish! I wish! We had a long conversation about blood donation on Thread Drift (is that the right thread), and there are several of us knocked off the list for a variety of reasons. We are a danger to others.

[MomOnBike]

As a mother of a daughter who has had a very serious GI bleed twice I donate every chance I get. I realize how important it can be.

It's worth walking around for a while feeling a quart low. Someone needs the blood. Oddly, I just hope it's nobody I know.

[KnottedYet]

East Hill - thanks for the info! Nope, I'm still disqualified cuz I had one of the "baddies" and my doc keeps catching pre-cancerous boogers at my check-ups. So while I haven't had an actual malingnancy in 12 years (yay!) my little cells are still trying to start careers of their own every so often.

But I'm not dead yet! (get it? Not Dead Yet... KnottedYet.) Someday I'll be able to donate again! (I have "o" blood.)

[emily_in_nc]

I can't donate because I weigh less than 110. I used to be able to, but then I lost weight. I tried to donate once since then (lied about my weight), but it took an hour, and they still couldn't squeeze an entire donation bag out of me. My BP was borderline too low too, so that may have been the problem. I feel bad that I can no longer donate, but not to the point that I am willing to gain weight....

Emily

[Bluetree]

Emily, me too. I was kinda upset the last time I donated, I asked them if there was a weight limit and they assured me, "no problem." I think I weighed about 102 lbs. at the time. Needless to say, I completely passed out at the clinic, had to find a ride home and felt awful for about two days.

After that, they kept calling me to donate every two weeks, no matter how many times I asked them to take me off their call list.

Still, if I ever gain enough weight, I'll donate again.