Just gave blood again, do you?

Yeah, always go in when they ask me. May aswell. A little time out of your day can improve someone's life. Thats a win in my books. :)
 
Usually donate and try to go a couple of times a year (it turns up at work, handy) and also joined the bone marrow register but no one appears to want this good marrow. Still, may come in handy for someone at some point.
 
Never even considered it, how do they know you don't have aids? Do they test the blood after they have taken it?

For all I know I could have the good aids...
 
I don't give blood on the account I'm rather selfish and figure as long as enough people are doing so already I don't need to.

Same reason I never had the MMR jab at as a kid, if the rest of the school had it done it meant I didn't need to.

That and I'm not a big fan of needles.
 
A- here 7% special. :P

4th donation on the 12, I kept trying to book apps and they didnt have any time I could do it, had to book a month in advance!
 
Going in for an ESR and full blood count blood tests today. Can I ask them to take note of my blood type, or is that being cheeky?
 
estebanrey said:
They're always trying to recruit more, that's their job. If their was a major shortage, it'd be on the news so I guess there isn't.
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Look here - http://www.blood.co.uk/special-appeal/

Now you can go and find out your blood group and then donate.

This thread has prompted me to book my first ever appointment to donate blood, next week at 18:30. Any tips for someone doing it for the first time? Should I take anything with me for afterward as I'll no doubt feel a bit weak after donating? My wife is taking me, so I don't have to drive. What should I expect with the donation process?
 
I've just registered on the blood.co.uk site after reading this thread and reading up on donating in general.

It's definitely something I'm going to do when I next can!
 
CHokKA said:
Look here - http://www.blood.co.uk/special-appeal/

Now you can go and find out your blood group and then donate.

This thread has prompted me to book my first ever appointment to donate blood, next week at 18:30. Any tips for someone doing it for the first time? Should I take anything with me for afterward as I'll no doubt feel a bit weak after donating? My wife is taking me, so I don't have to drive. What should I expect with the donation process?
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Of the course of your donation the process will change, I've only been doing it for ~5 years and it's slightly different.

Nowadays you go in see the person at the front then you either give them a pre-filled form (if you get one posted) or she gives one to you to fill in.

You then sit down, have a pint of water. After a while you are called to a desk where a nurse will quickly run through the important bits of the form (been out of the country etc etc) then you have a needle p-rick (got starred out for some reason) in your finger (this is more painful the the actual donation so once you realise how minor this is you'll not be scared anymore), a tiny bit of blood is then dropped into a copper solution which is a test of iron (if your blood sinks to the bottom in a set time you have enough iron). Most healthy people will pass this test with ease. If for whatever reason you don't pass they take a slightly larger sample of blood and run it through a machine so you get a free Heamoglobin test. You can be unfit to give blood but still not be aneamic so you don't need to worry unless they also say you should see a doctor :p Even if that is the case you'll be better of in the long run knowing this.

You then go to a different seating area before being called up for the proper donation bit, where you basically just lay down until you can go to the food table. I always look at the needle going in to make sure they do it right (even though I wouldn't know if they did do it wrong lol). You have to clench and un-clench your fist every so often to keep the flow nice. They also recommend clenching your buttocks nowadays although this is not something I have ever done although as a first timer you want to be sure you don't embarrass yourself by passing out so may as well do it.

When they are done you will be told to squeeze the paper on your arm, this is an imperative process to stop any bruising. All bruising is, is blood leaking from your vein into the tissue of your arm, squeeze hard and you stop this happening, don't and you'll not stop the vein from leaking and you'll look silly the next day with a bruise.

First time don't have a hot drink, and make sure you have at least two packs of food and a couple of the cold squash they have. Then book an appointment for the next session.

Simples
 
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Meths said:
Sorry to hear that. Get well soon.


I give blood. It should be made compulsory except for people with underlying health problems..
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Lmao, no it shouldn't. The place near me has stopped putting up their advertising outside because they can't cope with all the people that decide to drop by. If it was made mandatory they would need a massive increase in funding and that just ain't gonna happen. Also I would stop getting rewarded for doing it which would suck. In fact thinking about it there are so so many reason why it shouldn't be mandatory such as a massive increase of infected blood for one.
 
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