Just gave blood again, do you?

[Jacksonn]

In my 9th donation I think... or though the waiting time seems to be getting longer it’s for a good cause so meh.. Or though if I forgot to rebook they constantly ring me blood type AB+.

 

[Stumble Bum]

Did you book or just turn up?

Normally in notts i wait maybe 5-10mins then give them some of life force then im out

I was all booked in for a particular time slot. There must have been people that had to wait a lot longer than me. Think I'll try a different location next time and see how it goes.

 

[Feek]

Just donated for the first time. Do they usually keep you waiting around for ages before hand. Sat around for 35+ mins before being seen to. Hope it's not always like that??

Yes, that's normal. Even so, once you get called then it's pretty quick after that and I'm normally sipping my tea and eating biscuits within an hour of getting in there.

 

[Scuzi]

I don’t give blood because I can’t due to a medical issue which precludes it. However I make up for it somewhat by volunteering my time to make urgent/emergency blood deliveries by motorbike. Here is my current steed:


All I can say to those of you who donate is that I sometimes get to see the importance of blood donors to the overall system. Without you, people would die. There have been a few occasions where I have had the box of blood snatched from me and rushed to the patient which have really hit home how important it is. Not only that, the local air ambulance carries blood for transfusions in the field. On the last delivery I did to the air ambulance the critical care doctor told me that it saves a life almost every day. Without donors these people would die.

It was certainly the case for my wife. After a pregnancy gone wrong a few years ago, whilst mourning the loss of our child my wife almost died due to blood loss as a result of complications with the procedure. She wouldn’t be here now if you lot didn’t donate and if the blood bike volunteer didn’t get out of bed at 2am to deliver it to the hospital.

 

[Plec]

Nice 1, @Scuzi!

*Envious of the bike - and the ability to part traffic.

 

[FBi7]

@Scuzi nice to see you doing what it says on the tin.

Up here, the BBers carry breast milk between maternity units and occasionally carry blood products to air ambulance stations.

I have offered my services but despite having 16 years of motorcycle experience and having been a blue light driver for the past 5 years, they're not interested.

Hey ho.

 

[Scuzi]

@Scuzi nice to see you doing what it says on the tin.

Up here, the BBers carry breast milk between maternity units and occasionally carry blood products to air ambulance stations.

I have offered my services but despite having 16 years of motorcycle experience and having been a blue light driver for the past 5 years, they're not interested.

Hey ho.

I have heard that some groups can be a bit cliquey. The group I ride for is fairly pragmatic though and business is booming so any offers of help are snapped up with gratitude! I do the occasional milk run but it’s mostly blood, plasma or platelets.

 

[Feek]

Nice work @Scuzi

 

[Meridian]

I'll add more thanks to Scuzi - and also thanks for making us feel appreciated. The NHSBT can be surprisingly poor at that sometimes. Not so much the coal-face workers who are always excellent, but the management who seem to lose track of the fact that they exist to join donors to donees, and not to climb the greasy pole.

 

[Meridian]

I forgot to post earlier, but last week was my 700th. 701 to be exact. Yay me. No prize (or proof) until I get 750 though, which should be the year after next. Hopefully.

 

[PiKe]

How often do you donate?

 

[Meridian]

Every four weeks. It used to be every two but that made me anaemic. But I get three points each time because I give platelets and plasma.

 

[Scuzi]

Every four weeks. It used to be every two but that made me anaemic. But I get three points each time because I give platelets and plasma.

You deserve a medal. Think of how many lives that has had a positive impact upon. We move a lot of platelets around, usually for cancer patients. But plasma is always urgent. Every time I get a call to run plasma it’s often for a trauma patient and is extremely time critical. I have been told that not many donate plasma and there isn’t always some available, which means that some people don’t make it because it’s just not there. Keep it up!

 

[PiKe]

Why doesn't people donate plasma as well?

 

[Meridian]

This actually seems to be down to the NHSBT themselves: I've been donating since 1991, but only about eighteen months ago did they start taking plasma as well as platelets. My understanding (probably wrong) was that most plasma comes from spinning down whole blood and dividing it into packed cells blood and plasma. The idea of specific plasma donations from platelet donors is recent.

 

[Feek]

The nearest platelet centre to me is over seventy five miles away so I won't be doing that in my lunch hour.

 

[VoG]

@Scuzi nice one dude, as a biker ive got huge respect for you BBers out n about in all weathers doing what you do.
As for giving blood sadly not, i have a chronic health condition which rules it out.

 

[neoboy]

Gave my first donation two weeks ago, actual process is very quick just a bit of a wait before. Apart from bruising for a week, didn't feel any side effects.

Still, an hour every three months isn't a huge inconvenience so will continue to do it for the foreseeable future.

 

[McBain]

Went for my latest donation Friday, the nurse didn’t attach the tube properly whilst the needle was in so it fell off my arm yanking the needle

It wasn’t overly pleasant but it meant air got into the system and they had to cancel the donation. Asked them to jab me again or use the other arm but they said they weren’t allowed.

Sore arm and no donation = not impressed.

 

[Meridian]

You get the point though: if the needle goes in, it counts. But I get what you mean.