Virtual Blood Drive

[Ad'lan]

In the Uk they make you wait 3 months :(

And For 12 months after you have a tattoo.

[Brash]

Last time I gave blood, which was a while ago now I think about it, they wore gloves and they used a prep wipe on my arm before sticking me Thorian. I'd be a bit concerned if they didn't.

[SweetTea]

Gave platelets yesterday. My usual appointment time was unavailable so I had to do it earlier in the day, which really threw off my chi.

Gave a single unit of platelets today.

Just an FYI, you can give platelets every 10 days, plasma twice a week and red blood cells every 8 weeks.

I was told you can give platelets "24 times in 12 months." So you can sustainably donate every 2 weeks. However, I think that technically you could donate every day for 24 days and then be off for the rest of the year, if you qualified (which you wouldn't). But that's the ARC, maybe you donate with somebody else.

[SweetTea]

There's a pretty bad-ish blood shortage going on here, so they called me up and I donated whole blood.

[Slugg]

i went to a location in africa and now i cannot give blood my whole life it sucks. but im sure bringing medicine to africa is charity work, i paid my way and brought them drugs(the helpful kind) it was fun im looking to do it again soon.

[dogbane]

I just donated a pint of B+ here at work about 15 minutes ago. When they were finished, they didn't clamp the line correctly and my blood started squirting from the bag all over the floor.

Last time I got a bit woozie, so this time they have me a Coke beforehand. I took a sip and set it down on the table beside me, inches from a small cooler. Then I noticed that the cooler had an orange BIOHAZARD sticker on it.

Good times.

[El Charro]

I gave my blood and plasma....fotos for proof.

well pictures arn't working........here is the link anyways.



---Gunny Writes: "It's because you had your BBCode Disabled. Pictures Fixed"

[NikIniquitous]

I donated another pint on Wednesday :) It took longer to get signed in (laptop aircards are SLOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW) and prepped than it did to fill that bag. Yay me!

[HHaase]

2 more units of platelets today, first time since 2 years ago when I had things go awry on me during the donation. All the proof I have is a few feet of cohesive wrap, and a piece of paper with my name/address/SSN on it. Any way I can just get the "We trust you" on this one?

-Hans

[JimBobVT]

I put in my first pint on saturday. My wife put in her first pint on her third gallon.

[grue]

Tried to give again. But nope, the one good vein I have doesn't want to and stops the flow after a minute or so.
I decided to de-list as a donor. Too bad. I'd have liked to give.

[Sckitzo]

Since 1980, live in the United Kingdom for a total time that adds up to 3 months, or live in Europe for a total time that adds up to 6 months

....

So because I was stationed in Germany for 2 years I can't donate blood anymore? Am I reading this right?
If so this sucks :(
I know I can donate at the hospital here on base (they always need blood sadly) and from what I hear they don't give a shit about tattoos or the minor ones like that, think I'll go talk to em tommorow.

[El Charro]

OK, I gave a double shot today. So put that on the board. Definitly feel weak compared to just giving a single bag.



El Charro

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

A bag donated today. They messed up when trying to get blood from my left arm, and had to try the right one. I'll probably get a huge bruise on my left arm.

[DrthTater]

Oh, I forgot to post. I gave blood on the 26th. I was supposed to get an ornament, but they ran out. :(

[GOVT1911]

I donated again last week on Ft Bragg. I donate every time my window opens, ya never know who your blood might save! I am oftentimes turned away from donating due to deployments, but I give whenever I can. Funny thing is you are disqualified from donating to the Red Cross when you deploy to Iraq or Asscrackistan, but there is NO problem donating to our Military Blood Supply WHILE you're there. In fact, a couple deployments ago we got the call for "all available personnel" to head to the Combat Support Hospital to give blood because we just had a "mass casualty event" and they needed blood NOW. I took my guys down and they took the blood, did whatever they do to it, and began immediately pumping it back into wounded Soldiers.

Sorry I don't have any pics of my stickers, I usually head right back to work and can't wear my sticker on my uniform so I usually just tell'em no thanks for the stickers.

[callista]

[quote="Sckitzo"]So because I was stationed in Germany for 2 years I can't donate blood anymore? Am I reading this right?[/quote]

Apparently yes. I lived in Germany for a while after 1980, and I was rejected for that reason. Yes, it sucks. Why do they reject people who've been in Europe? The Mad Cow thing? If so, the risk is quite small... It's very rare. But then again, it can lie dormant for decades before it shows up, and it's 100% fatal, so they have at least some reason to worry about it.

I think I know why they're so worried about risk factors despite the existence of tests: The tests they perform have small but non-zero risks of failure; and many people who get blood don't just get a little--hemophilia is a big one; so is major surgery; some blood products come from multiple donors anyway. So they put on an extra layer of defense, trying to minimize the chance of transmission.

Would they save more lives if they relaxed their standards? If the blood shortage gets bad enough, they may have to balance "people dying because there wasn't enough blood" with "people dying later on from blood-borne infections".

Those of you who can donate blood, please do; the rest of us are very jealous.

[DrthTater]

Donated on Saturday. In a bus. Never donated in a bus before.

[Phoenix David]

[quote="Sckitzo"]Since 1980, live in the United Kingdom for a total time that adds up to 3 months, or live in Europe for a total time that adds up to 6 months

....

So because I was stationed in Germany for 2 years I can't donate blood anymore? Am I reading this right?
If so this sucks :(
I know I can donate at the hospital here on base (they always need blood sadly) and from what I hear they don't give a shit about tattoos or the minor ones like that, think I'll go talk to em tommorow.[/quote]

I'm with you on that dude I was stationed in Germany and Greece during the 80s and 90s and was also told could never donate blood because of the drugs we were give in the first Gulf War

[Lenny]

Donated today. I also tried to start a new book, but the process was too quick. Photobucket refuses to let me post the photo.

[Emberfox]

Well, I donated a pint Januray 16th before seeing this blood drive forum.
So... no pics... and I can't donate till March. :/

[pazombiehunter]

It has been a long time since I donated blood, since I started getting tattoos. I should plan on getting back into it. when I was old enough to donate I never missed a blood drive.

I usually donate through the Red Cross since they actually have people that can find my vein, any other place can't do it

[Baba Brad]

I can't donate blood. I spend at least 2 weeks of every month in Africa. So, by the time I've passed the time limit for having been in Africa before donating, I'm already back in Africa.

That and some places won't accept your blood if you have had a transfusion.

[Jenny]

If you cannot donate blood you can donate money, and still help in other ways. You can also tell others to donate blood if they can.