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I thought I would post a post (first in years!) and thank all of you who have donated blood. You may not have been the one who saved my life directly... but I thought I would show my appreciation. Posts: 1417 | Registered: Aug 1999
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On St. Patricks day I had to go to the ER for an emergency Surgery for another Tubal pregnancy (I had one in 2002) and I needed 4 units of blood... (yikes I'm sounding like a vampire ) Crazy thing is that it was in ,what was left over, of the same tube.
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Eat lots of steaks! Hee hee. But the best way is to eat lots and lots of broccoli! My mom had sent us money to buy broccoli and steaks after my surgery. Yum!
Posts: 1417 | Registered: Aug 1999
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My wife got me on the donating blood kick, and then she gets pregnant But seriously, I've been fortunate enough to donate every 2-3 months since I became eligible after returning from Korea and it is nice to hear from someone who got the blood when it was needed. I only wish I had a more valuable blood type but I've never been turned away because I'm A+.
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I'm up to 28 platelet donations. When I get to 100 I get to go on their Apheresis hall of fame. Won't happen for another 4-5 years at my current rate of once every 3 weeks or so.
What I love most about donating is when I get a notice from the local hospital where they tell me what they used my product for. So far I've had at least one heart surgery and a couple of organ transplants. Its only one hospital in the area that sends out those notices, but it really brings it from the abstract to the real world.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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I'm glad you're ok!! Tubal pregnancies are very scary things! I guess if you had to have another tubal pregnancy, having it in the same tube was, in a weird way, the best place (since you still have the unaffected one intact).
I'll have to see about donating. I never have in the past because I was ineligible (due to living in Bulgaria for a little while) and then when I became eligible, I got pregnant. Too bad I don't have a more unusual blood type (AB+).
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:Originally posted by unicornwhisperer: Eat lots of steaks! Hee hee. But the best way is to eat lots and lots of broccoli!
Actually, I usually do eat steak the day before going in to donate. And I always eat lots of broccoli. I take iron pills for a week before donating . . . and sometimes I still get turned away because my iron is a tad low. But I was fine the last time.
quote:Originally posted by ludosti: Too bad I don't have a more unusual blood type (AB+).
Rare types are needed, and so are common types. I'm O+, the second-most needed type (O- is more needed, as the universal donor, but O+ is what about 50% of people have), so they always need mine.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Sterling: I doubt any blood I've given could have found its way to you, but I'm glad you're okay.
My theory has always been that local supplies have a radius. So if I donate, it frees up supplies a little ways away, which frees up supplies a little away from that, etc., etc., eventually contributing to every area in the country possibly having just a bit more wiggle room if they need it.
Now, I don't know if tghat's realistic, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something when someone I know across the country needs blood and I know they won't get mine, but I go in and donate anyway. So if anyone knows differently about the way it works, just don't say anything! Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I'm glad that you're okay and got the medical help that you needed.
I haven't been able to donate in awhile because I got a tattoo in September. As much as I love it, I miss donating (even if half my donations have made me sick or pass out.) I'm counting down the months until I'm eligible to donate again.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I'd like to add my heartfelt thanks as well. Aerin had 6 blood transfusions when she was in the NICU. Each one of them saved her life. And though she didn't need any during her hemangioma excision, it was wonderful to know there was blood there for her. I wish more places let donors know where their blood has gone.
unicornwhisperer, I'm sorry you had to go through such an ordeal, but I'm glad you're recovering.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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I feel guilty for not donating, but I have almost passed out every time I donate. And if you do that, even if they already have a needle in and blood flowing, they stop the donation (atleast every time I have tried). I tried like 5 times and some times I can hold it together long enough to do the donation, but I always end up being attacked by people with ice water before I get my cookies. So, I have stopped trying. I also have trouble giving blood for medical tests- which made pregnancy lots of fun. Of course, my husband is far more fun then me- he goes into full panic attack, seizes up- really, really freaks the technicians out. He does warn them, they just think he is exagerating.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
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It would be really neat to find out exactly where my blood has gone, but I suppose it would be tough to actually keep records of those things and match them to donors. It is good to hear of people who have been helped, though.
Scholarette, if you have bad reactions like that, you don't need to feel guilty. If you really want to be involved, you can always volunteer to help with juice and cookies .
I've found that donating makes me profoundly tired, and while that was okay back when I was healthy, being tired on top of having narcolepsy just doesn't work well. I'd like to try donating platelets or plasma to see if it's just the blood cell loss that's the problem. It's not an acute shocky reaction, so I'm pretty sure it's not the needles that cause it. Unfortunately, none of the blood drives I've been to are set up for apheresis.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Shig, do you have a regular donation center near you? I like them so much more than blood drives.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Actually, I looked it up. I think I'd have to drive 2 hours to Portland to donate plasma or platelets. The nearest center is in Salem, an hour away, but it looks like they don't do apheresis. Oh well.
Speaking of donating blood products, the National Marrow Donor Program is currently running a campaign for new donors. You can even join online.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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