Anyone here ever donate blood or plasma? Anyone ever had a bad experience? I'd love to hear what you think about it.
My experience: I probably won't be doing that again.
My experience: I probably won't be doing that again.
I gave for years until my AVR and warfarin put an end to that ... I never had a bad experience donating blood except for a few times, but come to think of it those time usually involved a few cold beers and a pool cue
I have volunteered at Red Cross blood drives for the past few years, since I can't donate any more (I attached my 6 gallon pin to my volunteer badge). I take great pleasure in handing out the "First Time Donor" stickers -- I suppose people think it's special to get a sticker, but they really serve as a red flag for the other workers along the way, since first time donors may have difficulty with the sudden change in their blood levels. Your reaction sounds a lot like what I felt like in January when I lost half of my blood to an ulcer.
You could have gotten a tad squeamish ... No really ... It is sort of like someone who never gets seasick but goes out on a relatively smooth day and hurls .... it happens ... give it another try ... people who can give need to do it for those of us who can't ... Good luck.
So you drank the night before and you were probably dehydrated? Or were you just hungover? Or did you do something with the pool cue..
I went to the red cross and they weren't accepting donors until noon and I couldn't wait that long. The lady there referred me to a plasma donation center where I could donate AND make some money. The people at the plasma center were, for the most part, destitute. I'll put it this way, the nurses tested my ability to read more than once throughout the screening process.
I think next time I'm going to wait to take my blood pressure medications until after the draw, but I do think I'm going to go back. They can't use the first plasma donation unless they get a second. I don't know why.
I believe my reaction was hypovolemia, and the body's defense against hypovolemia is blocked by all three medications I take.
It's possible, but the way the nurse was saying ?HE?S NOT OK PAUL, HE?S DEFINITELY NOT OK! I?M GONNA [untintellgible] HIM.? made it seem more serious, looking back. I'm gonna give it one more shot, and if I get burned - never again.
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