Donating Blood

[Gaius]

Well I'm going to donate blood in a few hours. I've never done it before and am a bit freaked out. What do they do to get the blood? How long does it take? Should I eat before I go?

 

[Darkfinn]

They're going to slit your wrist and just let you bleed out into a bucket.

 

[Gaius]

comforting.....

 

[ajsco]

I can't, though next year I can.

 

[Lil Snap]

They're going to slit your wrist and just let you bleed out into a bucket.

I thought they just lopped the arm off at the elbow! "It's ok, you'll only feel a slight stick" *slash*

 

[dcviper]

Look, it's not that bad. They will use a heavy gauge needle attached to a bag. They insert the needle into your arm at the joint. it takes about 10-15 minutes depending on your blood pressure. You don't need to eat before hand, but I recommend drinking plenty of water. Before they let you leave, you'll have to hang out for 10 minutes, and they give you juice and cookies to get your blood sugar back up.

 

[Mesmerale]

Look, it's not that bad. They will use a heavy gauge needle attached to a bag. They insert the needle into your arm at the joint. it takes about 10-15 minutes depending on your blood pressure. You don't need to eat before hand, but I recommend drinking plenty of water. Before they let you leave, you'll have to hang out for 10 minutes, and they give you juice and cookies to get your blood sugar back up.

Don't lie. :tongue:

I hate when people call it a needle.

Look, it's a tube, okay? It's a metal tube with a sharp edge.

Besides that...

If it's busy, you'll end up spending more time waiting than actually having blood taken.

I suggest you bring something to play music with, because it can get kind of boring.

I agree about drinking water. You should be hydrated before you do it. If you're afraid of doing it, don't eat anything.

It's just like a shot. The most painful part is when they put it in, and that's not even that bad. Afterward, it's a breeze.

The after-reaction varies.

One friend of mine ended up having to lay down because he felt faint, and his entire face was white.

Another one said that his arm hurt for a little bit afterward.

Me? I was playing rather hard-core DDR-X roughly five hours after I gave blood. I felt fine the entire time.

~~~~

This is from a first-time perspective. I gave blood for the first time about two months ago.

 

[Martin]

You're braver then I am. There is no way you can coax me into giving blood. Even though I'm 0- and they would LOVE to have it.

 

[LittleMonster]

Look, it's not that bad. They will use a heavy gauge needle attached to a bag. They insert the needle into your arm at the joint. it takes about 10-15 minutes depending on your blood pressure. You don't need to eat before hand, but I recommend drinking plenty of water. Before they let you leave, you'll have to hang out for 10 minutes, and they give you juice and cookies to get your blood sugar back up.

Holy shiz, you're slow. xD
I only take about five minutes or less once they stick the tube in me. Last time I was about 4:30. >.>

Anyway, matrixroks, giving blood is no big deal, and you're saving lives! The only part that stings is when they stick it in and when they pull it out, but it's not anything really painful. I definitely recommend drinking plenty of water and bringing a music player or a book, as Mes said. The waiting process is sometimes pretty long.

I'm proud of you for giving blood!
I'm kinda gung-ho about donating blood, haha.

 

[ballucanb]

I stopped giving blood, they pissed me off by saying if your gay we don't want your blood.

 

[LittleMonster]

I stopped giving blood, they pissed me off by saying if your gay we don't want your blood.

Spoiler

HIV, AIDS
You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV.
You are at risk for getting infected if you:

* have ever used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor
* are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977
* have ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex since 1977
* have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone described above
* received clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia
* were born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea,Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria, since 1977.
* since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or
* had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries.

They're just worried about AIDS. They're not discriminating against homosexuals, just anyone who could potentially have HIV.
If you haven't had anal sex, you can still give blood.
But honestly, it is a valid worry.

 

[Gaius]

Well I'm back, me and my dad both gave blood. I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. They even gave me COOKIES! And I feel like a regular philanthropist.

 

[BabyMullet]

They're just worried about AIDS. They're not discriminating against homosexuals, just anyone who could potentially have HIV.
If you haven't had anal sex, you can still give blood.
But honestly, it is a valid worry.

It's not a valid worry really. Heterosexual contact far outweighs homosexual contact in terms of HIV cases. If the Red Cross employed that logic into it's questionnaire, then straight people should be a far larger concern for HIV than gay people. Also, oral, anal, and vaginal sex can transmit HIV, not just anal sex.


Just do what virtually every other low-risk person does, lie. I have numerous gay friends who are ticked off at the stupid regulations surrounding donating blood, and haven taken the steps to lower their risk of getting HIV and testing for it, just lie because they still want to make an impact. One homophobic, illogical remark isn't going to stop em.

 

[mirrored]

yeah, as a gay man, I can't give blood. Therefore they can...well, fuck themselves.

 

[Diapered Rabbit]

:bunny:I gave blood the first time just days after my 18th birthday, and donated every 6 months like clockwork. (Although I haven't donated in a long time) I have my 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 GALLON Pins from the American Red Cross.:bunny:

 

[MysteriousVisitor]

The best thing is having races with your friends to see who can fill the bag faster. We used to do that all the time when we had blood drives back when I lived in the dorms.

 

[Cosmos]

Well I'm back, me and my dad both gave blood. I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. They even gave me COOKIES! And I feel like a regular philanthropist.

That's great! Will you give again?

I'm going to start donating this year (my senior year) in high school, since we have a blood drive that comes a few times a year at my school. I'm excited! I think giving blood is something really important because so many people need it.

 

[TsuKiyoMe]

Giving blood is a great thing to do! Just make sure to give the blood to the hospital itself not the Red Cross, the Red Cross charges like a few hundred dollars per quart.

 

[EvilSkittles]

I'm slightly jealous. I'm not allowed to give blood because of my anemia.