Blood donation

[biggs682]

I was told by donation people to have a year off due to low iron.
I upped my iron intake through diet and dropped from 3 to 2 times a year once I was allowed back.
No issues over the last couple of donations, happily.
The blood being taken for the second test is a new thing, apparently.

My iron levels are good but it never shows that on the drop test and now where they do a Venus test to prove it from the your not donation arm my veins in my right arm go into hiding and they can't get a sample

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Well for the second time running my donation failed this time , they couldn't get any blood from my right arm to do the second iron level test ( new process ) 😔

So need to re think donating

When I last tried and failed I was told that failing 3 times in a row brought a lifetime ban for safety reasons

I have not tried since as I know my iron is low - not as bad as it was but I felt it was a signal to stop trying

 

[Ming the Merciless]

When I last tried and failed I was told that failing 3 times in a row brought a lifetime ban for safety reasons

I have not tried since as I know my iron is low - not as bad as it was but I felt it was a signal to stop trying

Do you take iron tablets?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Do you take iron tablets?

Yes - I was taking them for 2 years and still had low iron

That was why they tested me for Coeliac Disease - turns out I was just not absorbing a lot of things and iron was just one of them
The diet (gluten free - no cheating) is a right pain - but it is making a lot of difference
but iron is still borderline and probably not high enough for blood donation

 

[T4tomo]

squeezed out pint no 25 last night according to this mornings email.

 

[PeteXXX]

75th pint sucked out of my left arm today 🦾. Had a rebleed while I was scoffing biscuits so they got a bit more, too! 😋

 

[T4tomo]

Chapeau to 75 pints @PeteXXX. I very much doubt you're 3 times my age (otherwise we need to call Guinness Records!)

 

[PeteXXX]

Chapeau to 75 pints @PeteXXX. I very much doubt you're 3 times my age (otherwise we need to call Guinness Records!)

Thank you 🤗

I'm about 73¾

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Well done to all those that do it

I used to and then didn;t go for a while

now I don;t think they would accept me - I tried twice and was rejected as not having enough iron or something

as they are now talking about monthly drips then I suspect I better not

 

[wbm5]

Well done and thanks as I have been a recipient in the past.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I knew someone once that went to give blood on a whim once

He came back saying they we desperate for him to continue as his blood group was very unusual (AB negative) and certain people needed it

after some extra tests it turned out that he had some unusual thing that made his blood even more important

 

[Mo1959]

I knew someone once that went to give blood on a whim once

He came back saying they we desperate for him to continue as his blood group was very unusual (AB negative) and certain people needed it

after some extra tests it turned out that he had some unusual thing that made his blood even more important

I only over went once and fainted after it. Never went back.

My blood is relatively rare. B negative which according to Google accounts for about 2% of the UK population.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I'd LOVE to give blood, but I can't, sadly.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Thank you 🤗

I'm about 73¾

You are Adrian Mole

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I used to give blood. However, they always seemed to have problems getting the needle in. Blamed me for being dehydrated (I wasn’t). Or blamed me for doing something wrong, whether that was opening and closing hand or doing something else another had asked me to do. You were always made to feel you were doing something wrong. Well I do not need that, and have stopped. Think I was up to about 30 odd donations.