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I recently started donating blood. I can not tell you how great it feels to know you are saving lives!!!!

This year, the way Christmas falls on the calendar, the clinics will miss an extra collection period. If you can, please donate before the Christmas holidays. If you are blood type O negative please donate as often as you can. I am blood type O negative and hate needles but I am going to donate as often as I can, if I can get over it anyone can. When they have no time to test a patient's blood type they can only use O negative. Yes you feel a little woozy for the rest of the day, who cares? Eat well before you donate and realize the good feeling you get in your soul outweighs the slight physical discomfort.

If you aren't O negative they still need you just as much. You're body makes more blood, folks, you won't run out of it.

koan wrote: I recently started donating blood. I can not tell you how great it feels to know you are saving lives!!!!

This year, the way Christmas falls on the calendar, the clinics will miss an extra collection period. If you can, please donate before the Christmas holidays. If you are blood type O negative please donate as often as you can. I am blood type O negative and hate needles but I am going to donate as often as I can, if I can get over it anyone can. When they have no time to test a patient's blood type they can only use O negative. Yes you feel a little woozy for the rest of the day, who cares? Eat well before you donate and realize the good feeling you get in your soul outweighs the slight physical discomfort.

If you aren't O negative they still need you just as much. You're body makes more blood, folks, you won't run out of it.


It doesn't hurt. If you think it will, look away as they put in the needle. It

doesn't. I have not had Koan's feeling of "wooziness" after donating blood,

but I'm probably physically larger so notice the donation less. Don't turn up

to give blood pissed up, they won't have it if you've had more than a few pints.

I do this, but can't at the moment because I done something stupid and had a piercing done.

Giving blood is important, especially if your type is rare. It's about taking the time out to do it. Would there be supply for me, my type is RH-Type A-? I have never had surgery, so i would be informed to give prior?

I was surprised about the body piercing reg when I went in. Luckily it had been just over a year. There are also regs about specific countries if you have traveled recently or slept with someone who has. Can't remember which ones but if you travel, good to check before you go.

Paula wrote: Giving blood is important, especially if your type is rare. It's about taking the time out to do it. Would there be supply for me, my type is RH-Type A-? I have never had surgery, so i would be informed to give prior?
Well I'm type O- so have the universal blood type, that anyone can have in an emergency.

Good for you, Koan!!

I have been giving blood for 33 years now, usually between 4 and 6 pints

per year. It does feel really good to give.

I've never had any wooziness at all. The needle pricks hurt a tiny bit,

nothing I can't stand. And I like getting to eat good for a coupla days

afterward.

I am O+ and called a "Universal Donor" so I think you can be type O

whether positive or negative.

I originally gave because I wanted to do something but didn't really have

a lot of money. And plus, I didn't want to give money somewhere and have

an administrator use it to buy his boat! So, giving blood, they pretty much

hafta use it for another human being!

There are some restrictions, but your local blood bank will be happy to tell

you what they are.

You can also get free t-shirts and pins and all kinds of stuff, I've even gotten

free tickets to the county fair and free ice cream!!

Tis an awesome jesture at this time of the year

I would if I could but have been diagnosed with anemia way to often in my life and they won't take my blood.

My husband will have knee replacement surgery in January, he will need to draw blood in case it is needed. (his own of course), I am sure if not utilized the blood will be for some-one in need of it. We are preparing now, as the date is rapidly approaching.

Paula wrote: My husband will have knee replacement surgery in January, he will need to draw blood in case it is needed. (his own of course), I am sure if not utilized the blood will be for some-one in need of it. We are preparing now, as the date is rapidly approaching.


I wish him luck on his surgery

minks wrote: Tis an awesome jesture at this time of the year

I would if I could but have been diagnosed with anemia way to often in my life and they won't take my blood.


Don't know about where you are but our blood bank always needs

volunteers to hand out cookies and juice and chat with the donors during

their rest period after donating... it's not much, I know but it still is a help

and I sure do appreciate the people who do it and enjoy meeting them

and hearing their stories!!

:-6

I wanted to tell everyone something (actually 2 things!) I found out when

I went to donate yesterday... (Got my 4 gallon pin YAY!)

You know they have you sit in the "cantina" for ten minutes after you donate

and have snacks and juice... well this older woman next to me got up and left

while I was chatting with the volunteer... and the volunteer asked me how

long I had been donating and when I told her 33 years (very proud of the

fact!) she told me the lady who just left had been giving for almost SIXTY

YEARS!!! That took the wind outta my sails pretty darn quick, I can tell ya.

Well I mumbled something about guess I had a ways to go and THEN the

volunteer told me there is a woman in a town just north of here who still

gives every 8 weeks and is NINETY-TWO years old!! MAN! I don't mind

tellin' ya, I was out and out flabbergasted. Sure says something to the

rest of us, don't it?!?!?!?

valerie wrote: I wanted to tell everyone something (actually 2 things!) I found out when

I went to donate yesterday... (Got my 4 gallon pin YAY!)

You know they have you sit in the "cantina" for ten minutes after you donate

and have snacks and juice... well this older woman next to me got up and left

while I was chatting with the volunteer... and the volunteer asked me how

long I had been donating and when I told her 33 years (very proud of the

fact!) she told me the lady who just left had been giving for almost SIXTY

YEARS!!! That took the wind outta my sails pretty darn quick, I can tell ya.

Well I mumbled something about guess I had a ways to go and THEN the

volunteer told me there is a woman in a town just north of here who still

gives every 8 weeks and is NINETY-TWO years old!! MAN! I don't mind

tellin' ya, I was out and out flabbergasted. Sure says something to the

rest of us, don't it?!?!?!?




Amazing accomplishment dear girl, and good advise to volunteer Will try and squeeze that in between my other two projects.

willow wrote: I have a rare blood type so it's important that I donate cos not many people do. But I have low blood pressure and the complications that come with it, so I can't do it as often as I would like


what type?

Paula wrote: My husband will have knee replacement surgery in January, he will need to draw blood in case it is needed. (his own of course), I am sure if not utilized the blood will be for some-one in need of it.


Why is it that he has to have his own blood, but his blood can be given to anyone?

Here's a donor/recipient blood transfusion table for general interest:

.------------|--DONOR----------

. | A B AB O

. | A safe no no safe

.recipient | B no safe no safe

. | AB safe safe safe safe

. | O no no no safe

Hope it comes out OK!

willow wrote: A negative


Me Too --- A - and RH factor...are you european decent?

I have given blood 63 times. I gave often when I was in the military as a kid, just to get a day off, later in college, I sold my blood to help pay for books. Then, as a working adult, I just donated periodically. A+

Congratulations to all donors. I believe the stats are that you save three lives every time you donate. All blood types are needed. If you have O neg they call you every time you can donate again.

willow wrote: I have a rare blood type so it's important that I donate cos not many people do. But I have low blood pressure and the complications that come with it, so I can't do it as often as I would like


How low, just out of curiosity? I've donated at 114/71...

koan wrote: Congratulations to all donors. I believe the stats are that you save three lives every time you donate. All blood types are needed. If you have O neg they call you every time you can donate again.


O+, also, since we are the "Universal Donors".

:-4

hairygarden1 wrote: after reading this I am inspired to go give blood, I also have a somewhat rare blood type, O-positive


Actually, it's not rare at all! I think it is somehere btwn 34/38% of people.

Tell you what, next time I do the bb I will get one of their info sheets and

come home and post here!