Author Topic: Blood donation  (Read 88621 times)

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #325 on: 24 November, 2021, 05:39:32 pm »
Angular cheleitis CAN be (but not necessarily is) caused by iron deficiency or high blood sugar.

Might be worth checking or watching.

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #326 on: 24 November, 2021, 10:36:40 pm »
Interesting. For the first time at my last donation, I was told that my iron level was just sufficient to let me donate.

Can I get these things checked at a pharmacy, or must I go through the anguish of trying to see speak to exchange pixels unsatisfactorily with my gp, might you know?
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #327 on: 25 November, 2021, 08:07:28 pm »
Suspect your pharmacy can check your sugar but haemoglobin and iron might need a GP.

Suggest: a few days' Canesten.
Pharmacy sugar check.
A few days' observation off Canesten.

GP in 2nd week of December if cheleitis recurs or sooner if blood sugar higher than desirable.

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #328 on: 25 November, 2021, 10:54:58 pm »
Thanks Helly
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Edd

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #329 on: 08 February, 2022, 02:01:13 pm »
Donation #20 today. Painful with the needle this time around. I have been giving small amounts of blood recently for research purposes and they all went for the same vein. I did suggest that the blood collector try my right arm this time, he took one look at it and went for the usual vein in my left. I was in and out in about half an hour though, so very quick and efficient today. I think I lucked out at arriving in a lul period despite it being booking only

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #330 on: 12 February, 2022, 07:33:19 am »
I donated yesterday in the Gudwara in Leamington. I much prefer giving at the dedicated centre in Brum, but it was easier in Leam yesterday.

I've recently found out that my O- blood always goes to a maternity unit. Is that because it's O-, or is there another reason?
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #331 on: 12 February, 2022, 07:38:56 am »
I donated yesterday in the Gudwara in Leamington. I much prefer giving at the dedicated centre in Brum, but it was easier in Leam yesterday.

I've recently found out that my O- blood always goes to a maternity unit. Is that because it's O-, or is there another reason?

I have the same my blood. Its explained in this link. Basically our blood is awesome


https://www.blood.co.uk/news-and-campaigns/the-donor/special-blood-for-babies/

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #332 on: 12 February, 2022, 11:16:41 am »
Thanks for the link. Good to know.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #333 on: 12 February, 2022, 02:37:02 pm »
My brother is O Negative.
He'd be an ideal blood donor.
He cannot give blood in Israel, where he lives.
He ate beef in Britain in the 1980s.

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #334 on: 05 May, 2022, 07:18:39 pm »
Just waiting to give 38th donation. Should have been a few months back but had the covid

Annoyed I had a good few years of unpredictable work hours so could never book in as think was mid 20s when missed my first possible donation having started at 16.

Salvatore

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Re: Blood donation
« Reply #335 on: 11 July, 2022, 04:56:25 pm »
I'm due to donate again next week. I find the process a little uncomfortable these days. The 'slight scratch' (why do they say that? It's not like a scratch at all. It's much more like a needle being stuck into your arm, which isn't - to my mind - something that requires a simile, much less an inaccurate one) is now a painful* jab, which remains painful throughout the donation, including the removal and shortly thereafter.

One member of staff told me that this is likely due to scar tissue. Another (different occasion) suggested a duff (cheap) batch of needles.

Whatever it is, I'm going to ask them to use the other arm next time, to see if that improves things.

(*FSVO pain. It's more painful than it used to be, but still only, say, 1.5 where renal colic = 10)

That sounds a bit like my experience. Twice in the last two or three years the insertion has been particularly uncomfortable, and on both occasions the flow of blood has dried up before the minimum amount had been collected (U for underweight* on my record) . The first time it was suggested I hadn't drunk enough, although I'd drunk the same as normal. In April the needle inserting person found great difficulty in inserting it into a vein, and it was suggested that it could be scar tissue after 40+ donations.

So today Donor Carer Alison used the preciously untried right arm, and everything went smoothly.


* the amount of blood was underweight not me. At my very first donation (arranged by work - we'd been 'volunteered') I waited for the screening with a very nervous colleague who really didn't want to donate. She was delighted to be turned away on the grounds that she didn't meet the minimum weight allowed. Anyway, that colleague became Mrs nuncio, but nuncio has said it would be inadvisable for me to point out to her that there would be nothing preventing her donating now.
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et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

arabella

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  • onwendeð wyrda gesceaft weoruld under heofonum
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #336 on: 17 July, 2022, 09:06:26 pm »
Slowest donation I had was with a novice donor carer, I think the needle wasn't in quite right; they were about to tell me to bog off but much wriggling around in the chair by me upped the flow above whatever the minimum is.  I think I was luckiy in that usually I'm a fast bleeder (sub 5 mins, the only thing I've ever been fast at, take my glory where I can get it), so a fast bleeder going slowly is just about fast enough.

Meanwhile, I've never had a favourite arm so they randomly use whatever arm they feel like.  It appears from above posts that this is a good thing.

I'm delighted not to weigh enough for platelet donation.  Though luckily the minimum weight when I started (esp for teenage girls/women) was higher, else I'd never have been able to donate and wouldn't have gone back when older.  Will stop once I have given my weight in blood is the plan.
Any fool can admire a mountain.  It takes real discernment to appreciate the fens.

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #337 on: 03 August, 2022, 02:57:10 pm »
39th today I think

At the mighty Colchester United ground. In and out within 30 minutes as with it being warm and being a fast bleeder took hardly any time. Mostly men giving but would figure as lunchtime

More normal this time and the stickers are back so girls will be happy

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #338 on: 06 December, 2022, 03:44:53 pm »
As a lapsed blood donator I was asked if I would consider giving Plasma at the local donation centre. So off I trot for an appointment last Friday afternoon, unfortunately my veins which are fine for blood and were fine in the past for 1+1 (red blood and platelets) were not sufficiently robust for plasma donation. So now I have to wait for them to reset me to a blood donator and then see if I can find a local appointment for my blood type.

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #339 on: 07 December, 2022, 05:42:04 am »
they are currently chasing me to make an appointment.

I’ve had a some failed donations as their test said Hb too low, but my GP kindly did blood test. The results were 2+ higher than the finger prick test.

Will arrange appt soon

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #340 on: 07 December, 2022, 04:31:13 pm »
Hit 40th last month. They had just brought back in mask wearing which was between appointment and letter so no one had masks but they did provide

For some reason blood test failed to sink so had to use a proper machine but my irons were fine as usual. Only complaint is the chairs point away from windows so have a wall to stare at rather then outside

John Stonebridge

  • Has never ridden Ower the Edge
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #341 on: 10 December, 2022, 11:03:59 am »
Ive got a booking next week for what I think will be my 43rd donation.   

Finding a vein has been increasingly problematic in recent donations with one appointment being abandoned entirely so fingers crossed.  I really want to get to 50.   

 

arabella

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Re: Blood donation
« Reply #342 on: 01 February, 2023, 06:03:00 pm »
I went today, only just over the minimum HB level, perhaps that's why I've been feeling not-so-energetic.  Or perhaps I'm getting old.
They still love my veins.

...  Will stop once I have given my weight in blood is the plan.
Apparently I was misinformed as to the weight of a donation and I passed the "given my weight" point at least 3 years ago.  Today's answer was that a filled pack weighs 828g.
Any fool can admire a mountain.  It takes real discernment to appreciate the fens.

Salvatore

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Re: Blood donation
« Reply #343 on: 01 February, 2023, 07:06:16 pm »
Ive got a booking next week for what I think will be my 43rd donation.   

Finding a vein has been increasingly problematic in recent donations with one appointment being abandoned entirely so fingers crossed.  I really want to get to 50.   

I'm in a similar situation.

Since this donation, which convinced me that the right arm was the one to use:

1. In mid October the carer inserted the needle but failed to find a vein in my right arm, summoned someone senior, who summoned someone even more senior (Dennis) who made the decision to abandon the donation before it had really started (which meant I didn't have to wait 3 months which would have been the case if the donation had been abandoned half way through).

2. At the end of October (Halloween, some of the carers had dressed up appropriately) the carer cuffed up both arms during the screening, poked about with his finger and declared the biggest juiciest vein was in my left arm and the donation was successful.

3. And today, Dennis performed the screening bit, and said that failures such as I'd had were more to do with the person inserting the needle rather anything to do with my veins. So the left was tried again. Successfully.

So that's 49.

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et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #344 on: 30 March, 2023, 06:45:44 am »

95th donation yesterday  :)

Having looked back in this thread, the issue of painful/difficult cannulation is discussed.
I have found that after a number of donations the vein becomes more painful/irritable and difficult to cannulae, at this point I request the other arm is used, and do this for the next 3 - 4 donations. This seems to solve the problem for me.

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #345 on: 30 March, 2023, 09:52:21 pm »
177 units here, quite a few of which are platelets.  I tried using my other arm once but because I'm part robot my right arm appears to have smaller veins (it's harder for the Crool Nurse to find my pulse in my right arm too), the session had to be abandoned.

The last session I did was pretty uncomfortable, presumably because the vein in my left arm that gets tagetted is a mass of scar tissue. The nice donor carer tweaked the needle position which helped as bit but didn't completely fix it.

Platelelet donation can be as frequent as every two weeks, as most of the blood gets returned to the donor during the donation process. I tend to go evey four weeks, to give my vein a better chance of healing up.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
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offcumden

  • Oh, no!
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #346 on: 30 March, 2023, 10:23:22 pm »
I gave platelets for a while, so I'm over 150 units - and, no doubt, some scarring in my veins. I've been used to going to the main Leeds centre for platelets, and have continued to do so now I just give whole blood. Last session, though, I decided to go to a mobile session which is closer to home. Not really sure why, but there was a problem getting the needle properly located in the vein, and some swelling as a result, although I completed a full donation. In future I'll be going back to Leeds, with its regular staff and permanent set-up. Somehow the local session felt a bit amateurish and make-do; rather like going to temporary field hospital compared to a fully-equipped teaching hospital. Maybe I was just unlucky?
Anyway, I quite enjoy a train ride to the big city, lunch, art gallery etc. ;)

Salvatore

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Re: Blood donation
« Reply #347 on: 10 May, 2023, 05:12:03 pm »

So that's 49.

Now 50.

First time I've donated in a listed building (Reading Fire Station). I had plenty of time to admire the tiling while the needle was in my arm. As I was arriving the traffic lights all went red and a bright red vehicle emerged from behind the building towing a boat on a trailer, and headed off towards the Thames.
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

arabella

  • عربللا
  • onwendeð wyrda gesceaft weoruld under heofonum
Re: Blood donation
« Reply #348 on: 01 August, 2023, 01:36:50 pm »
Went again yesterday.  Currently experiencing my septennial (approx) sideswiping/utter exhaustion, mostly I'm OK afterwards.

I tried going about 10 days ago, but apparently cutting my finger with the bread knife that morning (not cutting bread - trying to hack open an hrt container to recycle the ball bearing separately from the plastic) meant they didn't want me so I was postponed for a week. 
(Other donors take note, I don't recall a "fresh" cut being mentioned anywhere as a contra-indication, but maybe it should have been obvious (not to me it wasn't).)

By the time I was told to come back in a week or so, I'd had 2 hb tests: one didn't sink quickly enough so they did a 'proper' one, answer being 131.
Same again yesterday with the not-sinking, but the new answer was 141.  Obviously the liver* I'd bought to eat after the postponed donation did the trick (and I should have bought some more for yesterday). 


* It looked a lot when I got it home.  The cat was delighted to reduce my portion size.
Any fool can admire a mountain.  It takes real discernment to appreciate the fens.

Re: Blood donation
« Reply #349 on: 01 August, 2023, 06:50:50 pm »
Have never donated since being turned away because I was born in sub-Saharan Africa.  Given the difficulty the inexpert have just getting a sample out of me, it’s just as well. I have low blood pressure, although not dangerously so, they reassure me. I do like to drink plenty of water.
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