Have you donated blood ?

I did my first blood donation for a relative that suffered an accident so all the family went in to make a transfusion.i felt weird all day after that.

Next time will be my anniversary, 50 times, which is around 25 liters ?

Unable to donate. This may not apply to many people but I lived in England for two years during the prohibited donation time. Here is what the Red Cross site says:

You are not eligible to donate if:

From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK), or

From January 1, 1980, to present, you had a blood transfusion in any country(ies) in the (UK) or France. The UK includes any of the countries listed below.

•Channel Islands

•England

•Falkland Islands

•Gibraltar

•Isle of Man

•Northern Ireland

•Scotland

•Wales

I used to donate blood and plasma regularly (at different times). Now health and Rx meds keep me from donating.

I have given several times. Just a word of advice, when they say drink lots of fluids, they mean non-alcoholic! Tried it, the outcome was not favorable!

I usually do frequently. I am B+. Somewhere around only 13% have this blood type according to the blood bank.

I also have donated plasma. I seem to recover better when the blood minus plateletes is returned.

Echo again the advice to hydrate well or it will be difficult.

I donated all the time in college.

Since then I still do, but only sporadically because the bank rarely has appointments when I'm not working.

The bank we used in college knew how to appeal to students. We were rewarded with Capri Sun, a couple cookies, a pound of coffee and a coupon for a free pizza.

I did several times and I do regulary.

I am O negative and get frequent calls to donate. Because I am not taking any medications at all they tell me that my blood will usually wind up for a neonatal transfusion.

O neg is used for neonatal transfusions and is used as the universal donor for emergency trauma cases requiring blood.

Ive donated several times, I always joke about it being extra sweet. I started donating because a friends daughter has leukemia. They were asking people to donate blood.

I have donated blood 3 or 4 times

No, and doubt I would ever be able to. However I am sure I speak on behalf of many who have received blood transfusions in thanking those people who have donated. Without those good people some may not be here today to tell the tale. Thank you.

I used to, but the FDA doesn't let you donate if you've had sex with men, so I had to stop

I donated once in high school since I'm Oneg and know it's needed. In grad school I took part in a vaccine trial and was told I wouldn't be able to donate again. I haven't looked into it recently to see if anything has changed.

I can not donate yet, but I received and it saved my life.

Thank you to all the people doing it and I hope some day I will be able to give back and save someone's life too.

Over 50 donations before spending time in UK then declined because of mad cow disease outbreak there. Unable to give now due to meds. Always thought it was a very worthwhile thing to do.

I made up my mind to start donating regularly (and to stop feeling guilty) but after only a few times I was told they could no longer take my blood due to a prescription i'd been given for my prostate (Proscar?). They said it causes birth defects if a woman receives the blood. A former boss had a plaque on his office wall indicating he'd given several gallons worth (I want to say 50 gal.) over his lifetime. He'd started giving early when a relative required huge amounts and he just never stopped.

I donate blood regularly, since 3 years

I donate regularly and have done so for years. If my blood saves one person, it's well worth it. Besides I love the Rice Crispy treats the give you afterwards.

I have been a regular blood donor since I was in high school. It's really easy and pretty painless and helps other people. I used to donate platelets too but that got a little too cumbersome. I'd be on the machine for a couple of hours sometimes and you can't move your arms. So I went back to whole blood. I actually think it helps rejuvenate your system. But that's just a theory.

Good for you Pantsless! I was interested by what you said about rejuvenation and I found this.

http://www.sott.net/article/262305-Why-donating-blood-is-good-for-your-health

I'm scared of needles. Really scared. If they ever invent a needle-less collection system I would donate. So for now, all my blood stays in me. Really scared!

But if you ever need it how do you think they're going to get it into you? That's right.

I detest needles too, but I'm realistic about how it's got to get in if I ever need another blood transfusion.

Used to donate regularly. Then at one attempt I was given a questionnaire. When I said I am allergic to penicillin, sulfa medications and most antibiotics I was politely told my blood was not usable, so do not volunteer now.

That's fascinating Soulmate. It wasn't something I was aware of. Apparently the Ige antibody can be transferred to the recipient and cause an allergic reaction if the antigen is encountered. Such a possibility is rare but has happened.

I donated once. They had to stop mid way through because I became light headed... Really weird, I was in the middle of a conversation and all of a sudden I was like "This needs to stop or I am going to pass out." Kinda pissed me off to be honest. I mean, I didn't even feel the needle and was just fine before.

For the past 30 years I have been a regular blood donor. About 15 years ago I started donating platelets and plasma as well. On occasion I have been called in to donate white blood cells when the hospital has an emergency of some sort. I have gotten to know the nurses who take the fluid, so it is often a nice social visit as well.

I've been a regular donor for several years, and give every 4 months.

John657, it is interesting that you mention being a platelet donor as well as donating whole blood. In the UK, it is one or the other.