Likely IDA after 1 year of donations
Just wanted to share my experience, as it's been weighing on me for the past few weeks.
In early 2025, I (32M) saw a notice for a neighborhood blood drive and felt compelled to donate for the first time (B-). It was mostly inspired by my week-long hospital stay back in 2023-2024 and wanting to give back. Starting August 2025, I went to the local Red Cross donation center and made it a routine to go every 8+ weeks, depending on my schedule. The staff there are great and my experiences have been extremely positive.
In late 2025 and early 2026, I started experiencing difficulty running / cycling at my typical paces. I had high HRs and was unable to stay in zone 2 despite slowing 2+ min/mile. I also experienced coughing fits that would last for 30-60 minutes after exercising. Even running up the stairs would increase my HR enough to make it noticeable.
A few weeks ago, I finally reached out to my PCP as these symptoms weren't going away as I got closer to a 10K race day. Blood results reported ferritin 6ng/mL, iron sat 7%, serum iron 28ug/dL, and hemoglobin 11.1g/dL, and some other low levels (hematocrit, MCH, MCHC). My hemoglobin never flagged (13.4 - 15.8) before my donation appointments, but it probably would have this time if I didn't cancel.
Thank you all for the resources / experiences here that helped me understand the reason behind my symptoms. I'm meeting with hematology next week and I'll see what they recommend. I feel a little disappointed that I didn't notice these things sooner with all the resources out there (or maybe I didn't want to give up the coveted Lorna Doones in the recovery area lol).
I really hope that I'm able to donate again, but with modifications that will allow me to better handle the iron loss... I am one away from a gallon!!