r/Blooddonors

I am O negative blood type. If god forbid I ever was in an accident or needed a blood transfusion would they type me and give me O negative blood or if there wasn't time do they just give O negative in emergencies anyway? Or is O positive given if patient's type is unknown? Even though I am type O wouldn't RH positive blood make me very sick?

I tried to donate blood when I was 21 so almost 10 years ago however after multiple attempts from different professionals, it was deemed my veins were too small to take a donation from. I don't want to waste anyone's time by showing up to an appt and the same thing to happen 10 years on. I'm in the UK, use to live in London but moved elsewhere a few years ago. When I was 21 I was 5'4 and 108lbs, I'm now 5'4 and 113lbs so a bit heavier. The clinic I want to book in says you need to be a minimum of 50kgs so I'm thinking maybe because I was thinner this might have impacted? Tl;dr if my veins were deemed too small 10 years ago, will they still be too small?

I’m O+ and have donated three times, twice to the ARC. I want to be a regular donor. I’m just wondering since it all adds up to the same amount of units either way as a regular donor, should I donate whole blood to reach more people or just double RBC?

SO YAY ME I'VE DONATED blood 10 TIMES and im only 18 so im really happy that ive been able to probably of at least helped one person!! Probably more. But ivve always beeen pretty healthy after donating but this time it's been a day later and i start to pass out if i stand for more than five minutes. Im in Florida so i think it might just be the fact that its 90 degrees but is there any cures for this other than drinking a bunch of water cause I'm already doing that.

So we always hear about the ultra wealthy the 'one percenters'. Recently did some checking and found that platelet donors are 1 percent of the population.

So in our own way we are 'ultra wealthy.' And as long as i can have a decent life I've found as I've gotten older that I'm happier and richer being this kind of one percenter

On the donation bus today I was asked what I’d like to drink, and I asked for apple juice. They brought it to me in a cup. I hesitated but drank it anyway. I’ve donated many times, and drinks have always been in a bottle. Is it common to be given a drink in a cup at a donation center or bus (in the USA)? I ask because I got diarrhea a few hours later, and I think that drink is the only thing that could have caused it.

I'm wondering why there is a deferral period of three months after getting a tattoo. I've heard that it's because of tattoo shops in New York State not being regulated. All of the tattoo artists I've ever gone to are regulated by New York State. I'm thinking it has to do with the fact that anyone can order a tattoo gun online and start doing tattoos. The Red Cross and other organizations have to protect themselves, as well as people who would be getting the donated blood.

I would be willing to undergo more testing if necessary in order to donate sooner than the three months. I just got a tattoo on June 11th.

I have been giving my max for several years. During my annual physical I asked my doctor to check my Ferritin- it came back low. I think I am going to take a break for a year. Anyone else doing that?

I've been donating blood at least 3 times a year for the past 6 years. I'm very good at it, but GOD the day after is horrible. I take iron, fiber, vit D, have a big dinner of meat and carbs, don't exercise that day, and lots of water with liquid IV. I feel like i cant get healthier. How do we handle recovering from blood loss?? I want to try donating more but it really puts me on my ass

[CA, USA] I donated Power Red on Monday afternoon and the experience itself was alright. I've donated whole blood many times before with no issue. The RC staff is always kind and friendly, but the sensation of fluid being reinjected back into me felt like the injection site was burning and stinging and I got really lightheaded for about 5 minutes. I was completely fine immediately after the donation and had no issues at work the following day, until about 24hrs after the donation. I thought I was terribly dehydrated so I tried to drink water to help my body recover but my symptoms kept worsening.

Around midnight on Tuesday, my nails started turning purple, I had chills even while standing directly under the highest heat setting for my shower, and a constant urge to urinate. I went to sleep and felt much better in the morning, was able to go to work, but around 6pm my previous symptoms came back, only two times worse. There was blood in my urine, and according to those around me, my face was extremely pale, I had deep purple bags under my eyes, and my lips were slightly blue. I straight went to urgent care last night thinking it was likely a UTI, but I am not prone to getting those (I've only had one, almost a decade ago) so it seemed off to me. I started an antibiotic treatment immediately and got my urinalysis results back just now. My WBC and RBC counts are off the charts. My doctor advised to keep monitoring my symptoms and to head to the ER if things don't improve.

My point being; I was wondering if anyone has had similar experiences (and what helped you because I feel like absolute garbage right now) or if this was completely an unfortunately one-off? I know that these could be entirely unrelated occurrences, but I felt completely fine and healthy in the weeks and hours leading up to this, so I am confused where this came from. I'll definitely keep donating, but maybe no more Power Red.