I'm giving blood

**AdamantEve** · 01-07-2009, 11:48 AM

I don't know if this counts or not, but before Christmas I decided to start donating blood as a way to give something to my community.

For anyone considering it, I would highly recommend donating. I was at the center for about an hour to register for the first time, but the donation itself took under 10 minutes and was much easier than I thought it would be.

I'm looking forward to my next donation appointment. Thanks for reading and hope you will consider giving it a try.

Parsimonious · 01-14-2009, 09:43 AM

I donate plasma, once or twice a week. That's great for five reasons:

(a) I get paid for it. Cash. Tax free. That's nice.
(b) They turn it into medication that can save people's lives. Nice, too.
(c) They test my blood for all kinds of problems each time I donate. I know that I haven't contracted HIV, and that my blood iron levels are perfect. Nice, isn't it :-)
(d) I'm forced to sit still for an hour, twice a week. If I bring work with me, I cannot procrastinate, since there's nothing to do but do my work, read horrible magazines, and watch my blood circulate through a chunk of steel. I get LOTS of disliked work done in that time! Nice :-)

Money. Helping people. Knowing I'm healthy. Getting work done. Nice package

But there's one more:

(e) I get to fight my fear of needles.
One day, I'm sure, I'll stay totally cool when mean nurses menacingly approach with me with GIANT needles.
Well, one day. That would be nice, too

(And till that day, at least I'll be able to amuse the staff at the donation center with my fearful shrieks.)

**MTS04** · 01-14-2009, 02:28 PM

Isn't it great? So little effort for so much that can help.

DH and I donate platelets and plasma every four weeks. We do it at the rhode island blood center. We sit for about and hour and 15 nimutes for the whole process and then treat ourselves to lunch after.

I've never heard of getting paid for blood products, but that is neat that some places do that. Interesting.

Parsimonious · 01-15-2009, 01:06 AM

It's illegal here to be 'paid' for blood or plasma, but you can receive something 'to cover your costs'. And if you are low-income, this little something 'to cover your costs' makes a difference.

**thesightofoneself** · 01-15-2009, 08:17 PM

i loved donating blood but now i dont weight "enough" :/

**fixer** · 01-15-2009, 10:59 PM

Originally Posted by thesightofoneself

i loved donating blood but now i dont weight "enough" :/

So you are who that rule is for. Every time I donate, I am asked if I weigh a certain amount, I snicker and think I made that weight in fifth grade. I donate whole blood. I am not paid, although I get a free T shirt and Little Debbie snack cakes. I think a pint of blood is a fair trade for an oatmeal creme pie.

QM · 01-15-2009, 11:35 PM

I'm 30 years old and have donated blood 13 times. (In the past few years I've been either pregnant or nursing 4-1/2 years of which I couldn't donate.) Pretty good statistics, eh?

**Katybird** · 01-16-2009, 09:09 AM

I used to donate every 56 days at the Red Cross. I was a single mom raising 3 kids and could not afford to donate money to charity but I was able to donate something that could be even more useful, my blood. My veins are not the greatest now so I don't donate anymore but I miss being able to.

**Tnmom** · 01-16-2009, 09:38 AM

There is a severe shortage of blood in our area. They are running PSAs on every radio station begging people to get out and donate.
I took my 17 year old DD yesterday for her first donation. I am working on my 4th gallon and DH who hadn't donated in over 17 years, also rolled up his sleeve.
We don't get paid here either, but we do have matching tee shirts and we got orange juice with our snack cake. Makes it worth it.

**AdamantEve** · 01-17-2009, 05:52 AM

In the UK, you can only donate blood once every 16 weeks, which seems like such a long time in between!

I would love to get a T-shirt, so I could "advertise" for blood donation

If anyone is interested in learning more about blood donation in the UK, you can google blood donation and the URL is right on there. (lol, i tried to post the site, but i can't until i have 15 posts on frugal village)

One thing that I really liked about the donation process, is that the staff asks you if you are happy to be there. They want to make sure that you are there because you want to be.

On my next donation, I am going to register for bone marrow donation. They take a sample for analysis while I'm at the center and I will be put on a registration list to see if I match anyone who has a need for marrow. Maybe one day, I will get a call to ask if I am happy to donate some bone marrow.

One other thing is that I think some people may feel ashamed if they turn down blood donation for various reasons (maybe needles make them feel squeemish, etc). If anyone has any questions about donating blood, but doesn't want to feel cornered into doing it, feel free to PM me and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. I promise not to pass judgment or to put pressure on anyone.

**FrugalMomof3** · 01-17-2009, 08:06 AM

I have never donated but want to! I've thought about it but always just passed it up even though I know it's a good thing, I am worried I might pas out afterwards or something. I wonder what the weight limit is here in PA???

**jacqueline** · 01-17-2009, 08:32 AM

geesh wish it only took ten minutes for me to give blood. haha. i give every time i am able -- meaning when i'm eligible and don't get excused for having low iron. i work at a hospital so i'm lucky i can just run over to the conference room and give. i also make my appt online at givelife.org. i love it when they give tshirts away and now they've started that program redcrossracing where you can earn points. found out yesterday i have enough to get a couple of those fold chairs with the cupholder. but i'd give anyway. like others, i don't have the money to just donate cash for charity so i like the feeling that i am helping someone

<fieldset style="padding: 5px 10px;"><legend></legend> <table style="width: 379px; height: 261px;" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="4">Order Summary

</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SKU</td> <td>Description</td> <td align="center">Quantity</td> <td align="center">Cost</td> <td align="center">Total</td> </tr> <tr> <td>RC3100-LGWHT</td> <td>Biffle Fusion Compressed Tee(White)(Large)</td> <td align="center">1 </td> <td align="center">1739</td> <td align="center">1739</td> </tr> <tr> <td>RC6500</td> <td>Trackside Cooler Bag</td> <td align="center">1 </td> <td align="center">3700</td> <td align="center">3700</td> </tr> <tr> <td>RC6600</td> <td>Captains Chair</td> <td align="center">2 </td> <td align="center">6640</td> <td align="center">13280</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="right">Grand Total : </td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(51, 51, 51);" align="center">18719</td></tr></tbody></table></fieldset>Just went and ordered as many things as I could get with my points....had >500 left but nothing else I could buy. Still really excited about what all I got. I had ordered a travel mug previously and it came quickly--real nice. You do have to sign up for the fantasy racing thing. It's at Red Cross Racing. oh and you don't pay shipping-it's completely free. all you have to do is sign up and input when you do give blood and of course the actual donation of blood.

**AdamantEve** · 01-18-2009, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by FrugalMomof3

I have never donated but want to! I've thought about it but always just passed it up even though I know it's a good thing, I am worried I might pas out afterwards or something. I wonder what the weight limit is here in PA???

Hey Tracy
Here is some info I copied from the red cross site:

General Guidelines
To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must be healthy, be at least 17 years old or 16 years old if allowed by state law. You must weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated whole blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days) or double red cells in the last 16 weeks (112 days). "Healthy" means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, "healthy" also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control.

I hope that is helpful for you. I also remember feeling like it was a good thing to do, but was anxious about it. Honestly, I was anxious all the way through past the first donation and I did get shaky after the donation. I was told by the staff that is common during the first donation. I wish I would have brought a buddy with me to drive me home afterward (I walked a long distance home, 'doh).

If you decide to donate, I would suggest (from my own experience) bringing a buddy to drive you home as a back up, to expect that you will be running a little more slowly over the next two or three days and that you try to relax throughout the process.

No matter what you decide... take care and best wishes.

**AdamantEve** · 01-18-2009, 05:43 AM

It's nice to read stories about people donating. I have been thinking about volunteering for an organization and I'm starting to think that the local blood drive might be an organization that would fit me.