Giving blood

[EmpressaurusDeiGatti]

When I went to donate my pint of O positive tonight, the staff told me about the recent cyber attack that meant London hospitals were unable to process a lot of their stock of blood, meaning that loads of it went out of date and had to be disposed of.

They especially need O negative, which can go to anyone, and O positive, which is safe for anyone with a positive blood type.

The other thing I learned is that each blood donation can help to save three people.

I’m proud that I found out that my blood goes to neonatal units. There’s a code on the paperwork which pointed to that.

Thank you so much for donating. I heard on the news there’s been such a high take up in response to the recent request for donors with O blood the website was struggling, which is great and I hope people persist.

That’s amazing.

I wish I could still donate, I actually was very upset when I had to come off the donar register.

Same as @RandomMess, upset I couldn’t do it any longer after diagnosed with cancer. Although now cancer free, they won’t let me donate ever again. I’m proud I got my 50 pint badge though and that my son with O neg blood donates now.

Bumping this. I’m O positive but can’t donate right now as I’m pregnant. I heard about the cyberattack on the news this morning; such an awful waste.

Brilliant, well done. I give blood too but as an A Rhesus Negative they won’t want mine for those stocks. I really wish more people did it, I’ve been doing it for 27 years, it’s such a little thing for me to do but can mean so much to someone else.

Switch to donating plasma instead! It’s freezable and also extremely useful 😉

As someone who is currently receiving multiple blood transfusions a week - thank you for donating!

I;ve donated pints over the years, in Scotland so they don't tell us what happens to our donations.

They won't have my plasma either!

Not exactly: the cyber attack means the affected hospitals can't match units of blood for people who need them and are therefore only able to give O blood which is universal meaning ablnyone can revieve it. O blood is usually reserved for people who are O themselves or in an emergency situation where matching would cause delays, so the hospitals are going through way more than usual.

I’m o neg and a few years ago needed over 80 transfusions. I’m grateful for anyone donating blood. Saved my life.

Bumping because without them I wouldn't have known I was severely anemic a couple of years ago! GP had missed it on a test the week before. Sadly I can't donate any more as I am deficient again (again had to push to get tests done!) and they won't take it within a year plus a new diagnosis of hyperthyroidism and I have to wait a month to see the specialist to get meds.

Donated 6 times though so hopefully helped some people.

I sat on a call for 20 mins today and still couldn’t get in. I’m O neg so they love me. I got turned away the last few times too as I’d been in weird countries. It’s frustrating.

It is but also hard to do because so few places are set up to take plasma, you need to live near to a specialist site, unlike with blood.

As someone on the receiving end of blood donation, thank you, thank you, thank you, you helped save my life.
I can no longer donate because of receiving donor blood, but I would do it again in a heartbeat I could, you guys are awesome!

I'm booked in next month 😇. 💉🩸.

I've donated a few times, although once I almost passed out on the drive home. Last time, I was sent home as they couldn't find a vein 🤨.

I heard it on the news also .. sadly can't donate used to until i received a donation.

A+ here, donated 25 pints before being diagnosed with yopd. My mum and brother still donate.

I asked about this a few years ago as I used to donate in the main centre in Glasgow and they had people hooked up to plasma machines - the issue for many donors is that it takes on average over an hour to donate plasma and when you're giving blood you're in and out much more quickly. I did ask the nurse about it and at that time they were not recruiting female donors (?) And yes, you can't do it at the pop up donation centres in church halls and community centres, only at the permanent centres, round here anyway.

With plasma donation you need a decent body mass which women often don't have. I would need to be morbidly obese in order to donate.

Yes, I’ve just looked at the plasma page on their website - there’s a centre not too far from me but I’m nowhere near big enough.

I think if you are prescribed anti-thyroid drugs for hyperthyroidism you won't be able to donate blood while you are taking them and for two years after you come off the drug.

It would take me all day to donate plasma due to where the donation centres are 🤷🏻‍♀️

I gave my 55th blood donation recently, so I'll be carrying on with that as long as I can 😊