Blood donation

[talksensetome]

AIBU to tell you all that I am going to give a pint this afternoon, just because I love these threads and how they inspire others to give.

I wanted to donate platelets but I am too tiny so a pint of the red stuff it is!

WOW, you are all amazing! Sadly I cannot give blood due to auto immune & now on blood thinners.

I also had a transplant last year & received blood, so thank you all so much. Xx

i gave around 4mths ago for the first time ever. my LO is 2yrs old & losing half a litre of blood during their delivery was the kick i needed to donate incase i or family/friends should ever need a transfusion down the line. i'd always wanted to but wasn't heavy enough/had a tattoo then had a child. its time to donate again in my town but im pregnant so will have sit the next few out. i was a bit light headed afterwards & a little lethargic for a day or two after but was soon fine again. im B+ and also an organ donor, have also finally convinced DP to be an organ donor as he's too squeamish for blood donation.
keep up the good work everyone

My dad gave blood his whole life and ended up at 75 pints I think, got invited up to the City Chambers in Glasgow for a lunch with the Provost. I only got to 25 before the kids were born and I went back once but we live in Germany now and they don't take blood from anyone who spent more than 6 months in the UK in the late 80s because of BASE. I'm coming back to Scotland on holiday in a few weeks, might see if I can reregister and donate while I'm there.

I'm forever grateful to those that give blood as donations saved my life when I haemorrhaged with DC2 and lost 4 litres.

You're all heroes.

I'm O- and give blood regularly. My donation last week went to help a baby in a neonatal ward due to antibodys I have have in my blood, which was really cool.

In Scotland you get Tunnocks tea cracks afterwords yum, been trying to get the blood service in Yorkshire to get them too

I'm a Brit in France so cannot donate here due to mad cows. Does anyone know if I could donate in the U.K. When I'm back 2x a year?

When I went to donate at uni the nurse said I couldn't due to having herpes. Presumably that no longer disqualifies you either?

Keeping the thread going! I only started donating after my first son was born, just because I started thinking about how devastating it would be of help needed a transfusion and there wasn't enough to available. So certainly not a selfless reason! I feel bad that I spent 32 years of my life not donating. He's now nearly 5 and I had another baby in 2014. Yesterday I made my 8th donation and got them both "My Mummy gave blood today" stickers. I'm O+ and apparently have lovely veins so donating is no hardship (done in 5 mins yesterday!). I am very impressed with some of the numbers on this thread. One thing that does bug me though is that securely active gay men, even if in long term relationships, can't donate. I do understand the paramount need for safety but think that's something that needs regular review to see whether the stats still justify it. We are, after all, all potentially at risk of contracting HIV.

if he not of help! Stupid phone.

Oh, and sexually not securely obviously. ...

Wally Brit in France here too - I donate when I'm back in the UK using my parents address. I just tell them that I live in France when they're doing the thumb prick test/chat and they're fine with it. It probably helps that I use the same hospital donation centre each time so all the records are in the one place.

Thanks for this thread - reminded me I need to go and donate again. This will be the 10th time, but unfortunately I moved from England to Wales since my last donation and I think this means the count will reset. This somehow matters weirdly much!

I've averaged about once a year since became eligible, wish it was more but the only way to get an appointment before they fill up in our area seems to be to book it at your previous session, and if you miss one for any reason you're then doomed! And I've been turned away before as a walk-in as they're prioritising rarer types.

And yet I follow the Facebook page and they are constantly begging for donors, especially at Christmas just gone - and yet there were still no appointments available! I presume they just don't have the funding/resources they need to provide more.

A shame as I'm lucky to have practically 0% enjoyment with needles and even find a sort of grim fascination with it!

(Sorry should have read 0% fear of needles!)

Thanks for this prompt. Never given blood before but have just registered

Good luck TheChineseChicken , just think of the free biscuits!

Casper
This will be the 10th time, but unfortunately I moved from England to Wales since my last donation and I think this means the count will reset.

The same happened to me when I moved from Scotland to England but God love him one of the English blood transfusion service guys put a note on my record to say I'd already donated 11 times in Scotland, and they counted them towards my 25 award. Might be worth asking when you go in.

I have never donated, and I feel like a terrible person because of it but I am most certainly on the organ donation register. I find blood tests really difficult, even worse is having a canular in me (due to crap veins, I've ended up with one in each arm/hand many times) and admire all of you so much. It does inspire me to stop being such a stupid wimp and just do it.

Casper
No reset for me, and I regularly nip across the boarder to donate! The England/Wales service is connected, unlike the Scottish one.

I'm giving donation 23 on Tuesday

Sniffle
If you get the app it's very easy to book appointments and to spot spaces you can book. I usually do mine about 8 months in advance because I have to go on my lunch break and can't wait until the donation before as those times book up first.