AIBU to remind people about donating blood?

[MLMshouldbeillegal]

Gave blood this week at a community session near my house. The nurse who chatted to me as my blood was being taken was saying how much the pandemic has impacted them - no walk ins, everyone has to make an appointment, if people don't/can't turn up after booking that's a slot lost, numbers are down because people are avoiding being around other people.

So if you can - and I know not everyone can - please consider signing up as a donor or going back to being a donor if you did in the past and haven't been in a while.

No that’s not unreasonable but I think that the Nurse is being unreasonable to assume that she knows the reasons why people aren’t going. A lot of people, myself included, no longer donate because of their overbearing covid restrictions, not anything else. Including the requirement to wear face coverings, with no exemptions permitted (only in England though? Believe Scotland and Wales still decided it was “safer” to see donor’s faces). Even hospitals aren’t like this. It’s already a basic requirement of donation that you’re not ill, so if they relaxed a bit and stopped treating everyone like a biohazard then they may find numbers going up again.

I've been trying to donate for ages (have done it for years) but have had so much trouble finding a session with any free slots in a sensible location. Then they introduced a rule that you couldn't donate if you had had a cold in the last 28 days so I had to cancel and start all over again. And every time I go they're running at least half an hour late. Honestly it's starting to feel like they don't want my blood.

I haven't been since I was forced to queue outside in the rain! I will return as soon as all covid restrictions are lifted.

I can’t donate but I’m so grateful to those of you who do and saved my life

I’m on a ban until April as my iron level was too low last time I tried. But once I can I will be back donating. With the covid measures it does mean I have to travel a little further because the usual place in my town was too small.

Blimey, that "28 days since last having cold symptoms" is new since my last donation 22 weeks ago. That'll catch a lot of people out over the winter.

(22 weeks should read 12 weeks)

I can't donate because I'm very anemic. I hate that I can't because I'm O- and they're constantly asking for it. Thanks to those who can and do donate.

I stopped going because of how they dictated which session I MUST turn up for. No allowance for the fact I work full time. Also the lengthy wait times once you're there yet they insist you must not be late.

I have a slow blood flow and was grumbled at every appointment for taking up their time. I'm really not surprised they have a low take up. I certainly won't bother again.

My local session (West End) is always lovely and smooth running and full of charming staff members who I frequently suspect of auditioning for a heart-warning fly on the wall early evening docu-soap. You have to be realistic about the fact that there's a wait at each stage of the process though, so it will take an hour in total.

I will give blood again when I can but was massively pissed off that my last TWO sessions were cancelled at very late not- one while I was actually in transit.

Notice

I really wish I could but I’m anaemic and was sent away last time after the spin test. Since been diagnosed with a condition that means they won’t want it. Like a pp am also o- and would love to.

I used to regularly give blood... However I bleed too slowly allegedly ... Always have.. Before they would give me the extra time to get enough, now they wont....so I don't donate as they bin it...

Personally I think they need to look at their rules.. I don't really see why they can't wait a bit longer for some relatively rare blood... But it's their choice but can't then complain

I wish I could donate! I used to, regularly, but then I needed a transfusion back in 1996, and because that was during the CJD period, I can't now donate again.

I would love to give blood but I can't because I have received blood it's a shame

Every appointment I've booked for the last 3 years has been cancelled.

Apart from the one I turned up for (20 min train journey away), queued for 20 mins to get booked in because they were taking the mick - there were only 3 people ahead of me in the queue - then refused to honour my appointment because I was late booking in, because of their incompetence

I tried and am now banned as my haemoglobin was too low three times. Only the first time was it one point below the normal range, the other two times it was in the normal range but too low for them. I feel perfectly healthy, almost never ill, the last time I gave blood my donation was quick and I had no dizziness or anything. If they don't want it then that's their choice.

I don't mind waiting, but sessions near me have been changed to a village location between two towns, so that inhabitants of both towns have to drive miles to donate. Not everyone has their own transport and buses are infrequent, so now if you don't live in that particular village you either have to take hours fitting in between your appointment and the bus timetable, or walk several unpavemented miles each way. Not ideal, and neither is the last session being before teatime, meaning that nobody who works in the daytime can donate.
I have an upcoming appointment, and as I have a rare blood group I can be sure they'll be calling and sending increasingly frequent messages as the day approaches. If I can't make that one, they will offer an alternative immediately. DD meanwhile registered two years ago and was unable to get an appointment before she left for university. DH no longer donates due to the limited hours, and he'd been a donor since he was a teenager.
I really don't think it's Covid on this one. Every donor I've spoken to has a similar tale.

I live near a big donor centre in a hospital, and it has lots of slots (evening, weekends) and you can book online. It’s all incredibly efficient. Maybe it’s worth travelling to a bigger site?

They have lots of signs up asking for plasma donors, at the moment. But apparently you need to have big veins and be over 70kg, so I didn’t qualify and I suspect quite a lot of other women won’t, either.

After my 91st donation this week, they’ve retired me. The scar tissue is so thick on my right arm that the nurses can’t get a needle through it. The vein on my left arm is too deep and they’ve never been able to use it.

An O- donor gone.

Used to give blood regularly but had a transfusion in 1994 so am not allowed to.

Not quite sure why the blood was good enough to give me, but not good enough to have back!

@MLMshouldbeillegal

Gave blood this week at a community session near my house. The nurse who chatted to me as my blood was being taken was saying how much the pandemic has impacted them - no walk ins, everyone has to make an appointment, if people don't/can't turn up after booking that's a slot lost, numbers are down because people are avoiding being around other people.

So if you can - and I know not everyone can - please consider signing up as a donor or going back to being a donor if you did in the past and haven't been in a while.

The soonest session for me is in February, they emailed me to give recent, desperate for my blood type but all I could get was Feb. Obviously not that desperate.

Just done my 49th donation, had no problems getting booked in using the app for a local center, never had an appointment cancelled.

All the staff have a new app on a mobile device now - everything went very smoothly.

Pretty much normal now besides using a face mask, no big deal for 20 minutes or so it took me.

Booked my 50th in the new year as soon as I got home.

I spent ages getting an appointment, waited 90 mins past my appointment time but then found out my 2mm of bone graft i had done 2 years ago was going to stop me that day. It would be ok if animal bone but it it was human I might have contracted cjd from it. Turns out it was human, the surgeon who I had to chat to to find out was quiet shocked it would stop me donating blood as it was all irradiated and just a frame work.
My husband thought mad cow disease explained a lot cheeky sod