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.

@LemonPeonies

I find it fascinating the amount of excuses not to bother giving, but I bet those same people will happily receive if in an emergency. People are so selfish these days.

I take it you donate regularly, have donated a kidney and also part of your liver too?

There are loads of ways someone can be selfish, but not giving their own time and bodily fluids is not one of them.

I'm not allowed to donate anymore

I’m another O- donor who’s unable to donate now and officially struck off the list. Crap veins in my case, it was always 50/50 at a donation whether it would be successful or not after however many attempts locating a vein. Last time I went they said they’d changed their rules and if a vein couldn’t be seen and easily attempted they wouldn’t stab around trying. So as my veins are invisible from the outside it was game over. Such a shame, but I agree with PPs saying the system isn’t great and often it felt very time consuming to just make an appointment in the 1st place.

I'm another one who's not allowed as those who've received shall not give. Would love to be able to give back as I've benefited, so thanks to all that do.

@Parky04

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 had an awful experience like this. Got wet queueing, it was running ages late and I'd really struggled to find the place in the pouring rain as they switched the venue I'd booked and put up no signage. To cap it all the venue reception staff (not NHS) were really rude. It wouldn't stop me donating though as it's usually not a bad experience, even in covid times. I do miss the hot drink afterwards though.

I didn't have to wear a face covering while lying on the bed donating but did while checking in and having my finger prick test thing. I wasn't aware donors in other parts of the uk were asked to wear at all times - yes, that would definitely put me off too, I was in there around 45 minutes. Funny that Scotland is more lenient in this - it's about the only thing.

Also agree that there are lots of reasons people don't attend, but they're really struggling with all the extra covid restrictions in getting people through the doors so if you have been thinking about it and haven't, maybe this thread will act as a prompt.

@LemonPeonies

I find it fascinating the amount of excuses not to bother giving, but I bet those same people will happily receive if in an emergency. People are so selfish these days.

I donate less frequently than I did due to it affecting my running very badly.

Yes it's selfish, but I've donated around 35 times which is 35 times more than most of the population and I do still donate, just less often. Twice last year, not at all this year, but have a slot booked for early Feb.

my haemoglobin levels were too low twice, and once more means I will never be allowed to give blood again I didn't know this was a rule - I've been turned down at least twice but not recently because I take a regular iron supplement.

I am B positive and I have only ever found the staff extremely pleasant.

I can't give blood as I had a blood transfusion in 1995. I gave blood twice after that before they changed the rules.

@LemonPeonies

I find it fascinating the amount of excuses not to bother giving, but I bet those same people will happily receive if in an emergency. People are so selfish these days.

So people who are unable to donate should just let themselves die if they're in a situation where they need a transfusion?

That's such a ridiculous statement that I'm kind of interested in what else you might find fascinating. I would imagine it's things like paint drying or how ice is made.

It makes sense that if you've received a transfusion you can't give blood. If someone who's never had a transfusion has a CJD risk of X% (where X is, we hope, tiny) then someone who's received a single unit transfusion has their original risk plus their donor's risk, so twice as high. And someone who's had a terrible accident might have five or six times the standard level of risk. If I was a surgeon treating an injured child, which blood would I want to give them?

If, heaven forbid, the feared second wave of CJD cases appears, then I wonder if there might eventually be a case for striking Gen X and millennials off the register completely and trying to source supply with people too young to have a personal CJD risk and older lifelong vegetarians.

I also don't recognise the queuing others are talking about. I have donated at the main donor centre in the middle of Glasgow which has always been appointment only, and locally at the community sessions. The community sessions by us are very well attended, but you never queue for long. I was there about 45 minutes start to finish, including the wee chat with the nurse and the finger prick, and the drink after.

That's the one bit which has changed in Scotland, you used to to and sit down and someone would bring you a drink, because of Covid you now have to remain on the bed and they bring you a carton of juice and a kitkat.

I am assuming the person whose sibling is giving weekly is a plasma donor - there are different rules for them as the process takes a lot longer, but your body replaces plasma quicker. In Scotland you can give blood 4 times a year, the blood vans come to the local community centre each March, July and November so I just book in with them for those times.

@thepastisanothercountry

I used to give regulary but had to go onto long term medication about 6 years ago and now my blood is no good to them :(

Fortunately, I've got a boring blood group so they're not losing out on anything massively rare or useful

I'm not disbelieving you but this is not always the case - I am on 125 mcg of thyroxine due to my underactive thyroid and shall be for the rest of my life.

They are happy to take my blood, the only condition is that you should be on a stable dosage and haven't changed dosage in the last 4 weeks or something. So although there are some medications which will rule you out, there are others which are fine. It's always worth checking rather than just assuming medication will rule you out.

I am ineligible because I spent more than 3 months in the UK between 1980 and 1996. Even though I was a vegetarian for most of that time.

I've had 4 appointments at the blood donor centre since December 2020 and not one of them resulted in a patient receiving blood...

I donate regularly but I have to say they do grill you a lot when you go. I got asked loads of questions about an op I had in 2019!

I've not been able to get an appointment I can attend so I figure they can't be that desperate

Thanks for the prompt OP. I haven't been for a while but I've just made an appointment for the New Year (first one available). I've been mucked about a bit before and had appointments cancelled but I'm going to try a different place and see how it goes.

I'm pencilled in for December.

They cut so many sessions a few years ago that I don't get many in the town centre that fit around work and the dcs.

It’s become so much less convenient to donate. I fully understand why that’s necessary (mostly) but it’s inevitable that fewer people are now going to be able to donate. I used to be able to donate at sessions at work, at a few different churches within 10 minutes walk or the main blood centre, which is not very convenient for me to get to. Now it’s only the blood centre, so I’m not getting round to it as often. It’s got nothing to do with not wanting to be around lots of people. I think most people are over that now tbh.

I've been giving all through the pandemic, if anything the process is quicker and smoother than it's ever been

I used to donate but stopped as I started to feel awful for 24 hours after and kept having to lie down as I felt faint. But even if I could still donate one of the reasons I used to go every four months was the ease of being able to walk in when it was convenient. Hearing how difficult it is now would have put me off.

@KristinAmandaThomas

I’m another O- donor who’s unable to donate now and officially struck off the list. Crap veins in my case, it was always 50/50 at a donation whether it would be successful or not after however many attempts locating a vein. Last time I went they said they’d changed their rules and if a vein couldn’t be seen and easily attempted they wouldn’t stab around trying. So as my veins are invisible from the outside it was game over. Such a shame, but I agree with PPs saying the system isn’t great and often it felt very time consuming to just make an appointment in the 1st place.

That's good to know, and as someone with practically unlocatable veins, makes me feel less selfish for conserving them for my own use!

In the year before I got pregnant in July I tried to donate four times. Each time the session was cancelled, normally on the day of. Don’t know if I’ll bother when I’ve had the babies to be honest, it seems as though they complain about not enough people donating but they could have had four donations from me and didn’t.

Donated a few times while at uni, but haven’t been able to since as I don’t weigh enough. If I could get my weight up I would donate, but that’s a separate struggle.

The issue is the availability of appointments. I'm pregnant so can't currently donate anyway but if I've just clicked on the app and the earliest appointment available is February! That's despite me being 0+ and getting messages every couple of days urging me to donate.