To stop giving blood?

[MadMAGA]

I've donated 20 times, with breaks for pregnancy, breastfeeding and surgeries. I started donating again a couple of years ago but every time wipes me out. I feel nauseous for the rest of the day, have a day or two when I keep falling asleep no matter what I do, then another few days of feeling rough. I try to plan donations around when I'll have time to rest afterwards but it means writing off weekends and arranging WFH on days I'd normally be in the office. I've had blood tests and there's nothing wrong with me.

OTOH, it seems like a small sacrifice to help people in need of a transfusion. I have a rare blood type that's particularly helpful to people with sickle cell anaemia and I feel awful that I'm considering stopping doing something that could save their lives.

All I can say is thank you for your donations, and thank you for even trying to donate now.
only you can decide, but you 100% are a lifesaver.

I could have written this post. I’m boringly white with the RO subtype - the last three times I’ve donated I’ve full on fainted (including one where I kept losing consciousness as soon as I came round again).

My ferritin was fairly low so I took iron supplements but I still get a migraine and am wiped out for days after donating. I’m only 50kg and still having periods so suspect I just don’t have the reserves.

For now I’m donating every 6 months - which is better than nothing. But I have my own family and can’t sacrifice my own health any more than that.

On the other hand, if you’ve got a rare blood type not many people need it?

this would be a complete non decision for me. If it makes me feel shit for days afterwards it’s not happening

I’m surprised they still let you. I’ve never been allowed to donate after the official screening which shows slightly low ferritin.

then they send me a letter saying thanks but no thanks but don’t worry, we get loads of good quality blood so don’t need yours 🤣

I’m a lapsed donor but I too used to feel feek & wheeble after donating.
My iron proved ok.

The suggestion about electrolytes is helpful so I might try again.
My blood goes to neo-natal units so I don’t really want to give up for good.

I was gently told not to come back after I felt nauseous for the third time and had to have extra care. I tried eating a lot before hand and drinking lucozade but it wasn’t great. I am AB+ which isn’t in demand and was told not needed last time I looked. I think you’ve done brilliantly and am sure someone else can step in

As a recipient of blood recently I thank you. It’s a selfless act of kindness for the good of society.

I don't think you should continue if it makes you feel ill but agree you should check your iron levels. I really just came on this thread to thank you. I'm in recovery from leukaemia and have had a huge number of blood products in the last year. At one point I had a transfusion every day for a week. I'm truly grateful to everyone who donates.

When normal bloods are done often only the HB is checked. Same as the finger prick test before giving blood, as it’s such an easy test.

when my ferritin levels (storage iron) were very low before, despite the HB being normal, I was told that it is often the last to drop. So you may well be anaemic and still being cleared to give blood by the finger prick. I would get this checked though before starting yourself on supplements.

What bloods have you had checked?

Take a break and see how you feel in a year or two. You've been an amazing human being!

I had a general set done earlier this year when I was feeling a bit crap. The GP said I was a bit low on iron and calcium so prescribed supplements for a while but nothing serious.

Thanks everyone for the support. I was expecting a flaming for being so selfish as to put my own relatively minor inconvenience ahead of other people's lives. I'll try electrolytes and supplements for a few weeks, give it another go and make a decision after that.

Yes to this! I don't get the calls and texts, thankfully, but my inbox is full of reminders.

Don't feel guilty - I stopped for similar reasons. Would be exhausted by the end of the day after donating and would be dizzy and faint the next day too. Happened every time, even drinking loads of water and inhaling the free biscuits.

Didn't feel like a proportionate reaction so I stopped.

I donated a few times but I've now stopped.

I was waiting for surgery and also trying to get anaemia under control from exceptionally heavy periods, when they phoned and I said I won't be able to donate for a while. They were quite intrusive in their questioning, and putting timescales on when they would ring me back and book me in. Telling me that as long as the anaemia was being treated then I could still give blood. Basically would not take no for an answer and didn't care that I was dealing with health issues, just kept pushing. Phonecalls. Texts. Letters.

I managed one more donation, I was borderline being able to donate but I was 'just' within range. I went really lightheaded afterwards, had to stay on the bed with the head lowered until I felt better then struggled to drive home. I felt so unwell. Not sure draining a pint of blood when you're trying to boost iron levels was a great idea?

That was my last donation. I'm at peace with my decision. Your own health must come first.

I’ve had to stop donating after the last 2 times I got wiped out and a god awful migraine the next day, literally bed bound until I felt better. All my blood levels are fine, I drink water and take vitamins, my body just can’t cope anymore it seems.

I feel weirdly relieved that I’m not the only person this happens to. My bloods are fine, I’m fit and very healthy, but last time I donated I was really quite unwell for the next day or so. I’ve donated blood and platelets pre-pregnancy but it’s put me off donating again.

Try taking a break for a year or so. The blood service 'suspended' me for about that period after I failed their hemoglobin test (or whatever it is called). It was great not having Count Dracula scraping at my bedroom window all the begging calls/emails/texts for a while and I did feel better when I got back into it aafter the break.

I'm O-, the kind of blood that is most wanted. But I received some blood during an emergency operation back in 1981 so am excluded from blood donation.

I've been screened for HIV many times since 1981 and still offer to have my blood screened for anything so I can donate.

Still my blood isn't wanted.

Op I get that crushing tiredness for about 24 hours after I donate. It’s horrible. Only you can decide. I try to donate on a Friday so I can relax over the weeekend

My ferritin was “on the low
side of normal” according to my GP - but I felt wiped out. I don’t think they routinely check anything other than haemoglobin with the fingerprick test. Speaking of which that never works for me first time!

The RO subtype, as I understand it, is reasonably common in the Black population, but for whatever complex reasons there are not nearly enough Black donors.

I definitely feel guilty at the thought of stopping donations, especially when I see videos of children in sickle cell crises.

It really needs to be more young men being donors.

it’s around two thirds women giving blood. Men’s bodies are better set up to give blood yet they don’t even make up half the numbers. Shameful

I stopped donating because it was always such a palaver for them to find a vein, I’m O+ so figured there were plenty of other people to donate that

I think it's Australia or somewhere like that where they tell people (or maybe just women) to take (decent strength) iron supplements for a certain time period before and after a donation. They take low iron more seriously there and apparently infusions are a lot more common (25% of women have had one at some point). And if the GP says you're low on iron at the moment, take a while before trying again - get the supplements from asking at the pharmacy rather than the lower strength ones off the shelves, and then make sure they test ferritin and not just Hb when you next go to the GP. Only if that's high enough should you think about donating.

I have only felt nauseous after donating when I wasn't eating enough, particularly when I was low-carb, or when a bit dehydrated. So make sure to eat and drink enough in the days leading up to it as well.

I'm low ferritin at the moment so won't be able to for a while now

I think the other thing to consider is whether or not you want to donate as often as you can or if less often might make you feel less ill. I can't remember where I read it but I am fairly sure I read that basically any regular blood donor who isn't taking iron supplements will be getting slowly more anaemic because the gap between donations is enough to sort your haemoglobin levels but not your iron stores.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3050998/

Not sure if it was this one but it gives a useful idea.