If You Have Never Donated Blood, What’s Your Reason?

[MarmaladeSandwich7]

I went to donate back in the 90s & wasn’t allowed to as I hadn’t long been back from South Africa. Somehow I’ve just never got around to it since but would very much like to. DF donated for years. I have a tendency to be anaemic & so worry that I should maybe hang onto my blood?! My iron levels are fine atm.

I was given blood in the past so was told I can’t give blood now.

because it's a condescending word you chose to add for no reason other than to be nasty / rude to people who may one day save your life, who saved my child's life, just because you choose not to do it. I can acknowledge I don't listen to readers to school without claiming anyone who does is a "do-gooder". it's clearly a goody word

that's like me saying I think fox hunting is unethical, and then saying we'll it is if I do it but it's fine for anyone else to. if you think it's an issue of ethics, then it's the principle of it, not whether it affects you directly

Not sure why you've taken issue with that poster but that's a really poor analogy. She doesn't want medical intervention but has no issue with other people having medical intervention. That's not hard to understand.

I tried twice in my late teems 18/19. Both times the speed of collection caused me to faint. So they couldnt use my donation as it wasnt full and they told me not to give again.

Nowadays its even harder to as the collection points are few and a long way awsy from us.

gosh, what a statement. you sound weirdly proud....

I also drank lots and lots of water on the days I donated - I could just about hear it sloshing around in me! I felt light headed two or three times and it was because I wasn't properly hydrated, once I started on the copious drinking I was fine.

They would sell it.
I would donate but they don't want mine, double whammy due to living in Africa for a year plus a transfusion after c-section.
DH, however, has all the badges.

Perhaps, but I can still believe it's unethical while maintaining that it's up to other people to reach their own conclusion. You'll never get 100% consensus on ethical questions, and I'm perfectly happy to concede that not everyone is going to share my personal views on what is ethical and what is not.

Left to me, then yes, there would be no transplant or transfusion, but I don't think I could possibly justify that to the relatives of people who die for want of one, hence why I have no wish to impose my view upon other people who disagree and maintain that T&T is perfectly ethically sound.

I'm still at liberty to make choices that affect me, and me only though, and since I don't accept the ethicality of transfusion and transplant I refuse to participate. I don't have to justify that to myself, so I'm perfectly comfortable with my choice.

Do I believe people who think otherwise are wrong and abusing an ethically questionable practice? Well... yes quite frankly, but only from the perspective that I've already outlined, namely that I don't see it as medicine's job to circumvent mortality and artificially extend human lifespan, which seems to be the logical endpoint of our crusade against any and all illness.

Suppose humanity does develop cures for all known cancers. Suppose humanity does develop gene therapy that cures all known inherited conditions. Suppose we develop cures for all the diseases that blight the developing world associated with penury, insanitary conditions, poor diet etc. Suppose we develop triage that prevents all premature death due to accident and injury. What then?

We're effectively immortal at that point, and all we're doing is exacerbating all the problems caused by overpopulation and aged population. Unless we simply stop producing more humans, which isn't going to happen, we're just setting ourselves up for a whole host of different, but nonetheless catastrophic issues.

I have absolutely no concerns about death, and as such, feel no need to circumvent it in any way. When it comes, it comes, and if it looks like it's going to be particularly uncomfortable then fortunately I have the means to take a trip to Switzerland. I just wish our own politicians weren't so cowardly and I had the option to do the same in the UK, but perhaps by the time it comes to it I might, fingers crossed. There is though, clearly strong opposition to assisted dying from people who consider it unethical. All I ask is that they exercise their right not to use it without prohibiting me from using it, just like I do with my personal views on T&T.

Terrible anaemia and low ferritin, requiring iron infusions, as well as other health issues.
Husband regularly donates, but says they changed processes/ locations locally which made it a bit harder to do so at one point.

Cancer

My child's illness is not population control.
What a disgusting thing to say.

Type 1 diabetes

I get symptoms of low blood pressure (dizziness when standing) and have even fainted from just standing up before.
Medics have told me I have low blood pressure whenever it has been read before. So it doesn't seem wise.
I also weigh slightly under, would prob be ok if i was weighed with clothes on but again, I don't think it would help the fainting.

so whar is the point of medicine, in your opinion? genuine question
would you seek treatment for a broken leg? what if you had an infected would that might ultimately lead to sepsis and death? I'm just curious where the boundaries are, if indeed you have them - you may well reject all intervention.

fwiw I think we should have (strongly controlled) assisted suicide in specific cases of physical decline / illness.

I haven't take. my question was based on the fact that there's a difference to just "I have no desire to prolong my life beyond what happens to be so I won't accept medical intervention" and feeling that there's an ethical issue with medical intervention. One is a personal statement but the other one is a whole world perspective and far more interesting to discuss. which os what it is. I haven't told the pp she'snot entitled to an opinion, I've asked about her opinion. on a discussion board. as part of a discussion.

First I didn't weigh enough, those were the days!
Second, I then lived in sub saharan Africa.
Third I had a blood transfusion.

My blood type is useless to them

out of curiosity, What's the blood type that they apparently don't want? a few people have mentioned the same reason altho I'm sure it's regional not national so might differ

Being O negative I always planned to apply to donate, however was diagnosed with HIV. Even though it’s controlled with effective medication so I can’t pass it on through sex there is still a small chance that it can be passed on through donating blood as it’s all about quality, quantity and route.

I’m very grateful to those who do donate should I ever need a blood transfusion.

All blood types are needed! I'm O+, one of the commonest; and it's always in demand. I can't donate at the moment, as I'm having trouble with them accessing a vein; but I've given over 100 units. Re. the person who faints; you're lying down during donation anyway, so just warn them you may be extra woozy. The only reasons I can see for not donating, are
A) You're underweight
B) You're on certain medications
C) You have or had certain medical conditions (HIV, Hepatitis, CJD)
My husband developed severe anaemia before he died, and required 8 units of blood over several days. Imagine if you or your family needed blood, and there wasn't enough to give?

To be clear, I have been turned away and told I will be contacted if I’m needed. I have not been contacted since.

I faint afterwards, even if I lie down and do so for extra time afterwards. So there I am taking up a bed / trolley / recliner, and then if I faint before leaving as opposed to on the way home, they have to deal with that.

Objectively, it's not terribly safe to wander home and faint on the way either, though I'm not a worrier and I always muddled through.

It's a pity, because I liked giving blood, but I think it's irresponsible to do so in my situation. Obviously if there was a local oor national emergency I'd do it.

I looked into donating platelets, but they actually don't accept all blood types at all times there and you have to have given blood in the last two years. Or plasma, but same conditions on donating in last two years. And it would be a hundred pounds easily for a round trip to the donation centres, so obviously better if more local people do this.

Medics don't want donors incurring risks (and clogging up resources) so if you can't avoid fainting with their advice and help, I do think donating blood is off the table.

@XDownwiththissortofthingX im really curious to know what you think is the point of medicine?
I personally have a complicated relation with medicine.
I know I don’t want CPR for example (and seeing your post, I’m assuming you feel the same?). Medicine as a whole as simply given upon my illness and isn’t bothered.
But I still feel that blood donations for example ARE one of the things medicine does well. All the emergency, critical stuff.

So I’m wondering what you feel is it’s role.

AB is a universal recipient but can only donate to other AB. AB makes up 1-3% of the population and I suspect all of us in the thread who have been told “don’t call us, we’ll call you” are in that group. If you are close enough to Birmingham / twickenham or one other location and you fit the criteria you can donate plasma.

But honestly, some of us just have a blood type that isn’t very helpful! Yes they can use it, use it for research but they would much rather have a more useful bleeder in the chair.