So, I just donated blood and.....

Do I need to up my calorie intake for the day? Or can I stay below maintenance?

I would recommend maintenance with no exercise today. 

Good for you, by the way!  ;)

That's a really good question! Thank you for doing that BTW.

Mayo Clinic says that it's the equivalent of 650 calories (1 pint, whole blood...not sure about apheresis (sp) or plasma).

http://www.mayoclinic.org/donateblood/know.ht ml

wow...that's quite a workout! ;p

I've eaten about 1000 calories today and it's 5pm, so this means I can have a good dinner...

I really wanna give blood now...lol.

But I went to the site and the weight limit is 110 lbs. I am like 109...but with shoes I'm 111 so I wonder if I could. I remember trying to donate when I was younger and they told me I didn't weigh enough.

Wait..that is probably a bad idea if you have low blood pressure...nuts!

Did it hurt badly?

I've really been considering giving blood for the first time and have the chance to do so next week but I'm really nervous.

My brother in law and myself went to give blood last yr, they denied him because he had too much protein in his blood, and i was denied because i had a Tattoo that was under so many yrs old, forgot how hold it needed to be.. Odd, but never knew they would reject people for giving blood. Good reasons though.

I think mine is pretty rare too. B negative

It doesn't hurt, at least for me, BUT I don't have issues with extremely large and hollow needles being forced into my veins.  It really depends on how skilled the nurse is.

Hey, big difference there.. I remember when i went in for a thyroid test, nurse was digging in my arm like it was a thanksgiving turkey, lol... She had to call a skilled nurse to finish it cause i was going off.. I have thick viens and can be seen easy, no clue why she kept going under my vein/artery and pushing upward with the needle.. But i was definatly going off seeing it LOL..

That happened to me too when I went to get my thyroid checked as well usually when I get bood taken it doesnt hurt and they find the vien right away  but this time I about cried it hurt soooo bad and took her forever...

Good job donating blood!  I just did last Friday.  I've felt a little tired since then.  Don't forget to drink a lot of fluids to get your blood volume back up!

ive given blood, it hurt like hell i thought, but its worth it, you can still see where the neadle was, theres alittle indentation in my skin lol and this was over 9 months ago! im planning on giving blood again when i return to england. I had never thought of that side of things!!! Nice to know i can have a set day when i eat maintanance cals and not feel guilty! lol

It does hurt...it's a huge needle! But in the end it's worth it.

There are a few things that can keep a person from donating....tatoos within the last year, if you've traveled to certain countries during certain times, and some various health issues...they ask lots of questions ;p

My co-worker went with me and she was so nervous that her pulse was too high and they had to turn her away!

Hi sidblack.. when you and brother went to donate and were turned down...for tattoo's it is 6 months that you have to wait. For your brother I am confused, when I go to donate they only check for iron by pricking  your finger and letting the drop settle into a tube. They determine your rough iron content by this and will refuse you if your iron is too low. Iron that is too high is not a problem and is actuall the only way of removing excess irion from your body by donating it. How did they determine his protein was too high? 

To be honest im not sure, im guessing through his urine, we had to do urine tests before we could go on through. And its yrs rather than months for the tattoos, Aids wise.. That is what the person at the desk told me anyway, i think we were doing plasma rather than just blood, not sure was the first time i ever went in to do it.

It only hurts when the person sticking your arm doesn't know what they're doing.

I only do it for the cookies.

I've never had to give a urine test to donate whole blood in the US.

Im honestly thinking about moving myself.. These docks down here are quacks, im serious. My wife went to the ER cause she couldnt walk for a bad kidney infection, the doc gave her a pain shot, then turned around and prescribed her 60 mgs of Turidol, we go to the pharmacist thinking yeah maybe this will atleast ease her pain till we can find another dr., well the pharmacist says sir, we think the dr made a mistake with the dosage, i said why, she goes on to say he prescribed your wife a lethal dose of the drug, he shoulda only prescribed her 6-10 mgs instead.. So things here in Ky may not work like they do elsewhere.. Its nutts here.. Well atleast where i live anyway.

I go every 3 months or so, never knew I was losing all those calories, have to plan for a binge day next time. 

BTW, I do have low BP, just make sure you use the little ball thing you'll be fine.

Also, if your worried about pain, go to a donor center.  this is what these people do for a living they're not the trainees you usually get when doing blood tests.  My veins are hard to find, I have been butterflied (ouch!) more then once, & have never had a problem or been stuck more then once when giving blood. 

I read on the website that the cut off weight is 110. I weigh about 108-109 without clothes...but I'm sure that with clothes and shoes I can top 110. Do you think they would let me do it?

They say the reason they have the weight cut off is because people that weigh less have blood that is less dense (or something) but does this account for us SHORT people too?