Donating blood

I'll be donating blood next week.  I know I need to drink plenty of fluids for that, but does anyone know what/how much extra food I should be eating?  And whether I should eat more before or after or not at all?

Thanks!  (26, 5'8", 147 lbs, working on maintaining)

I have read at various places on line that giving blood depletes your body of 600ish calories.  I believe that it's over the course of the next day or two that you would actually use those, though.  As your body remakes the blood.

So, just allow your self a few hundred extra cals, if you feel like you need them.

I'm planning to try and donate tomorrow, actually.

make sure you have enough iron so you can donate in the first place. if your iron's low, you'll get turned away.

& yes, don't count calories that day. Drink the gatorade or whatever they provide & eat the snacks too. Giving blood takes a lot out of you [pun not intended] & you shouldn't limit your intake. I give blood whenever I'm able & always make it a completely free day & I've never had problems.

I've donated many times and have never increased either my water or food intake.  It's really not that big of a deal.  They'll take a drop of blood from you first to make sure you aren't anemic.

Make sure you eat before you donate so you don't pass out!  Same goes for after you donate.  

CAUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my mother in law  Dontated blood earlier this year, and the retarded tech hooked her up to some machine and that litterally SUCKS the blood out of you like a vampire.  They took 2 pints in 15 minutes.  (the blood is supposed to flow out naturally. Not sucked out.)  She went back to work and FAINTED, and ended up with a $900 hopistal bill for 2 bags of saline IV.   

A blood transfusion for an average Joe American can cost up to $25,000.  And they use blood they get for free!  WTF?

Unless its for a family member, Im keeping my blood.

Original Post by absterry:

A blood transfusion for an average Joe American can cost up to $25,000. And they use blood they get for free! WTF?

Unless its for a family member, Im keeping my blood.

wow, that's selfish. You're gonna take one person's unfortunate experience & use that to justify not helping to save other people's lives?

Original Post by absterry:

A blood transfusion for an average Joe American can cost up to $25,000.  And they use blood they get for free!  WTF?

 

Well, first of all, I can say from experience that donated blood is not normally obtained by the method you described - at least not by the Red Cross.  There is no way a reputable blood bank should be taking out more than a pint anyway - that should have thrown up a red flag right away.  What organization did this?

Second, the cost of a blood transfusion has very little, if anything, to do with the cost of the donated blood itself.  There are costs involved in obtaining that blood (testing, medical techs, transportation, storage), and costs in preparing and facilitating the transfusion itself.  It's hardly the scam you're implying.

It's up to you, but don't let one person's abnormal experience or deceptive and selective information determine your decision.

"A Machine that sucks the blood out of you like a vampire."    Wow, some people are destined to never give blood. I used to give whole blood, but had to really prepare myself before and after with fluids and food to keep from passing out. Then I switched to platelets, which uses one of those "machines" however they don't suck the blood, they filtrate it and pump what is not kept back into you with some anti-coagulant.  This prevents the loss of fluid and the dizziness that come with it. It takes longer--1.5 hours instead of 15 minutes. And the anti-coagulant can cause reactions. It binds to calcium and can make your mouth tingly for which they can give you Tums. My mother had a severe reaction to it and was told she could give whole blood in the future but not platelets.  

I was told at the hospital that the platelet donation saved the hospital $500. The rest of the transfusion cost is in lab fees which are unavoidable.

Sadly I can not donate anymore due to my medications. I miss my times to get a private showing of the chick flicks.

Original Post by absterry:

CAUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my mother in law  Dontated blood earlier this year, and the retarded tech hooked her up to some machine and that litterally SUCKS the blood out of you like a vampire.  They took 2 pints in 15 minutes.  (the blood is supposed to flow out naturally. Not sucked out.)  She went back to work and FAINTED, and ended up with a $900 hopistal bill for 2 bags of saline IV.   

A blood transfusion for an average Joe American can cost up to $25,000.  And they use blood they get for free!  WTF?

Unless its for a family member, Im keeping my blood.

You are a selfish idiot.

"Unless its for a family member, Im keeping my blood." - Unless your family member is having a scheduled surgery or is in the hospital for a really long time and needs multiple transfusions, you wouldn't be able to donate for them. If, for example, you or your family member got into a car accident, or became anemic, or had some sort of blood loss, you can't donate and have the person get it the same day. In emergencies you would have to use "volunteer" blood from the blood bank of the hospital.

So you wouldn't donate, but I'm sure if you got into a car accident and needed surgery and a transfusion, you would take it, wouldn't you?

 

 

I have donated whole blood, plasma, platelets, and red cells. Now I usually donate a double unit of platelets. The risk of anything happening to me is so so small compared to how many people's LIVES I might have SAVED. Its an amazing feeling to think you might have actually SAVED someone's life!