Giving Blood...

**RottnJP** · 04-05-09, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by -Sauso-

oh yea do you guys down in the states get paid for donating ? or they stop handing out coin?

We get paid in delicious Subway sandwiches (around lunch-time) or Doughnuts (in the a.m.) If you go in the afternoon, after the sandwiches run out, you get... Well, I guess you get a swift kick in the balls for being a moron and missing the free food.

Oh, and in the satisfaction of knowing you did a good thing without having to be bribed to do it... :5

**KidWithTheFace** · 04-06-09, 12:40 AM

They had a blood drive at our school a little while back. I wanted to give blood but I had practice that day and didn't want to feel shitty. I think they have one this month sometime, gonna do it for sure

**DancingCorpse** · 04-06-09, 12:43 AM

They had one two weeks ago at my school, one of my teachers was pissed as shit that students were scheduled to go down during her class.

**Oradi** · 04-06-09, 01:20 AM

I never really think of it.

Its a really good thing to do though if you can.

**Manse** · 04-06-09, 07:24 AM

Two things:

First, I would love to give blood, but I am borderline Von Willibrons (a type of hemophelia--I'm just below the diagnosis line, so I just get bruised up a lot) so they won't even mess with my blood.

Second, my mom worked full time for the local red cross chapter for a year or two, so that's where this 'inside' information comes from.

Originally Posted by JimboIncinerator

My only compliant though is how much they call, I suppose i could tell them to not call and I will come in about at my normal interval. They always say there is an "emergency need" for my type. Since they say this every time I'm starting to wonder if they just say it to get me to donate more frequently or there actually is a real emergency. Maybe I'll inquire next time.

Because of the high rate of blood use, the limited amount of people that donate, and the low shelf life of whole blood, there *is* always a shortage. I wish they would just say that rather than call it an emergency need. Brief all the blood people with hard numbers as far as usage and availability, but that's just me.

Originally Posted by Keiron

Originally Posted by ninja|oaklandr

I tried a while back and they told me no. They were afraid that I had mad cow disease from living in England. I should try it again.

I'm in the same boat really.

I've said it in another thread, but I'll say it here too. I would love to give blood but because I lived in Germany for a year when I was 5, they refuse to take my blood. I always ask them if I can give blood yet and they always say that I haven't been cleared or something yet.

18 years later...and I still can't donate.

You should call your local chapter and check, if you haven't lately. If I recall, they lowered those restrictions on that sort of thing some time last year.

**MarioSpeedwagen** · 04-06-09, 07:39 AM

I started going about 4 years ago because we wanted the free ice cream =) But since then I've gone regularly. I just see it as my duty. I do wish I could donate more than once every 6 weeks or whatever it is because I'm pretty sure my blood regenerates like Wolverine. And hell no I'm not afraid of needles. I watch it go in every time.

**ATEXANnHISGUN** · 04-06-09, 08:38 AM

i donate plasma regularly,,, get paid and help people its a win win! used to work for biolife ( plasma donation center and subsidiary of baxter ) in the lab 2 years ago. always good to see people helping other people.

**Keiron** · 04-06-09, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by Manse

You should call your local chapter and check, if you haven't lately. If I recall, they lowered those restrictions on that sort of thing some time last year.

I normally check every time the blood drive is on campus, but I didn't this time so I'll look into it again, but I bet they'll give me the same answer.

Still worth a shot though.

**BlueMaxox** · 04-06-09, 08:57 AM

Did you ever stop and think that when you donate or agree to take blood that you are giving or taking something that is considered a hazardous waste product? At least in the US.

If blood is spilled, regardless of how, it is to be treated with special handling procedures.

The main reason is that there are diseases that are still being discovered in the blood of people and not to mention the problem with catching something from someone else that was not detected in the screening of the blood or the hepititas and HIV issues associated with blood.

One other thing.....bad or mediocre doctors use blood transfusion as a crutch for their poor surgery skills. Doctors that operate on patience that refuse blood transfusions have to be better skilled because they know the patient has refused the blood.

Doctor DeBakey and Denton Cooley, two re-known Houston heart surgeons, have written books about the recovery of their heart patients. those that did not take blood during heart surgery recovered faster than those that did.

Makes sense....because your body is not having to fight the recovery of a heart operation along with the invasion of a foreign body into the body.

When a person is in an accident and looses a lot of blood...the problem is not the lose of blood....the problem is the collapse of the bodies arteries because of the lack of the precious fluid. What is being used more and more is vessels expanders to keep the collapse from happening and giving the body time to regenerate it's own blood supply.

Just some things to think about.

**Potemkine** · 04-06-09, 12:42 PM

I see where your coming from Blue, however there are just some injuries that REQUIRE a blood transfusion. Especially extreme trauma patience. Specifically if the femoral artery gets severed. You have like 10 minutes to get that shit clamped or else you bleed out. Giving blood is a great way to reduce high blood pressure. Your heart has to work that much less to get the remaining blood through your body.