Scored a triple - donating platelets and blood

[Frankies Girl]

The husband was advised recently by the doc to start donating due to high viscosity in his blood. Within the last decade, he had overcome a childhood phobia of needles (hooray for him!) but the idea of giving blood still was pretty hardcore for him. I took him with me about a year ago so he could observe first hand what all they do, and today he said he was ready.

He had to get jabbed twice (he has rolly veins and that's one of the reasons as a child that needles were so bad - they would stick him over and over again), but he did it and said he would absolutely do it again and felt like a badass once we were finished. :)

I stepped up to platelet donation since I am FIREd, I finally have the time to spend (it can take up to 2 hours). Cool thing is, I apparently am a unicorn - I have a fantastic platelet count that is better than most of their volunteers, even the big strong men, and I'm a short female. ;)

They were hoping I might be able to do a double donation (where they get two bags). I had more than enough for a triple. I had 3 separate workers come tell me thank you for donating and telling me how awesome it is that I am able to do so much and spending the extra time to do so.

I'm pretty happy about both of us - the husband for going through with it and being excited about making it through (and he's even talking platelet donation maybe next time!) and me for donating platelets as they were in critical need and being pretty happy with my body (for once) for being helpful to so many that need those platelets.

Blood/platelet donation has health benefits - lowers blood pressure for a period of time, burns calories (believed to be up to 600 calories over several days), reduces iron levels, reduces viscosity/thickness of the blood (which can cause damage to the blood vessels and increase the likelihood of stroke or heart attack). So you're not just helping out others in need, you're helping yourself too.

So while this is a bit of a brag, it's also a general call to the MMM community - please consider donating your blood (or platelets - which are better and more in need) this holiday season. We can all be badasses that way. :)

[okits]

Really awesome, Frankies Girl (and DH!)  I hear your call - I am temporarily ineligible to donate but will go again once I'm no longer disqualified.

[jengod]

So awesome! Great job, both of you.

I hope to get back to blood donation once my little boy is in school full-time.

It gives me a strange sense of well-being, plus sometimes you get movie tickets.

[step_away]

I used to think that AB+ blood type is not in demand as it can only be donated to AB+ which only make up 3% of population.  Imagine my surprise when I dropped by for blood donation and was asked if I could donate plasma as well as platelets instead.  It turned out that AB+ is a universal plasma donor and plasma is in high demand for burns and transplants. 

[Abe]

You are right. Liver transplants can easily go through 4 people's worth of blood during the operation. Same with severely injured trauma patients. We do have devices that can re-circulate the blood back to the patient, but can't be used in certain (unfortunately common) situations.

[meadow lark]

I used to do the double bag donations, but then I would be irritable and emotional for 2 or 3 days, so I had to go back to just the usual. 

[partgypsy]

Amazing! Good for you! It is really something in great need and it is great you are able to help.
I am one of those females who is always borderline anemic. I donated once in college, the next semester I tried to donate again. Instead of taking my blood they referred me to a doctor. I have classic iron deficiency anemia where just one donation sends me (severely) over the edge. And told by doctor never to donate blood.

[Cougar]

I stepped up to platelet donation since I am FIREd, I finally have the time to spend (it can take up to 2 hours). Cool thing is, I apparently am a unicorn - I have a fantastic platelet count that is better than most of their volunteers, even the big strong men, and I'm a short female. ;)

They were hoping I might be able to do a double donation (where they get two bags). I had more than enough for a triple. I had 3 separate workers come tell me thank you for donating and telling me how awesome it is that I am able to do so much and spending the extra time to do so.

good job.


i usually call you platelet donors cheaters because you get multiple credits over whole blood donors. if you stick with whole blood; you usually cant make it over 20 gallons but those platelet people get up to 100 gallons because of the multiples.

us whole blood donors turn it into a marathon. me over 10 gallons of whole blood and over 80 donations; still going...

[saijoe]

Nice job. 

I feel like we should all give.  But giving can mean different things to different people.  This is a wonderful alternate way to give.  And if you need it (I had a nephew with Aplastic Anemia, so I know a little about it), blood is way more valuable than money. 

[Bracken_Joy]

So glad you donate and put out this call to action! I have tried twice. The first time, I went seriously hypotensive and had to do the whole "breathe in a bag, be monitored for an hour before I could leave" thing. We hoped it was a bad first time reaction, so when I was in nursing school, I donated again. I blacked out on the table. I've since talked to my doc- I tend to be on the slightly hypotensive side anyway, and she thinks if I've had it happen twice, it's likely to happen again. No donation for me =(

I guess I'm stuck (see what I did there?) with trying to convince friends and family to donate!

[mikefixac]

Link to how donating blood is healthy.

I've wondered if that's one reason women live longer than men.

[use2betrix]

Is that similar to donating plasma? I did that when I was younger, and made like $60-$80 a week doing it, too!

[TheOldestYoungMan]

They can take whatever they want out, as long as they put nothing back in.  I donate every chance I get.  Even if it wasn't helpful to others, there's free snacks/juice after!

[Million2000]

I've recently started to give blood whenever there is a drive close to me. My dad was a universal blood donor and while I am not that fortunate, it is still very needed. It's my way of giving a little back, just the chance that the blood is used or saves someone is enough for me to donate it. Vainly, I also want the "gallon" pins the Red Cross gives when you donate that much.

[J Boogie]

Is that similar to donating plasma? I did that when I was younger, and made like $60-$80 a week doing it, too!

I'm AB+ and I recently started donating.

I believe when you donate platelets you donate plasma by default, which is the fluid that the platelets are suspended in.

I think it's a great way to give, I'm young and I have far more platelets to offer than money at this point.

I know donating whole blood can be healthy but are there any health benefits specifically for platelet and plasma donation?

[Auldtriangle8]

Thanks for the reminder! I recently moved and was spoiled at my previous workplace where a bloodmobile would come every so often. The only problem with donating blood now is I have to drive the car because they don't advise riding a bicycle after donating. Mustachian people problems :-)

[MandalayVA]

Good for you!  I'm unable to donate due to the fact that I had mono when I was 18, but I'm always supportive of those who do.

[going2ER]

As the parent of a child that had leukemia, thank you to all of the blood donors. I know that when the platlets had to be extracted from whole blood, as there was not enough platlet donors, it would take approximately 11 donors to get enough platlets. Sometimes she would require a transfusion daily so over the span of a week that could be 77 donors for one little person. So keep donating as you never know when you or a loved one may need blood.

[Tom Bri]

Used to do platelets, when I worked down the block from the center. Now I give when the bus comes to work, and occasionally in between. I'd like to get back into it, but no blood centers anywhere near where I live, it's always a special trip, 30 miles.