Do you donate blood? If not, why?

[CBC News]

The national blood inventory has dwindled so much that hospitals may have to delay treatments or postpone elective surgeries if the shortage is not reversed soon, Canadian Blood Services said Wednesday in urging donors to come forward.

The reserve dropped to two days on hand for the most common blood types on Tuesday, after falling more than 40 per cent in the last two months.

The agency has boosted recruitment, but demand has outpaced supply and blood shipments to hospitals have been rationed.

Full story

Do you donate blood? If not, why?



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[gopher]

I have donated blood twice - and fainted both times!

Doctors have advised me that I cannot cope with dehydration and said to refrain from giving blood again.

 

[scratch]

I have donated blood twice - and fainted both times!

Doctors have advised me that I cannot cope with dehydration and said to refrain from giving blood again.

I used to but apparently they don't want me to again due to some content that would not help those that need it.

 

[Hazmart]

Yes, I used to donate blood every 56 days on the dot, then I moved here and there is only a blood donation mobile clinic ever 3-4 months and only for 4 hours on one day. So now it is much more difficult to get to. I also looked into donating when I am in Saskatoon but for the most part those are Saturdays and no such luck there. So now it has been about 6 months since I donated and the next day here isn't until January.
If they are in such need for blood, maybe the hospitals in smaller cities should try to have donation days, even just once every 56 days would be more helpful.

 

[tracy]

I'm anemic so pretty much useless in that regard. I do appreciate blood donors enormously! I think they should all be thanked profusely for their contribution. They take the time to give and thanks to them our babies get to live. We have a lot of parents who have never donated decide to donate when their baby needs a transfusion. Often the baby can't receive their blood, but it can go to someone else.

 

[karrie]

I'm borderline anemic right now. Donating blood would be a bad idea. Perhaps once the docs get me fixed up, but, not right now.

 

[talloola]

Yes, I have donated blood, although not recently, good healthy type B, need any?

 

[L Gilbert]

Bin dair dun dat.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

No, I don't donate blood. I used to, regularly, but now they won't let me, because they don't understand statistics and probability. I once tested positive on a quick and easy and only 75% accurate test for HIV that they subject all blood to, and negative on a more time consuming and accurate test that all the positives on the first test get, but that one false positive was enough. I'm off the list of eligible donors, despite the fact that it was over 15 years ago and I've been in a monogamous relationship for over twice that long and clearly do not have HIV. Pisses me off. Ignorance always pisses me off.

Lemme just explain that. Suppose you test positive for some condition on a test that's known to be 75% accurate, and you're part of a population for which it's known that the actual incidence of the condition is 5%. What is the probability that you actually have the condition? It's a lot less than 75%, Consider: in a population of 100,000, 5000 people will have it and 95,000 will not have it. The test will correctly identify 3750 of the 5000 who have it and miss 1250 of them, and falsely identify 23,750 of the 95,000 who don't have it as having it. In other words, there will be 27,500 positives, of which over 86% will be false. The probability that you actually have the condition is less than 14%.

So, whenever some medico tells you you have some horrible condition, get another opinion.

 

[In Between Man]

So, whenever some medico tells you you have some horrible condition, get another opinion.

Good advice here. I've never donated blood. I'm kinda selfish that way.

 

[lone wolf]

I used to. Apparently blood thinners aren't a good thing in donated blood. I haven't taken Plavix in three years now ... but I'm still on ASA. Um ... 'scuse me people, but don't a lot of folks take Aspirin?

 

[In Between Man]

I have no idea if this is true, but I heard that a lot of things will get your blood refused. Both legal and illicit drug use, including pot. If that's true, BC must have the lowest reserves of blood in the nation.

 

[karrie]

I have no idea if this is true, but I heard that a lot of things will get your blood refused. Both legal and illicit drug use, including pot. If that's true, BC must have the lowest reserves of blood in the nation.

Oh wow, that made me think.... hubby's company drug tests their guys if they get in an accident at work or with a company vehicle. Can you imagine getting wrecked right up, needing to be transfused in the hospital, and ending up getting turfed because the blood donor was a pot head? lol.

 

[In Between Man]

Oh wow, that made me think.... hubby's company drug tests their guys if they get in an accident at work or with a company vehicle. Can you imagine getting wrecked right up, needing to be transfused in the hospital, and ending up getting turfed because the blood donor was a pot head? lol.

Apparently, smoking pot even once in your life, disqualifies you. Again, this is just heresay from coworkers. Usually I don't trust them, but like I said, I've never donated before, so I don't know.

 

[lone wolf]

Well ... guess they really wouldn't want mine then. The weed's not prescribed and I sure didn't tell 'em. They'd find it in the screening. A gal I know at CBS was telling me they're getting fussy about smokers too. That tainted blood thing really set blood services back.

 

[scratch]

Well ... guess they really wouldn't want mine then. The weed's not prescribed and I sure didn't tell 'em. They'd find it in the screening. A gal I know at CBS was telling me they're getting fussy about smokers too. That tainted blood thing really set blood services back.

I tried and found out that my blood was too `iffy` to use and to please not donate again.