<p>For quite a few years I regularly donated blood. Then my dr. said “I’m surprised they take yours because you are on blood pressure medication.” Of course, I had always listed that prescription when filling out the donation form.</p>
<p>I called the local blood center several times and the only responses I could ever get were along the lines of “It’s up to your doctor.” THAT isn’t the issue. My donating is fine by him. My real question is:
Do they use my donated blood or do they just take it and discard it so they don’t hurt my feelings?</p>
<p>I believe they take blood from people who confidentially tell them they are HIV positive and then that blood is discarded but I don’t know what they do about meds. Does anyone here know?</p>
<p>If your BP is normal the day you donate, and if your Hb or HCT is just fine (ie you are not anemic), and your med is not an a certain list, you can donate away. They NEVER take your blood and intentionally discard it. For those who are HIV positive or carry a history of hepatitis and cannot donate, but who want the info to remain confidential (say there is an employee blood drive and they show up for it but indicate on the form that they have a reason that disqualifies them) it is usually handled by NOT drawing their blood and discarding it. The blood is not drawn, the blood banks indicates that they tried to give and the employee gets “credit” without donating. This person may go in the back room, and may have a band-aid on their arm, but no one took their blood knowing that it would be discarded. Sometimes the BB will use “anemia” as a reason that the person cannot give as a cover. But bloodbank are NOT in the habit of taking blood for show and discarding it. If you qualify and they take your blood, and they welcome you back again, they are putting your blood in the bank and making it available to someone who needs it.</p>
<p>My guess is your physician is clueless to the actual disqualifications, other than the obvious ones.</p>
<p>Thank you Sunnyflorida. My prescription is not on that list. It would be nice if the Blood Bank had referred me to the list and not just told me to ask my dr. With the med my BP is normal/low.</p>
<p>They don’t just take your blood so you don’t feel bad and then discard it! I have a lifelong condition that stops me from donating blood, but even before I was diagnosed with that I got rejected for other reasons, and they never took my blood after I failed their little pre-screening test. The Blood Bank definitely should have had that list of disqualifying conditions handy. I think it’s strange they told you to ask your doctor.</p>
<p>Our blood bank just tells us outright if you can’t donate. I donated the first couple of years I lived in the US then they brought in the rules about people who have spent more than a certain time in the UK (I am from the UK) between certain years (rather randomly selected dates it seems) not being able to donate (because of mad cow disease). I ask now and then if anything has changed. </p>
<p>I may act like a mad cow at times but I don’t have mad cow disease!</p>
<p>(FYI the term cow - mad cow, silly cow, stupid cow, is often used as an insult against women in the UK - sometimes affectionately, sometimes not).</p>
<p>I seem to recall that there used to be a place on the donation forms to indicate that your blood shouldn’t be used. I think that has been removed, though–at least, I didn’t see it the last time I donated.</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of giving blood–it’s a cheap way to feel good about yourself! SEriously, I do feel like it’s such a simple way to give.</p>
<p>I’ve given many times, and been turned down twice–once, when the needle went through my vein, so they had to stop–they told me right off that the blood which had been gathered so far woudl be disgarded since it wasn’t a full pint. :(</p>
<p>The second time, my hemoglobin was too low. There was no question of taking it and throwing it away–they just didn’t take it.</p>
<p>Hhhmmm, I thought they were still doing the “faux” draws - the last step before one lies down on the table was to mark a sticker on the bag as “Use” or “Do not use” my blood.
This was aimed completely at HIV, because that way you could answer all the questions “No” and still opt out if you knew you were HIV positive. </p>
<p>Just an aside - the blood supply is shrinking every year and only a fraction of eligible donors actually give. Please consider giving this year, and again 6 months from now - January and July/August are traditionally our tightest months. Also, particularly if you don’t work, and can spare a few hours every 6 weeks or so, ask about becoming an apheresis platelet donor - we need those even more desperately than blood. Thanks!</p>
<p>One last thing - do not be afraid of donated blood. Autologus blood - blood you have stockpiled for yourself before surgery - is NOT appreciably safer than banked blood. Disease transmission is only part of the risk of a transfusion, and as the testing gets better the chances of transmission get less and less. Unused autologous blood is usually discarded, it cannot be converted into the general blood supply.</p>
<p>Also remember that not all donated blood is used for whole blood transfusions. While some medications might make it unwise to use the blood for such purposes, the blood might still be useful for plasma, platelets, and other necessary components which have medical uses.</p>
<p>I used to give blood every 6 months; unfortunately, I can’t anymore. I wish I still could.</p>
<p>I used to be on the list for bone marrow donation but they told me they had to put me on inactive because my health condition would make it dangerous for me to donate marrow, blood, or pretty much anything else. They really do try to look out for the health of the donors as well as the recipients.</p>
<p>I’m surprised they allow folks with blood pressure as high as 180/100 to donate. I’ve been told that anything 140 or higher is high & should be controlled. At the clinic we’re running, we tell everyone who has blood pressure higher than 160/100 that they have to come back after their blood pressure is under control fortheir own health & safety. Perhaps it’s a sign of how low the blood banks are running?</p>
<p>hmm- I can’t give blood anymore either- I was exposed to Hep B and have antibodies and the blood bank tests can’t rule out that I am not a carrier.
But my brother has leukemia & I wonder in that case- if my type matched- if I could donate since the procedure would be different?</p>
<p>Interesting that you can donate with some cancers. I figured they wouldn’t want mine when I finally move back to the states (because of the breast cancer). </p>
<p>It was one of the things that made me sad because I had such ‘good blood’.
(O negative).</p>
<p>Some cancers, some drugs, most hepatitis and of course HIV exclude you from blood donation.
What is really reducing the blood supply is mad cow disease, and now Chaga’s disease. These exclude persons who have lived in foreign countries - the UK in the case of MC - from donating for years. the military has always been a large, reliable source of blood both for its own needs and for the rest of the country. The lengthy deployment to foreign climes plus the addition of these restrictions for people who haven’t even gone to Iraq or afghanistan, have significantly reduced the regular donor pool.</p>