Poll: Are you a blood donor?

[Xeros]

No,because the blood bank is an evil pyramid scheme perpetrated by Dracula and his night slaves.

 

[Serenegoose]

Nope. Apparently I'm a high risk vector due to my gender identity and sexual orientation. What can I say, the NHS is more interested in bigotry than blood.

 

[Plinglebob]

Yup. O+. Can be given to anyone with a rhesus-positive blood type, wahey!

I'm O- so can give to anyone *smug look* I give as often as possible, and I've even had a phone call to check I was still coming to my appointment the next day as their stocks were running low. I swear if they though they could get away with it they'd take more.

I do it because, like organ donation, I feel you should always try and help as much as you can and a total of 60 minutes every 16 weeks isn't a big time commitment.

 

[Kud]

I could but...

Needles can go eat my ass.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Yep, I'm a blood donor, have the card and everything.
Next appointment is next month.
May also be my last appointment...

 

[Emperor Platypus]

Yup, I'm an A+ and because that's a fairly common they do tend to call me as often as possible. Might have to wait if I ever get called upon again though, with me traveling abroad I might just be too big of a risk these days. I dunno we'll see when I get back whether they still want me.

ps
How long does it take for you guys to heal completely? Because I can still see where the needles got stuck in the flesh, its weird my mother donates too and her 'needle spot' (for lack of a better term) are gone within a week. Mine are already a couple of months old and I can still see them. If this is gonna continue I'll end up looking like a drug addict or something like that XD.

 

[Queen Michael]

Yup, I'm an A+ and because that's a fairly common they do tend to call me as often as possible. Might have to wait if I ever get called upon again though, with me traveling abroad I might just be too big of a risk these days. I dunno we'll see when I get back whether they still want me.

ps
How long does it take for you guys to heal completely? Because I can still see where the needles got stuck in the flesh, its weird my mother donates too and her 'needle spot' (for lack of a better term) are gone within a week. Mine are already a couple of months old and I can still see them. If this is gonna continue I'll end up looking like a drug addict or something like that XD.

Takes a week for me.

Nope. Apparently I'm a high risk vector due to my gender identity and sexual orientation. What can I say, the NHS is more interested in bigotry than blood.

That really bugs me as well. Can't they just test the blood, and if t's okay they give it to somebody who needs it?

 

[Queen Michael]

Yup, I'm an A+ and because that's a fairly common they do tend to call me as often as possible. Might have to wait if I ever get called upon again though, with me traveling abroad I might just be too big of a risk these days. I dunno we'll see when I get back whether they still want me.

ps
How long does it take for you guys to heal completely? Because I can still see where the needles got stuck in the flesh, its weird my mother donates too and her 'needle spot' (for lack of a better term) are gone within a week. Mine are already a couple of months old and I can still see them. If this is gonna continue I'll end up looking like a drug addict or something like that XD.

Takes a week for me.

Nope. Apparently I'm a high risk vector due to my gender identity and sexual orientation. What can I say, the NHS is more interested in bigotry than blood.

That really bugs me as well. Can't they just test the blood, and if t's okay they give it to somebody who needs it?

No,because the blood bank is an evil pyramid scheme perpetrated by Dracula and his night slaves.

That sentence only makes sense if the word "no" is replaced by "yes".

 

[Kathinka]

i donate, because here they pay you for it ^_^
40 euro for plasma, 55 for full blood and more for some special tricks they pull. (that's around 50-65 USD for our colonist friends)

i even used to have two donator passes with different names, so i could go twice as often by donating during the mandatory breaks with a different identity xD

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

I go pale and almost faint when getting a very small sample taken for blood testing... so no.

 

[Riobux]

I don't at all, partly because I'm technically not allowed.

 

[Cuacuani]

Sadly, I take a medication that some people are allergic to and so the NHS can't accept my blood.

 

[fix-the-spade]

I am banned from giving blood, for life.

It's partly having very low blood pressure, which means giving blood would render me unconcious.
But mostly it's because I've had TB early in life. I don't understand the science one bit but apparently because of that I can never give blood.

Which annoys me a little.

 

[RaphaelsRedemption]

I do, recently I've been put on lithium, which they have to let stabilise and shit before going back. The blood bank vampires (and my local ones do call themselves that!) are really good at the whole needle thing, but I can't say the same for some of the nurses and doctors I've met. The worst, perhaps ironically, are always the doctors. I've fainted from the pain of a blood withdrawal in E.R. before, where normally I don't even get queasy. I just hope what with the frequent needles (almost every week!) my veins will hold up.

What is the deal with frequent needles, scarring, and blood vessel collapse? I don't know what's ordinary and ok, and what's to watch out for...

 

[Aurora219]

I got practically thrown out through the frustration of the nurses. My veins are almost impossible to find - getting an IV into my arm just doesn't work.

They asked me not to come back again.

 

[Aurora219]

i donate, because here they pay you for it ^_^
40 euro for plasma, 55 for full blood and more for some special tricks they pull. (that's around 50-65 USD for our colonist friends)

i even used to have two donator passes with different names, so i could go twice as often by donating during the mandatory breaks with a different identity xD

You DO know that those mandatory breaks are designed to stop you dying of lack of blood, right?

EDIT: Eep, double post.

 

[Emperor Platypus]

Yep, I'm a blood donor, have the card and everything.
Next appointment is next month.
May also be my last appointment...

Waaaaaaaa?
Don't stop now; your country needs YOU to give up that holiest of substances (NOT alcohol guys, that one comes in at a good second spot).

 

[Kathinka]

i donate, because here they pay you for it ^_^
40 euro for plasma, 55 for full blood and more for some special tricks they pull. (that's around 50-65 USD for our colonist friends)

i even used to have two donator passes with different names, so i could go twice as often by donating during the mandatory breaks with a different identity xD

You DO know that those mandatory breaks are designed to stop you dying of lack of blood, right?

i know, i know^^ but they are pretty fail-save and i got along fine with just half the breaks. stil i stopped because after some months i could slowly feel that it started to take it's toll. but as i said, those breaks are really overly carefull.

 

[SpecklePattern]

Wooooo! Yes I am. Going actually just now to donate. They have free coffee and cookies there so thats why I go there

It is something like 14th time for me. I have never got used to that needle but the nurses there are professionals. The punctuation hurts a bit and I don't want to look the blood too much but the donation itself doesn't hurt if the needle is nicely Im going with my friend so we will not get lazy on the donations times (here we can donate again after 2 months).