My first blood donation occurred when I was a college freshman. The experience included an air-conditioned trailer with tinted windows, a phlebotomist with blonde hair, and a free tee-shirt.
Although the warm and fuzzy feelings that came with knowing that I was “helping to save a life” were reinforcing, the free cookies were probably more motivating. (I’m not kidding.)
I donated blood on four or five occasions during my time in college; if I encountered the Bloodmobile near the dormitories or on campus, I readily let the phlebotomists access my veins. Donating blood wasn’t a habit; it was more like a surreptitious meeting between two acquaintances.
In medical school, I learned more about blood and its amazing properties. Prior to committing myself to a career in psychiatry, I had strongly considered becoming an hematologist-oncologist: The physiology and treatment of cancer was fascinating, but hematology was awe-inspiring. By far my favorite things to view under the microscope were blood smears; I couldn’t believe the various species of blood cells that occupied one drop of blood. And there is so much one can learn from looking at blood: Is there enough of it? Is the bone marrow generating more of it? Can the blood clot satisfactorily? Is a leukemia present? How is the individual’s nutritional status? To think that all of these things are travelling through the thoroughfares of our blood vessels is absolutely flabbergasting. One would never guess that so much life teems within the red solution.
Once I began my clinical rotations, I commonly saw bags of blood hanging from the IV poles of patients with ashen skin. The hospital always seemed to be on the brink of not having enough blood and, as a result, I started to donate more frequently. I wondered who was receiving my blood; maybe I had walked past my own bag without realizing it. More warm fuzzies. And cookies, of course.
As an intern, I continued to see the bags of blood hovering over patients and overheard the same message I heard in medical school: “The blood bank is running low again.” Was there ever a time when the blood bank wasn’t running low? Just how much blood does the blood bank need to avoid “running low”? Blood has a shelf-life; lore has it that as many as one-third of the red blood cells in an “older” (i.e. over a month old) bag of blood have burst by the time it flows into a patient. This, my attendings opined, was why hematocrits (red blood counts) commonly do not increase the anticipated 3% following a transfusion.
Thus, I started to donate blood even more frequently as a resident. It became a regularly-scheduled habit last year; I donated every eight to nine weeks as allowed. At the end of the year, I received a small note from the blood center informing me that I belonged to a small, single-digit percentage of people who donated more than five times in the past 365 days. The note stated that the vast majority of people donate blood only once or twice a year—surreptitious meetings, if you will.
Maybe it’s because I’ve actually ordered blood for patients that compels me to donate. (It’s not all about the cookies.) People do look different after they receive blood: They have more color in their skin and they report having more energy. For those individuals who require blood due to acute loss (car accident, bleeding stomach ulcer, etc.), their energy levels rapidly approach their baselines. For those people who have had low blood counts for a prolonged period of time (poor nutrition, very slow intestinal bleed, etc.), they report feeling better than they have in months, maybe even years. It’s remarkable how a little blood can change someone’s life. Then there are all the people who receive blood who don’t even realize it at the time: Maybe they’re on the operating room table; maybe they’re unconscious from a significant medical or surgical condition.
Some people can’t tolerate the sight of blood or of large needles. Don’t let anyone fool you: the needles used in blood donation are some of the largest (in length and, in particular, diameter) needles used in medicine. There was a time when I couldn’t watch the phlebotomist insert the needle; the thing is freaking huge and I was certain that if I watched the needle go in, it would hurt that much more. I think I also imagined the needle going straight through my arm or launching a geyser of blood.
In medical school, we learned how to insert IVs on each other (now that was a bloody and painful experience) and, thereafter, I felt less anxious watching the phlebotomist work. These days, I still feel a twinge of nervousness right as the (usually young, attractive, female) phlebotomist slides the needle under my skin; I still expect it to hurt a lot more than it ever does.
If you are healthy and can tolerate needles and blood, I encourage you to go to your local blood donation center to donate. The whole thing, from start to finish, lasts less than 45 minutes—if that—and you are truly offering an invaluable gift. You really are helping your fellow man, often in his time of greatest need.
If you are healthy and get squeamish at the thought of needles and blood, donating blood can be a great way to overcome your fears. The phlebotomists at blood donation centers are generally very adept at what they do (in contrast to the medical students who are often drawing blood from ill patients in the hospital!) and the support staff usually put forth great effort to make the experience comfortable for you. Not only will you have the knowledge that you gave a part of yourself to help someone else, but you can also get free food afterwards—and if you like cookies, they have plenty of those.
You can read more about donating blood here—but reading about it and actually doing it are two different things. Go do it.
(Part of the ongoing Relationship Series.)
7 Jun 2007 |
I gave blood once… at the first blood drive at my high school as soon as I was old enough.
I’m afraid I most likely looked like someone who needed some blood after I gave blood.
Now… I can’t stand needles and the sight of my own blood has caused me to throw-up numerous times before. I had it all figured out though– I was not going to look at the needle or the blood…. (oh and those you say the prick in the finger to test the iron level hurts more are LIARS!!)
Anyways… I got horrible hot, then dizzy then almost fainted then then spent the rest of the day vomitting…. not fun!!
Haven’t give blood since… too scared!
Comment by drytears | 7 Jun 2007 @ 10:34pm
*two thumbs up*
I’m a regular blood donor; there’s a (sadly small) group of us who go together every 8 weeks. I’ve had problems donating before (the workers sometimes say “Oh my gosh, i can’t believe you came back!”) but i continue - i figure i have plenty of blood, and there are others who desperately need it.
Recently a friend needed 20 units. It’s caused other people in my circle to talk about donating; i don’t know if they will, or if they’ll continue if they do go. There was that great rush to donate after 9-11, but how many people returned? For that matter, how many people actually waited when the blood banks said they they had sufficient supplies for the moment, but would need more donors in a month?
Mere good intentions don’t help the patients who require blood.
Comment by neko_san | 7 Jun 2007 @ 11:21pm
I am over 5 gallons. My donations dropped off after I had a couple of massive hematomas from the flabbybottomists having problems locating my veins due to thicker subcutaneous layers. The drop off also might have had a little something to do with them not giving out free t-shirts as often.
I have found it interesting how different blood banks value different products. When I was in the S.F east bay, they put my blood in Quad packs for preemies or had me do pheresis. In Sac they liked me do donate platelets.
Comment by Terry | 7 Jun 2007 @ 11:37pm
Great write-up.
Comment by karrvakarela | 8 Jun 2007 @ 12:59am
I used to donate somewhat frequently in college but my mother (a former RN) warned me off from doing it too much because of vein scarring. Your thoughts?
Maria says: Vein scarring certainly happens with blood donations, but I highly doubt that it results in vein occlusion. First of all, blood donations are limited to once every eight weeks; this periodic damage is not significant enough to render the vein imminently unusable. Certainly people who inject drugs frequently report “dry” veins and their arms show evidence of veins that are no longer patent, but these individuals are frequently injecting drugs several times a day and possibly every day. Furthermore, the sterility of these needles may be compromised, which means toxins and other “pro-scarring” elements may be introduced to the vein.
A superficial literature search did not reveal any evidence that repeated blood donations from the same site results in adverse vein scarring. From an anecdotal point of view, my donations have occurred from the same site every eight or nine weeks for the past 1.5 years and my vein is still working (though there is scar tissue at the site).
Comment by Brock Tice | 8 Jun 2007 @ 2:52am
I’m a nurse practitioner in dialysis and pheresis-we use GALLONS of packed cells and other components. Right now we have a pt w/TTP. Every time we pherese him we use more than 4L of plasma. Right now we’re pheresing him 3x/wk, down from every day. I give blood 3-4 times a year, but I should do more.
Comment by Abby | 8 Jun 2007 @ 5:22am
I even got a surprisingly easy and yummy cookie recipe once!
Comment by Bardiac | 8 Jun 2007 @ 7:14am
I used to be proud of donating my 3-4 times a year. I had done it since University.
I have now been told I cannot donate, because of the anti-psychotic and mood stabilizing medications I take. It makes me sad, but I have to hope that, with me out of the blood giving circle, some other stranger out there has stepped up to take my place.
Comment by bp_hockey_chick | 8 Jun 2007 @ 7:43am
Right, that’s it. I’ve been telling myself that I need to donate blood, but I was always too busy, late for something, or fasting. That’s it. Today’s the day. I’m going downtown anyway and I know roughly where the blood bank is. I hope I get to do it on the spot. And I’ll take me friend. I’m leaving in … twenty minutes. So thank for you the reminder.
And I loved the metaphor of donations as meetings. (Though it confuses me a little. But still.)
Comment by fathima | 8 Jun 2007 @ 9:01am
also, now i need to ask the obvious question: what happens when there isn’t enough blood?
Comment by fathima | 8 Jun 2007 @ 9:06am
Sadly, I was told that, having lived in Europe, I am most likely the mothership for vCJD. I would have like to keep up my once-a-month donations.
I wonder — I believe there were 20 vCJD fatalities last time I looked. Does anyone die from lack of transfusable blood or blood products?
Cheers,
Felix.
Comment by Felix Kasza | 8 Jun 2007 @ 4:38pm
fathima, I’m not sure about the rest of the world, but when there’s not enough blood in Australia it means that various “elective surgery” procedures may be postponed. I say elective in quotation marks because this does not mean cosmetic surgery, it means non-emergency surgery. So doing a cardiac bypass on someone who hasn’t just had a heart attack (but may be about to because their arteries are all 95% clogged and stenting is unsuccessful) is classified as elective surgery.
The other thing is that much donated blood is now used for manufacturing other blood products - isolating things like immunoglobulins and clotting factors is a very big part of the blood business. So in a major blood crisis, more blood is diverted for emergency use (eg. major trauma, haemophiliacs, big surgery).
I started giving blood aged 16 when the blood bank van came to my school. I gave fairly regularly until the last three times when I started to have “major fainting episodes” (according to my file) after they’d taken the needle out. The last time I went, once I regained consciousness, the nurse said “now we are not encouraging you to return…”. I maintain that if they’d listen to me at the beginning and put my legs up when I suggested it, that I would not pass out. I’m going to investigate giving plasma… they might let me do that.
The other thing that I’d like to do is the bone marrow registry. I’m not allowed to be on this for the simple reason that when you sign up you need to donate a unit of blood and I’m not allowed to donate a unit of blood. However I would not faint for marrow donation because I’d get a general anaesthetic!
Comment by yay | 8 Jun 2007 @ 6:44pm
To yay: I was told to not return. I did anyways. =P They treat me nice - putting up my feet, extra water, extra time lying down - and i’ve not had a problem for a while. *crosses fingers*
Comment by neko_san | 8 Jun 2007 @ 10:27pm
My grandpa used to donate all the time. He got the free shirts. Wore them out. I’ve never done it. I’m nervous to do it, but have been thinking about it. I go to hockey games and they always have a blood drive once a year. I’m thinking about signing up. I’m nervous about the needle. I get poked once a year at the dr. for meds level check. I’m told I can still donate even though I’m on thyroid meds. My mom used to get a false positive on a test so they didn’t keep her blood after taking it. How rude. They should tell her so she doesn’t go through the donation and then they just toss it. My high school always did it on halloween. That’s when mom discovered they weren’t keeping her blood.
Comment by ashley | 21 Sep 2007 @ 10:23am
I ran across this article trying to research possible damage to veins due to blood donation. I’m a regular donor, I received an award plack at 3 gallons, lost track at 6 gallons when I moved several times and used several different agencies. Having A+ blood, I was encouraged to do platelets. During the time I was giving whole blood, I seem to remember a doctor commenting about my commitment to giving every 56 days. He was worried about scaring/damaging my veins. Now that I give platelets, the recruiters start bugging you to schedule an appointment 13 days after your last donation. Platelet donation uses a smaller needle but now you have one in each arm for 90 minutes. I certainly wouldn’t go every 2 weeks, but have gone more than a dozen times in a single year and I wonder about possible future risks.
I also wonder about the health benefit to donors.
If anyone reads this and has seen more current research about risks and benefits, please provide a pointer to it.
As for cookies and tee shirts, I started out giving through blood drives when I worked at AT&T. They use to give you all sorts of food, let you donate during work hours and always gave out some sort of trinket or shirt. When they stopped with the freebies, they lost 25% of their donors. That was 20 years ago. I’m now practically married to a woman who can not donate due to too much time in Europe but who also worked for the Red Cross in disaster relief. We recently moved and she made me weed out my Red Cross freebies and tee shirts. I filled 3 garbage bags of new and slightly used shirts for donation to charity. Key chains, umbrellas, folding chairs… also went to charity, most of it unused. My point is that if they had kept the money used to buy this stuff, more people could have been helped. I do appreciate it when they give out gift cards to Home Depot, Starbucks or Shell. I have to admit I go a few extra times when they have those incentives.
If you have never donated, GO DO IT. Be thankful you aren’t on the receiving end.
Comment by John | 19 Mar 2008 @ 10:30am
I donated once… after about four minutes I got dizzy and lightheaded, and had to lie down with ice packs. I got some out of me, however, and I think I may try to donate again soon. Maybe it will go better the second time. :)
Comment by Niika | 6 Jun 2008 @ 6:30pm