giving blood...a problem!

LegacyUser

this is kind of a medical thing, so if its not suitable for this board, im sorry, delete it, its just something thats been bothering me but i feel its too trivial to see a doctor about it

i dont know if anyone else has ever had this problem...i give blood regularly, but the last time i gave it, (my 3 months are nearly up) the needlemark still hasnt cleared. Also, the skin around where i give blood has gotten discoloured, but not just on the arm i give blood from, on the other arm too, which is why i couldn't understand the nurse at the blood clinic who told me it was just bruising from giving blood, as i only use one arm to give blood! its something that wouldnt really bother me, but people keep asking me am i taking drugs, its that obvious!!

if anyong knows what it is, or has had it, please respond!
thanks!

Beruthiel

that sounds very strange, I've given blood 9/10 times now, and the brusing always goes away, are you anemic by any chance? how many months do you leave between giving the blood?

LegacyUser

3 months, and no im not anaemic,they dont let you give blood if you are. last time i went my iron count was unquestionable! I am vegetarian, so i thought there might be a problem but its always been above the requiment.

Gaz

off topic but why does this post need to be unregied ? Is giving blood really that personal/embarrasing ?

LegacyUser

i half feel like im making a big deal over nothing, and half feel like if its bothering me, then its worth discussing.....i dont know! I just feel a bit stupid!

Borzoi

i'm a fairly regular donor, as it happens I was called in to the new clinic just last Wednesday.

You know the card they give you on the way out, gives a number for a duty nurse/doctor, and they advise you to ring them any time afterwards if you have any problems/queries

I of course chucked the number in the bin - but they're in the phonebook.

Look them up, ring them, talk to a medical professional! Don't waste any more time.

It's probably nothing, but be on the safe side.

Saruman

I dont give blood but thats off topic... I would if a clinic van thingie came around to my place of work.. otherwise its too much hassle for me (and im lazy!).

Anyway I was in hospital for 3 weeks back in feb and had my blood taken almost every day and that happened... i looked like a drug addict with all bruised veins and stuff... its perfectly normal and will heal.. just get them to alternate between arms... there is no reason they cant!! I eventually got them to do that, in fact they suggested it themselves and let the other one heal for a bit.

Trojan

Original poster: ring up the clinic like the guy suggests above.

I've never had a bruise linger that long afterwards...

Originally posted by Saruman
I dont give blood but thats off topic... I would if a clinic van thingie came around to my place of work.. otherwise its too much hassle for me (and im lazy!).

They'll pay for a taxi to take you from and back to work. If you get a gang of cow-orkers together they'll send a mini-bus or hire an 8-seater taxi. Don't be so lazy!

Al.

seamus

Yeah so like they said, give them a ring to double check. You could be lacking in Vitamin K or sumfink, you never know.

I'm O negative, so the blood people would love me, but I've never got it done (yet). Gonna go in December with my girlfriend. I'm not afraid of needles or blood or anything, I just don't like the thought of them physically sucking out the stuff that keeps me alive........

adnans

ive noticed a similar bruising on my grandmothers arm. she regularly gets insulin shots every day and has been for the past 15 years. it might be because they are piercing you in the same spot every time you give blood?!?

Originally posted by seamus
O negative .... my girlfriend....

isnt there a band with the name type O negative who have a tune called my girfreind's girlfriend? stop putting subliminal messages in your posts seamus.

adnans

LegacyUser

don't give blood it sucks

beardedchicken

something has always bothered me a bit about the blood bank:

every other day i see some ad on the TV or hear and "urgent appeal" on the radio, saying that they're desperate for blood!

and yet, when i went to give blood for the first time, they wouldn't let me- i was and always am in perfect health, but i had had my nose pierced a few months earlier, so they couldn't take my blood! i was quite perturbed about this, so i asked around a few of my mates, to see if any of them had had the same experience, and 3 of the 4 i asked had- granted, one had a cold at the time and was on drugs of some sort, another had also had her ear pierced quite recently too, but the third shocked me deeply- she's bisexual, and so is her boyfriend at the time, and one of the questions that disqualifies you immediately is: have you had sexual intercourse with a man, or if you are a woman, have you had sex with a man who has had sex with a man? so, basically, No gay person may give blood at all, because of the risk of HIV (despite the fact that statistically, the biggest group of HIV+ people are in fact STRAIGHT women!) surely it would make far more sense for them to make sure that the donor wasn't having promiscuous or unprotected sex, whether gay or straight, right????

i appreciate fully that they have to be HYPER-safe and double check everything, especially after the recent HepC and HIV scandals, but i would assume that if they really really needed it, they'd take it wherever they can get it! it just seems to me a huge hipocrisy to say that they are really desperate for blood, and then to be so picky about whose they want? surely they test the blood anyway?

by the way, i've since given blood, but when i did, i had forgotten that i'd been smoking weed the weekend before. it wasn't until i was being prepped that i remembered, and i asked the nurse, who said that there was no problem with that, despite the fact that it said on the sheet that it had to be 2 weeks to a month! it just seems like another discrepancy in their policy to me!

eth0_

Beardedchicken - I know, it's ridiculous. They came to where I work a few months back and it really pissed me off that I can't give blood because I have tattoos and piercings. I got them all done in the cleanest possible places. Perhaps if the health board got off their fat asses and regulated tattoo+piercing places, there'd be lots more blood available.
But on the other hand, how do they KNOW you have gotten a tattoo or a piercing recently? I assume they still check everyone's blood? Surely it'd be a lot easier to just screen everyone and let anyone give blood.
And by the way, if you lived in the UK or N.Ireland between a certain period in the 80's, you also can't give blood at ALL because of the mad cow disease scare! So I'm not able to give blood...ever, it would seem.

It's even more outrageous that they're now charging a helluva lot more to the hospitals for blood now that there's a shortage. These people just sound like lazy money grabbers to me.

And that's my $0.02

phreak

Originally posted by eth0_

And by the way, if you lived in the UK or N.Ireland between a certain period in the 80's, you also can't give blood at ALL because of the mad cow disease scare! So I'm not able to give blood...ever, it would seem.

same for me. its so stupid. Is it N.Ireland too? i thought it was just England,Scotland,Wales

Dave

I don't think they can afford to take chances. It's blood the thing that keeps you alive. And with the Hep C scandal still on going I think the extra percaution is good.

LegacyUser

Its called a Cr4p nurse.
I have had professional nursing consultants take my blood and no bruising occured what so ever.... Tell them your sh1t scared of needles and maybe they will be more careful next time....

Wook

just a question about the blood donations...
if you received blood in a hospital..do you get charged for this?
is giving blood not totaly voluntary? and you get no reward wathsoever except knowing you have done something important?
just a simple question that bothered me for a long time.

thedrowner

coming out..this is my post!!! Now that u havent ridiculed me ive come out of the woodwork (im too lazy to go back to being unregistered, basically !!!)

yeah, they take blood from both my arms, ive given 4 times, 2 from each arm. its just weird, but im due back in to give blood in a fortnight so ill question them again then

with regards to the living in england thing, its if you have lived in england for a year between certain years, and you are allowed to give blood in the future, u just have to wait for a while

and the tattoo's and piercing thing, the first year after a tattoo/piercing is the time when uve most chance of infection, and i think they just screen out people in that time period because its cheaper. i can see where theyre coming from on that, all the blood has to be tested and its very expensive, so theyre just trying to cut out people with a high probability.

i know all these things are kind of offputting, but theyre really nice at the clinic to try and make u go back. but i do agree with u bearded chicken, the sexuality thing is silly, because the aids high risk group is now hetero women, as u said. ive seen atricles commentating on this is newspapers, its so unfair.

thedrowner

yeah i think u do get charged for receiving blood!

and in other countries, you get paid for donating!

Kix

M8,

I could be reading your post wrong but if you're saying that you still have marks after nearly three months then I think that you should take a trip to your GP, for peace of mind if nothing else.

Things like that which won't heal can be a sign of something worse and it would be best to get checked over.

Of course, if I'm wrong and it's only a few days then I wouldn't worry too much.

Best of luck,

K

thedrowner

yes it has been nearly 3 months
ok getting worried now...

beardedchicken

Originally posted by Wook
just a question about the blood donations...
if you received blood in a hospital..do you get charged for this?
is giving blood not totaly voluntary? and you get no reward wathsoever except knowing you have done something important?
just a simple question that bothered me for a long time.

as far as i know, if you have ever given blood in the past, you are entitled to free blood transfusions, should you need them, so that would be the only reward (apart from a warm fuzzy feeling inside) everyone else is charged for blood
and to get back on topic- yeah, go see your GP

Missy

i was tempted to give blood, but then my mother came back with bruises on her are and then decied lets not.

maybe you should seek medical advice, you could be lacking in something and perhaps not give blood next time round.

Moriarty

I really dont want to put the sh1ts up somone, but isnt bruising that doesnt go away, etc, a sign of leukemia? :eek:

I would recommend a trip to your GP anyway..

thedrowner

i feel fine, i doubt i have anything serious, as people said its probably a vitamin deficiency anyways, but i will go to my doctor, just to be sure

sceptre

Originally posted by thedrowner
yeah i think u do get charged for receiving blood!

and in other countries, you get paid for donating!

As far as I know the way it works is that they charge you if you're not a current blood donator. If you are, it's free.

smiles

I think it's a great idea:

People who give blood (or if their close relatives give blood) dont have to pay for blood transfusions.

People who don't and have no relations who do have to.

I think it'll teach people that you have to give something instead of just assuming you'll get it for nothing.

<< Fio >>

ykt0di9url7bc3

I give blood regularly

O Rh positive (for all those vamps out there)

my dad is also a regular giver of blood, i rem years ago if i needed a new pencil, my da would disappear for an hour and come back with "The owner is a Donor"



If you are thinking of giving blood, you might want to know that its not without its risks but that blood saves lives

again that blood saves lives....get out there and donate, you'd never know some one here could have a rare blood type which so helpful to the BTSB

Q_Ball

How do you know what blood type you are? Do they just take a sample and test it or what?

thedrowner

yup, u have to get ur blood tested to get it typed. this happens obviously at the blood clnic, but dont give blood just to get ur type!

im A+.....:D

seamus

Most people get tested when they're kids - ask your mum she'll probably know.

WhiteWashMan

id give blood but i tend to feint whenever anyone extracts blood from me.
oh the shame....