Donating Blood (Please Help)

[ImAuNatural]

Okay so I am planning to start another cycle here soon and im going to give Anadrol a try. I need to donate blood before I start because I have yet to donate since my last cycle, my hemoglobin and iron are in the normal range but on the higher end of normal and I want to keep them under control.

My problem is that in previous times when I have had blood work done, I passed out due to a vasovagal response. In order for them to do my blood work they had to lay me down flat and once they did i was completely fine.

I drove 45 minutes to a different city because they have the machine that allows you to do a double red donation however since it was my first time they didn't let me so i started to do a regular donation. I told them ahead of time that i never have donated before and that I need to be laid down when i donate. They said okay thats fine.

Well I sit in the chair they tape off my arm and then lean me back but their chairs stop at like a 45 degree angle so im still pretty much sitting upright, so i told them i couldnt do it that i would passout. I asked if they had a chair to lay me down flat or soemthing but they dont.

I called another local blood donation clinic and thye told me they dont have anything to lay me down completely flat either.

I have to donate and I don't know what to do? Has anyone experienced this?

 

[Ghost124]

yup. and I also have that vasovagal condition....it sucks balls.

most of those places do not have anything to lay on because they are like a production line trying to collect as much blood as they can in one day. if they lay people down, that takes a few min longer per person.

I experienced this as well, saw all my local clinics did not really have a place to lay down. I got lucky however. My friends GF is a few months away from graduating nursing school and I asked her to do it. She grabbed some equipment from her school and was more than happy to do it. I had the luxury of doing it in my own bed. I still ended up passing out however..........but that was because in the middle of the procedure I felt fine and got to brave and looked over to my left and saw the needle and blood pouch.....not a good idea.

Chances are you're not going to find a clinic that lays you down. So here is what you do:
go to the clinic that has you sit down. take your headphones. also take an ice mask that people who take care of their face way too much use when their face is poofy. when they put the needle in, close your eyes and listen to your music while wearing the ice mask. it will help a shit ton and prevent you from passing out. trust me I had that vasovagal really bad over the years and had to find ways to deal with it.

 

[Megatron28]

Call around. Where I go there is a flat table that they can put you on. They put all first-times on it just in case. If one doesn't have it the next place should.

 

[DucBase]

Red Cross comes to my office every couple months and they always make me lay down for some reason. I Don't pass out but I must look like hell I guess.

Keep looking man. They always have the lay down ones at where I am.

 

[ImAuNatural]

Thank you so much for the response. Its really not a problem with me looking at the blood or needle it doesnt matter whether i look or not i just pass out. Now when they laid me down last time for bloodwork (after I had just passed out while sitting up) I looked at the needle and blood and i was completely fine.

I may have to give the headphones and ice pack a try i called another center and they dont have anything flat either.

 

[Hypnotix]

The red cross I went to donate at was in a shopping plaza. Inside they had the fancy machines for plasma draws, out and back in machines.. but then the regular donors sat on these like raised poolside recliners.

It was odd to say the least. And when I started to feel woozy, I spoke up and they laid the pool recliner back, the needle went through the artery in the process and they had to move it around a bunch. I had a hematoma for several hours following that draw lol

I did find out I'm O- however, and that is exciting.

Had great Iron levels the lady said as well.

Need to donate again actually, they call me every week until I do. If I say.. "I'll schedule it myself through your app" they say, "well, if you know any friends or family that would donate we always need people" lol

 

[Megatron28]

The red cross I went to donate at was in a shopping plaza. Inside they had the fancy machines for plasma draws, out and back in machines.. but then the regular donors sat on these like raised poolside recliners.

It was odd to say the least. And when I started to feel woozy, I spoke up and they laid the pool recliner back, the needle went through the artery in the process and they had to move it around a bunch. I had a hematoma for several hours following that draw lol

I did find out I'm O- however, and that is exciting.

Had great Iron levels the lady said as well.

Need to donate again actually, they call me every week until I do. If I say.. "I'll schedule it myself through your app" they say, "well, if you know any friends or family that would donate we always need people" lol

Holy shit! They hit one of your arteries? How could they screw up that badly? Do you have to go to the ER when that happens?

 

[Hypnotix]

Holy shit! They hit one of your arteries? How could they screw up that badly? Do you have to go to the ER when that happens?

Perhaps I am misinformed or am presuming? I guess I thought they drew from an artery and that when I laid down it just punctured through THAT artery (made an in and out, spread blood around inside, creates a lump for hours).

So, it's not an artery they draw from, just a higher pressure vein?

Either way, vein/artery/muscle.. whatever they went into, it went through and through and left a nice lump of built up blood for a few hours. Not fun, had to wear an ice pack taped to my arm the rest of the day I walked around the mall. :_(

 

[Megatron28]

They use veins -- or are at least supposed to. Here are a couple links for more info on why.

hematology - Why draw blood from veins rather than arteries? - Biology Stack Exchange

Arterial puncture phlebotomy in whole-blood donors. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[PrinceDianabol]

Perhaps I am misinformed or am presuming? I guess I thought they drew from an artery and that when I laid down it just punctured through THAT artery (made an in and out, spread blood around inside, creates a lump for hours).

So, it's not an artery they draw from, just a higher pressure vein?

Either way, vein/artery/muscle.. whatever they went into, it went through and through and left a nice lump of built up blood for a few hours. Not fun, had to wear an ice pack taped to my arm the rest of the day I walked around the mall. :_(

Definitely not an artery lol. That would be highly unethical for them to attempt to draw from..

Sound's like what your referring to is 'blowing a vein.' The needle passed through the other side and allows blood to spill and collect in the surrounding tissues... thus, you get a minor hematoma. It would be a LOT worse if that had been an artery