Donating blood when on TRT!

[halfwit]

Guys-
I just got back from my local Red Cross. They said I COULD NOT donate platelets or do anything for 56 days post whole blood donation. Also, my Hb was 19+ so they said I did not qualify to get hooked up to the machine cuz of high Hb! Any thoughts or help on how to get this lowered BESIDES self phleb or Dr ordered phleb?

You're likely looking at a therapeutic blood draw as most won't take a HCT that high. You might get lucky as corvette above did, but that's really REALLY lucky to not only get in with a hemoglobin that high, but to do it twice in a week.

Don't forget to call your local hospitals. If you can only find one bank and being your numbers are very high I would ask for a double red cell donation. This will drop you down 5-6% on your hematocrit. Like you my crit was at 56.5 and globin 19.1 last week. I made two donations this week. One on Monday and Friday. When I went for my second donation Friday they tested my levels before the draw and it came down to 17.5. Which translate to 52.5. I should be in the 48-49 range now. If you are unable to donate ask your doctor for polycythemia therapy. Good luck.

How did you get this done twice within a week? Assuming you're in the US, I thought all blood draws/donations were logged in a database based on drivers license. I'm really surprised as I get funny looks due to the 17g harpoon they use leaves quite the mark for a week or so when I see other phlebotomists for blood draws/etc.

Has anyone gone to one of those places that buys plasma? You usually see them around college campuses? Would they be more liberal in who they accept? That should lower RBCs too, right?

They're way less picky, but they only want plasma, which I don't think will help him too much as HCT is the solid portion of the blood. I'm sure some platelets are destroyed in the process, but I'd be surprised if it was enough to really matter. I know I'll never go to one of those again; the attending nurse looked at the stretch marks on my arms and thought they were 'tracks'. Wasn't a fun experience by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[corvettels3]

How did you get this done twice within a week? Assuming you're in the US, I thought all blood draws/donations were logged in a database based on drivers license. I'm really surprised as I get funny looks due to the 17g harpoon they use leaves quite the mark for a week or so when I see other phlebotomists for blood draws/etc.

I'm in the US brother.. I believe each company/blood bank keeps their own database. As for as national type database I don't think so. When I made my donation at the blood and tissue center they did ask for my driver's license, but not at the hospital. All they ask for was my SS number.

As for the needle marks, first donation was on my right arm and the second was on my left.

FWIW, about 2 years ago the hospital had a issue with my globin being too high. I simply told them I was on a high protein diet and that I had just taken a multivitamin w/iron. The nurse made a call to the doctor on duty and ask if it was ok. I was given the green light.

 

[Mprtz]

I'm in the US brother.. I believe each company/blood bank keeps their own database. As for as national type database I don't think so. When I made my donation at the blood and tissue center they did ask for my driver's license, but not at the hospital. All they ask for was my SS number.

As for the needle marks, first donation was on my right arm and the second was on my left.

FWIW, about 2 years ago the hospital had a issue with my globin being too high. I simply told them I was on a high protein diet and that I had just taken a multivitamin w/iron. The nurse made a call to the doctor on duty and ask if it was ok. I was given the green light.

At my blood bank the questionaire asks if you have donated anywhere else in the past year. Did you have to lie?

 

[halfwit]

I'm in the US brother.. I believe each company/blood bank keeps their own database. As for as national type database I don't think so. When I made my donation at the blood and tissue center they did ask for my driver's license, but not at the hospital. All they ask for was my SS number.

As for the needle marks, first donation was on my right arm and the second was on my left.

FWIW, about 2 years ago the hospital had a issue with my globin being too high. I simply told them I was on a high protein diet and that I had just taken a multivitamin w/iron. The nurse made a call to the doctor on duty and ask if it was ok. I was given the green light.

Interesting. I know it comes down to an ethical question anyway regarding donating more than once every 56 days (112 for doubles), but thought for sure as the Red Cross was a major client of hospitals they would have some sort of inter-agency database. But then again, I just do apheresis anyway now as it has a very short cooldown and reduces my HCT significantly every time. Good info.

 

[willnorthwest]

Always monitor ferritin levels before and after giving blood. Donating too often could lead to low iron stores in your body. It happened to me and I had to take iron pills for about 2 months afterward.

 

[Alpin]

Always monitor ferritin levels before and after giving blood. Donating too often could lead to low iron stores in your body. It happened to me and I had to take iron pills for about 2 months afterward.

Iron, TIBC also reflect Iron levels in the body...

 

[Alpin]

Bro, were you on anything before the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) ?
why was HCT elevated at 47 ?

 

[Gbrad]

Guys-
I just got back from my local Red Cross. They said I COULD NOT donate platelets or do anything for 56 days post whole blood donation. Also, my Hb was 19+ so they said I did not qualify to get hooked up to the machine cuz of high Hb! Any thoughts or help on how to get this lowered BESIDES self phleb or Dr ordered phleb?

UPDATED:
I reviewed the Red Cross website and also called my local RC for clarification. They said only a 2 day wait from whole blood donation to platelet donation. So...the plan of giving whole blood followed by platelet donation looks like a viable option to quickly lower Hb and HCT! Assuming platelet donation does knock down levels of the two.

 

[Mprtz]

UPDATED:
I reviewed the Red Cross website and also called my local RC for clarification. They said only a 2 day wait from whole blood donation to platelet donation. So...the plan of giving whole blood followed by platelet donation looks like a viable option to quickly lower Hb and HCT! Assuming platelet donation does knock down levels of the two.

Just how well it works may partly depend on the equipment at your blood bank, but for me 1 whole blood and 2 platelet donations took me from 53 to 44 in about 2 weeks.