Blood Donors

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Stanley
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by Stanley »

When I was a very young lad, during the war, I was very anaemic. My mother had to take me to Gartside Street hospital in Manchester once a week for an injection, I suppose it was iron. I got over it and have had no problem since. I wonder what causes it?
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by Whyperion »

Eating the placenta is supposed to be helpful for new mothers - and presumably useful through mothers milk. Does not the body need something to help it uptake and 'stick' iron to the blood- Orange Juice and Cabbage come to mind.
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Re: Blood Donors

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If you have problems with the potential side effects of Iron supplements you can take Orange juice which can help to absorb the Iron.
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by Big Kev »

PanBiker wrote: 20 Sep 2021, 13:19 Nice one Kev and P, keeping up the side.

Getting quite a few texts from NHSBT as it seems stocks are low, sad that I can't help at the moment.
Booked in again for January, I could go earlier but will wait until P is able to donate again so we can go together.
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Re: Blood Donors

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Unfortunately it may be later than Jan for me as I have to have another blood test to check my levels in January. NHSBT won't have me if I have had foreign needles in me. :sad:
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Re: Blood Donors

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Thank you so much for donating on 20-Sep. Your donation has now been issued to Northern General Hospital. Every donation counts.

Good stuff :good:
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Re: Blood Donors

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:good:
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Re: Blood Donors

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Finally clear with my blood results coming back normal.

I have booked myself in at Padiham Town Hall for Friday the 18th March. :smile:

I have surplus iron tablets so I can always pop a few before and after my session to help the replacement of levels along. :extrawink:
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by plaques »

Ian, I've never really understood this iron tablet business. I have always thought it was because people were anaemic due to some deficiency in their system. Generally from what I'm told this condition requires iron injections rather than tablets. if your system is working normally and you are looking for a boost to replace lost blood I can understand that but I hear of so many people taking these things because its seen to be the done thing. Am I being too sceptical or am I missing something? Much obliged if you could enlighten me.
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by Stanley »

If you're right Ken there are an awful lot of people getting stiffed for useless supplement pills!
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Re: Blood Donors

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I have never had the problem before and the doc thought it could be because I try to keep a 12 week rotation at blood donors. This was brought in for males as they make up reserves faster than females who are on a 16 week rota. Your recovery can drop of as you get older so it was thought that my regime had just caught up with me as I was only slightly under the norm.

You can jig this with diet but without careful management and planning of meals for a fix, your intake of iron is a bit of an unknown dosage. Much easier for a quick check to take a known dose over a known time and then check if it's done the job. That's what I did. I took a 200mg tab twice a day for two months, stopped for a month and then had my blood test to check levels. As expected back to normal.

Doc advised me to get the cheapest deal I could online for the tabs which is what I did. I bought a shed load for a few quid from a reputable supplier. It would have cost a fortune on prescription. They have obviously done the job. Up to me now not to upset the apple cart. I will be watching my haemoglobin test at donors to see how fast I sink?

Haemoglobin and Iron
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by plaques »

Thank you Ian. It would look like you have a specific reason to boost your iron / haemoglobin levels. I see some of the advice is to take them on an empty stomach with vitamin C. Horses for courses but with so many side affects that medication brings I tend to lean towards Doctors advice only.
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Re: Blood Donors

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Yes you have to take them on an empty stomach and never with grapefruit. They tend to affect your bowels and I used that as a trigger to have a short break from the tablets. I had enough of constipation as a side effect of the high dose steroids I was on post op in hospital. :ohno: My tablet regime for this blip was not perfect by any means but it seems to have stabilised my levels. I will find out if I pass muster a week on Friday. :extrawink:
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Re: Blood Donors

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Just had a call from NHSBT my appointment for donors on the 18th has been cancelled. There wasn't many slots available when I booked it. I have a new booking for Friday 22nd April at Padiham Town Hall. Earliest at the nearer Colne Muni was into May.

I was hoping that with the easing of restrictions and the fact that Rolls Sports and Social Club is back open again that sessions would resume there but they are not back in the list yet. Seems a bit daft when other venues are oversubscribed unless of course the donor teams are short staffed.
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by Stanley »

That's probably the reason Ian. I think the NHS has had more problems than they have admitted.....
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Re: Blood Donors

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I think NHSBT must have lost the plot or something. They rang me twice yesterday, first was a missed call on my mobile so I rang them back it was to confirm my new booking. A couple of hours later another operative rang me to confirm what I had already had confirmed if you get my drift!

This morning I got a text from them reminding me to attend next Friday which is the appointment they originally called me to cancel. :surprised: My NHSBT account which I have checked on both the computer and my mobile has my next appointment correct on the rearranged date in April.
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Re: Blood Donors

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I have just cancelled my appointment for next week. I got my appointment letter and medical screening questionnaire the other day. No way that I will pass on the medical screening even if have recovered and tested negative, (yet to be checked). I still fail as I have been in contact with someone with an infectious disease!

Seems like just about everyone and every circumstance is thwarting my attempts to get back to donating. It's now nearly 12 months since my last armful.

I have had a quick look for future slots and they are thin on the ground. It will probably be back to Bingley in July. I do wish they would get back to sessions at Rolls.
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Re: Blood Donors

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As reported in the Coronavirus thread. I received a call on my mobile last night from NHSBT. Urgent appeal for donors as stocks are low. I explained I was due to donate this Friday but had cancelled due to due to a Covid infection. They ran my dates through their probability engine and I come out fit to donate. They took Sally's infection status into account as well. They found me one of the last two slots at Padiham Town Hall on 13th May at 18.15.

More important than ever to get back on the horse as soon as possible. The existing 4% of eligible donors that support everyone else in the country has been impacted by the pandemic. Factor in the cancelled venues and sessions for the NHSBT teams due to infection issues and you have a perfect storm in the service. My blood group is one of the commonest in the population, (A Rhesus +) and is in exceptionally short supply. It goes without saying that the more exotic blood groups will be similarly impacted as there are less donors in the first place to contribute to the stock.

Image


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Give Blood - NHSBT
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Re: Blood Donors

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Got my invitation and medical questionnaire for my next donation yesterday.

With one thing and another since my last donation, wait the 12 weeks, book then a routine blood test showing me slightly anaemic so had to cancel. Iron tablets to sort that and the wait a month then another blood test, that basically took up about 5 months but then clear. Booked then got cancelled by NHSBT, booked again and then I had to cancel as I got Covid. All this adds up to the fact that it is a year since I last donated.
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by Stanley »

Isn't it amazing how time can fly when small matters crop up! Amazing how it robbed you of a year.....
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by PanBiker »

Aye but the scary thing is that it doesn't seem like a years worth.

Got my "check to see if you are fit to donate" email today. Can't see the point in doing it a week before, a lot can change in seven days. :extrawink:
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by Stanley »

What's even scarier Ian is that the passage of time keeps accelerating. A month passes in a blink of an eye for me now.
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Re: Blood Donors

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I do wish that NHSBT would come back to sessions at Rolls.

I set off in good time to get to Padiham Town Hall last night. Not been to that venue before so I drove it on Google maps and could see that there was potential parking behind the building. I arrived with about 15 minutes to spare. The road to the parking behind the Town Hall had a no entry sign on it and I couldn't find an alternative entrance so I parked over the road on Tesco's car park just a few minutes walk away.

The venue was very busy, rammed would be a good description. All the waiting chairs in the main hall were full so there were about six of us waiting in the foyer. I was about five minutes early and chatting to a couple of others and found that they had also parked at Tesco's. I presented myself at 18.15 and got a waiting chair. It took nearly an hour before I was called for my screening chat and donation. Left arm as usual and done in 10 minutes. I had taken my own water bottle with me that I kept in the donation chair with me but it had developed a leak that I hadn't noticed so I found I had all the side of my trousers wet after my donation! The session was winding down as I had my biscuit before leaving.

Hardly a mark on me this morning when the plaster came of in the shower so a good job done. The hunt is on now for my next donation venue. Only hope that I don't fall foul of an ANPR parking offence from Tesco's car park. :imnew: :ohno:
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Re: Blood Donors

Post by PanBiker »

I have booked my next session which will be at Turf Moor. :smile:
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Re: Blood Donors

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Nice to know where my last donation went and and idea what it will be used for.


"After your donation at your local venue your blood was taken to our manufacturing centre in Manchester where we ran all of our standard tests and then processed it into a form that can be given to a patient in need. Once it was ready it was sent to the Northumbria Emergency Hospital where it will help to save or improve someone's life.
A positive blood is shared by 1 in 3 people and is often used to make platelets for use in the treatment of cancer patients. We always need A positive blood!

Please keep giving – every donation counts.

David Rose
Director of Donor Experience
NHS Blood and Transplant"
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