For the Docs, blood donation debacle advice please.

[stomachmonkey]

I've got polycythemia.

My GP wants me to donate every 10 weeks.

Issue for me because I absolutely can not stand the feeling of a needle in my vein. Given the choice I'd almost rather have my balls repeatedly smacked with a hammer. Not really but that's how much I hate needles.

So, went to Carter Blood Care today to get drained. My first time ever mind you.

Phlebotomist was looking to do my left arm, I mention I do better with the right.

She "knows what she's doing, left vein looks great" and off we go.

Long story short, she blew through the vein, I've got a golf ball hematoma, they barely got 1/4 pint if in the bag but since they got something I can't come back for 8 weeks.

To say I'm pissed is putting it mildly.

So the question is, can I wait 2 weeks and go somewhere else, assuming there is no central database that tracks donations?

EDIT: was also told no alcohol for 24 hours. Is that because of the donation (of which there really was none) or the hematoma?

[id10t]

I had a similar issue, just wanting to donate old fashioned ordinary nothing special AB+ blood when I turned 17.

Since the phlebotomist/tech didn't listen to my preferences and farked my arm up for a few days, that was the first and only time I've donated.



Seems to me that if your blood is "special" they'd do anything reasonable to make it easy for you to stop by and drop off a pint...

Any health care worker who pulls the "I know what I'm doing" and ignores any stated preference or need needs to find a different job.

[unclebilly]

You need one of these...



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting

[GH85Carrera]

I have donated over 5 gallons of blood. I got nothing more than a t-shirt or free cookies. Well I did get my 5 gallon pin.

I had one lady stick me, and I filled up her blood bag, and she pulled out the needle and I yelled OUCH! and she call me a baby, I said let me see that needle, it had a big hunk of me hanging on it. The needle was defective, and had a barb on it. After that I always insisted in a visual of the needle before I got jabbed.

I did Apheresis donations for many years. They can separate out just platelets or other components they need and give me back what they don't need. Back in the olden days, it took both arms. So I spent 90 minutes with a needle in each arm. Invariably my nose would itch, and it is impossible to bend you elbow to scratch your nose. The nurse would use gauze to scratch my nose.

[OldSpool87]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I have donated over 5 gallons of blood. I got nothing more than a t-shirt or free cookies. Well I did get my 5 gallon pin.

I had one lady stick me, and I filled up her blood bag, and she pulled out the needle and I yelled OUCH! and she call me a baby, I said let me see that needle, it had a big hunk of me hanging on it. The needle was defective, and had a barb on it. After that I always insisted in a visual of the needle before I got jabbed.

I did Apheresis donations for many years. They can separate out just platelets or other components they need and give me back what they don't need. Back in the olden days, it took both arms. So I spent 90 minutes with a needle in each arm. Invariably my nose would itch, and it is impossible to bend you elbow to scratch your nose. The nurse would use gauze to scratch my nose.

I’m a regular for the individually wrapped Lorna Dunnes and Oreos. Never had a bad experience at the New York blood bank.

I had a horrible time at my company clinic. The guy introduced himself with “this is my first day”.

The apheresis bugged me out for a few years. I found out that the primarily recipients were premature babies. Started doing that.

The blood banks do track donations and intervals. Not sure a medical clinic is tracked.

Good luck with it all.

[Tobra]

The booze will be in your blood. Depending on where you are, they will be able to look you up PDQ.

I used to donate regularly. When I was in Tejas, I donated 6 times a year for 10 years, and regularly when I was in school. Keychain for a gallon, coffee cup for 5 gallons. Did a directed donation to the wife that they did not end up using when she had surgery, there was no charge to do a directed donation, and it blood is used by someone else if the person does not end up needing it.

Here they charge $500 to do a directed donation, and blood is discarded if not used. I called to find out the deal, and they gave me a line of BS. Turns out they can't charge you if they give the blood to someone else, so they throw it away.

I have not donated blood in California since. When I went to Texas, I donated there, and they wondered where I had been. Still free to do a directed donation in Texas. They looked at me like I was insane when I asked if they discarded the blood if it was not used. "Of course not, why would anyone do that?"

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I've got polycythemia.

My GP wants me to donate every 10 weeks.

So the question is, can I wait 2 weeks and go somewhere else, assuming there is no central database that tracks donations?

Waiting is so a normal person can rebuild his blood supply. Since you need to be drained, your doc would probably write an order to draw blood, whether it is donated or not.
I’m not a doctor, so call your GP and see what he says.

[Bill Douglas]

I used to donate blood but they don't want people who lived in England in the late 80s and early 90s.

I remember a gorgeous Dutch blood donor nurse who grabbed my left arm, folded it out so my hand went into her right tit then did the blood thing. Yeah it got the blood flowing well.

[Hugh R]

I had/have Malaria, they don't want me ever.

[RKDinOKC]

Quit giving blood when it started taking more and more sticks to get anything. At 4 I stopped.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I used to donate blood but they don't want people who lived in England in the late 80s and early 90s.

I remember a gorgeous Dutch blood donor nurse who grabbed my left arm, folded it out so my hand went into her right tit then did the blood thing. Yeah it got the blood flowing well.

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I had/have Malaria, they don't want me ever.

Originally Posted by RKDinOKC

Quit giving blood when it started taking more and more sticks to get anything. At 4 I stopped.

Not giving blood for the donation factor.

I make too many red blood cells so my blood is like molasses.

It's gotten to the point that it's causing health complications like my extremities, hands, feet, arms, going numb not to mention the increased risk of stroke or other cardiac episodes.

I came in a hair under them even accepting me. Threshold for donation on some scale they use is 60 before they defer you, I was at 57 this morning.

Long story short, most likely they'd never use my blood and I don't have much of a choice but to do this every 10 weeks if I want to see my kids graduate college.

This started becoming an issue a couple of years ago and back them my Doc was 'suggesting" I start donating.

This year he was fairly emphatic, like yelled at me and this guy is always chill. First time in 10 years I've seen him get mad so it got my attention.

[wdfifteen]

There must be ways of getting drained short of donating or DYI (running with scissors?). Can't your doc just tell a place to lower your levels?

[scottmandue]

I have not had too much trouble (have quarterly blood tests to follow blood sugar, cholesterol, etc.) but if the Phlebotomist gave me tude after THEY screwed up there would be trouble.

I mean, this is pretty much a prime example of "you had one job"

[87maniac]

I have blood labs every week.
Ask for a pediatric needle, they are smaller.

It's all in the skills of the nurse.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Issue for me because I absolutely can not stand the feeling of a needle in my vein.

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Not giving blood for the donation factor.

Maybe look into leech therapy?

[Tobra]

Jolly joker, but they do use leeches for vascular surgery, particularly venous repairs.

I don't think they use blood from PV patients anyway. I think they discard it. If it is going in the red bag anyway, what difference does it make?

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I don't think they use blood from PV patients anyway. I think they discard it. If it is going in the red bag anyway, what difference does it make?

They don't. They do. But hard to find someone around here that does it just for that.

I'm a you know what hair below the threshold where Carter Blood Care would simply show me the door.

A 60 hematocrit(?) is the cutoff. I'm at 57.

Which is what has me bothered.

I could go back in 8 weeks and find I'm at or above 60 which means meds.

Meds could get me back under but they won't take you if you've been on those meds.

Going to wait a week to heal up, bruising to subside, and find another clinic.

[mepstein]

There was a phlebotomist at the hospital my wife always directed my kids and I to get blood draws. Her name is Wanda and she was completely painless. If you weren’t looking, you would swear it wasn’t done. My wife is good, she works nicu and describes the veins on premies as very thin spaghetti but even she was impressed by Wanda’s skill.
I have AB+ so they always treat me well at the blood bank.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

Maybe look into leech therapy?

I have two kids, and 4 cats, doesn't work.

[Tobra]

I have great veins.


My wife could get a neonatal baby on the first stick, maybe I should loan her to you.