blood donorship

I don't give blood, but not because I don't believe in it... I had an operation when I was a baby, and I cannot be 100% that I was not given a blood transfusion during the operation- I would be able to find out through my medical notes, but if I was, I wouldn't be able to give blood as it was in 1989 when I had the operation. Also, everytime I have gone to fill the form in to give blood there has been something stopping me; I have a tattoo so for I think it was a year after that, I couldn't give blood, then I had my ears pierced...another year I couldn't give blood, THEN the next time, I had another piercing...meaning yet another year I could't donate, I ended up getting so annnoyed with it, that I gave up on even trying!!! Yes I do think blood donation saves lives, without it there would be hundreds of people killed by a simple thing, but it all seems very complicated, if you watched Casualty last night, you'll know what I mean, that poor little boy had A+ blood (which worryingly is what I am!!), and they couldn't get him any blood due to a lock down, and they had to get the blood from a woman in the room who was also A+ and as they couldn't cross match it, they had to go through a process of mixing a little blood together in a tub and see if it reacted together or not, if it did, and it was put into the boy, it could have killed him. So it's not as simple as "I am A you are A we can swap blood!" as alot of people think it is! I do think the service can be improved, instead of stopping thousands from been able to give blood each year, they should maybe spend a little more of the budget testing the blood, not necessarily taking 2litres of blood and it been wasted if it cannot be used, but maybe taking a tiny amount of blood from the patient and making a note on their records whether or not they can give blood before they go to the blood bank, yes it would make the process take a little longer, but it would mean the people who normally cannpt give blood "just incase", may have a chance of giving blood. I am not saying test everyone, but the people who have had a tattoo within the time scale, or had a piercing within the time scale. There are few enough people who give blood without turning people away. No I don't think people should be paid for giving blood, although it would be an incentive for people to go along, it would cost the NHS money which they don't have, and money which could be put into more important things. But as you said, maybe join forces with a major retailer, someone who will donate a points system, where you accumulate points every year you go to the blood bank, but people should really give for the generosity of the act. I will be giving blood yearly once I have my baby, so long as they don't find something else to stop me!!!!!!!

Guys should donate blood for health reasons because iron (from vitamins and diet) builds up in our liver and there is now way to get the iron out except through bleeding. Girls don't really need to donate blood because it occurs naturally through menstruation. By the way, do you know that little children can die from iron overdose? This is how serious excess iron in your blood can be.

I personally, never tried donating a blood because Im anemic and because there's a lot of requirement to be qualified and since I know that I wont really be qualified. Truly donating blood can save a persons life and I really wanted to somehow donate blood even though I'm afraid of needles just like you. Recently, I was being injected for having an allergy and when they used the injection I simply don't look at the injection being injected to my skin because I might just punch the nurse off, they always say that its just like an ants bite but it was last long making me feel more ill. but anyway hope this somehow be a good discussion to talk about. Like it!