Go donate blood and you'll lose about 0.75lbs!  and you do this 6 times a year becomes almost 4.5lbs!  And you usally get some cool stuff too, like a movie ticket, t-shirt.   I just donated my first time today out at the dropzone and got a free lift ticket (worth about $18 ) and a free t-shirt worth about $5.    Oh and to those who are squemish, I did almost pass out because of lack of food, and anxiety because I jumped about a half hour before I donated. (oops)   Another good thing is, is that if you go drink after you donate it takes alot less alcohol to get you buzzed.  

Be safe,
JeffD

All you get here, apart from the satisfaction of doing it is a drink and a biccy! but you are not wrong about afterwards, thoughtfully our local centre is right opposite the Eight Bells, couple of pints and Waheeeeeee!

Quote from: Cal PriceAll you get here, apart from the satisfaction of doing it is a drink and a biccy! but you are not wrong about afterwards, thoughtfully our local centre is right opposite the Eight Bells, couple of pints and Waheeeeeee!

Leave it to a guy from Kent to decide drinking a few pints after donating blood is a good idea  :lol:  :lol:

Too bad your body replaces the lost blood within a few hours to one day.

I should know, I've had years of practice staggering home afterwards! seriously though I happen to believe that the fit and well have a social duty to donate blood so why not enjoy a bevvy afterwards. (Also the daughter is a nurse and nags!) Three times a year is the recomended max here.

i can attest to the drinks, im just curious, why cannot a diabetic donate? (not like it is transferrable) :dunno:

Quote from: johnToo bad your body replaces the lost blood within a few hours to one day.

The body replaces the fluid within a few hours, but it takes several days to a week to replace the plasma.

Don't matter for me though, after being in Iraq, I'm not allowed to donate.  That's okay, 'cause I don't like needles anyway.  Score!

they wont take my blood (well i tried once, but since havent tried again).

The deal being i am AB+, meaning I am an Universal Acceptor..

I'm an A+ which I never was at school, I could not donate for eighteen months after visiting South America and Carribean, too much Rum in the system I think or perhaps it was tropical nasties like Malaria etc,.

Quote from: yamahonkawazukii can attest to the drinks, im just curious, why cannot a diabetic donate? (not like it is transferrable) :dunno:

they cant because diabetes is considered a disease that could pass along. i know these things. my dad and grandad are both diabetic.

as i said before dibetes is not a communicable disease, it is in the genes, except for gestational diabetes, you are born with it, (or the tendency to dev. it)

i take that back, i can see where it is you are coming from, but, answer me this, why dont you have, it, actually, you'd have to have both of the recessive genes 1 from each parent. what i try to figure out is, i am the only one, my mom and dad do not, neither do my 2 bros. or my sister, (yes we are all from the same parents), but diabetes itself is not communicable, but the genes are.

Quote from: The_good_guythey wont take my blood (well i tried once, but since havent tried again).

The deal being i am AB+, meaning I am an Universal Acceptor..

I'm AB+ too.  Not very common.  The Red Cross was always chasing me for blood.  For men a little blood letting is a good thing -something to do with excess iron or something.  Women don't have that problem only men (and I'm not going into detail as to why, you figure it out).

My blood was pretty toxic for the past few years.  If I wasn't on Coumadin, I was on enough heart meds to kill a horse    One of my friends works as a phlebotomist and said I was no good to him

I got myself fixed and so now I can ride  

QuoteCoumadin

what a nasty little blood thinner, dude, line your gear with alot of charmin.  one guy that use to ride with our group, was on coumadin, he lost it in a turn, highsided and did a belly flop down on the a lower rode, paramedics got there and opened up his jacket and his belly was deep purple and swelling.  they jackedIV's into him and started squeezing the bags to get the fluids into him, 2 mins later tramahawk showed up to airlift him out.  they said he was bleeding out inside. 3 days later he stabalized and regained concienceness and told us the coumadin thinned his blood out too much and they changed his meds around to correct it. His primary care Doc wasnt too happy about it.

Oh, I don't have to take that stuff anymore...  I wouldn't have rode if I was on it!  Even a stupid nosebleed would be a pain in the butt to stop.  There were a lot of other things to do that didn't involve contact

So if diabetes is a genetic disease, do I have to worry about it since my uncle and grandfather both had it?  My mom nor my dad had it but, my dad died (from cancer, and here I smoke a cig.) when I was a little baby so I am not sure if he would have had it or not. :dunno:

Diabetes isn't a problem donating blood.

QuoteDiabetes:
Donor is eligible if diabetes is controlled by diet or oral medication. Insulin-dependent diabetics may be acceptable, if free from infection, with permission of personal medical physician. Donor is deferred if they used bovine insulin manufactured in the United Kingdom since 1980.

From Bonfil's blood center in Colorado

Donor Eligibility:
http://www.bonfils.org/bonfils.php?section=donor&page=eligibility

I have known several people, on insulin and not that donate blood like clock work.

Personally I never have and probably never will, but that is a personal belief. (that and a GIANT phobia of needles)

Quote from: Cal PriceI'm an A+ which I never was at school, ...

You changed blood types after school?  

I'm O+ (universal donor).  Red Cross bugs me every 8 weeks to donate and I never say no.  

It's nice to be able to help save a few lives every couple months.

Recipient        Donor
A                    A, O
B                    B, O
AB                  A, B, AB, O
O                     O



As you can see, type AB is considered the universal recipient blood type because, theoretically, type AB individuals can receive all blood types (and is the only blood type that can accept type AB blood). Type O blood is considered the universal donor blood type because, theoretically, type O blood is accepted by all blood types. I emphasizes theoretically because A and B are not the only antigens present on the surface of your blood cells. There's another important antigen carried on a separate gene called the Rh antigen. If you have the A antigen and the Rh antigen, your blood type is A+. If you don't have the Rh antigen, you're A-. O- is the universal donor blood type because it has no A, B, or Rh antigens, and, therefore, won't cause a transfusion reaction in anyone.

And thus concludes todays science lesson

Actually there is more... Atleast I think so... cos I was hearing things like A1B+ and what not.
Cool.
Srinath.