Blood Donations - JP Fitness Forums

Crackin · 09-13-2004, 01:18 PM

I'm a regular blood donor. Any thoughts as to how best to time a donation with a workout? For example, should the donation come on a rest day? or is it okay to donate the same day, after a workout?

Thanks!

poopy pants · 09-14-2004, 10:02 AM

Ask your doctor.

BjsAust · 09-14-2004, 07:41 PM

Then report back here! I should start donating again

Q. · 09-14-2004, 11:25 PM

I've donated several times after I worked out... not a problem whatsoever... even for an old guy like me! I don't think you'd want to workout very soon after you donated but you could go easy and just see how you feel.

DKing · 09-15-2004, 01:00 AM

I am pretty sure the last time I gave they told me not to exercise for 12 or 24 hours. I am not sure which it was. It has been a while. I need to stop getting tatoos so they will let me donate.

Danny

Bond007 · 09-15-2004, 10:01 AM

I've always donated on either a rest day or worked out beforehand. They've always told me to avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours post donation.

Your biggest obstacle to overcome with blood donations is the immediate dehydration factor. Increase your fluids for 12-24 hours post donation and you shouldn't have a problem with your workout.

That said, each of us is a little different in how we react to donations so just pace yourself and be highly cognicant of how you're feeling during your workout. If you start feeling "sluggish" or lightheaded, it's time to call it a day and rest up some more and take in more fluids.

At least, that's what my doc told me when I asked him the very same question.

CharlieShnoskyIII · 09-26-2007, 11:59 PM

I donate but I get a bit dizzy lol

castufari · 09-29-2007, 06:31 PM

I do platelets every 2 weeks, usually on a Friday afternoon. I hydrate in the morning but easy up before lunch. Nothing worse than being 30 minutes into a 90 minute draw and having to pee.

silvister · 05-20-2008, 02:41 AM

i think there is 6 month time gap b/w blood donation. my advice is that don't work hard for 24H after blood donation, or its depend what are you feel.

Grog_280 · 05-29-2008, 02:16 PM

No lifting for 12 hours after any blood donation. Of course you could challenge that, do your work-out and wonder why you have a bruise on your arm from wrist to above the elbow....

Don't ask me how I know this.... LOL

Erika · 06-19-2008, 03:54 PM

I give blood frequently - every 8 or 9 weeks they call me I think. I have done sprint drills on the day I donated. They say not to do it within a certain amount of time but it doesn't usually bother me that much.

I wish more people would donate!

DanceDiva · 06-19-2008, 08:37 PM

Erika,
OT: I love your title.

I've thought about donation when I was younger but can't because of:

From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK)

Every time I see this, I keep wondering what in the world is the incubation period for Mad Cow Disease.

However, they must not be as diligent as they should about asking the disqualification questions because my son (w/o my knowledge until after the fact) volunteered when he was a senior in High School in order to get out of class. When I asked him how could he when he wasn't eligible and told him why, he said no one asked him.

Phaedrus49er · 06-20-2008, 06:01 AM

No donations from me. The world goes black

K-Court · 06-20-2008, 12:39 PM

I'm at 93 and should hit my century next year!

As for the original question, the nurses always say no heavy lifting for at least 8 hours after donation. Personally, I never lift on the same day (afterwards) of a donation. I don't want to risk the vein popping open mid-lift.

RedLefty · 06-23-2008, 04:15 PM

I passed out last time I donated a couple of years ago. Evidently walking was too much of a workout for me.

I'm signed up to do it again (donate, not faint) on July 16th. Should be interesting.

GinnyLou · 06-23-2008, 04:35 PM

I work in this business and part of my responsibility is to encourage others to donate blood, mainly platelets.

So, thanks to all you donors out there!!

Cynic · 06-23-2008, 04:47 PM

Ginny, how much is whole blood needed/used? I see them now separating platelets from plasma and calling it good.

GinnyLou · 06-23-2008, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynic

Ginny, how much is whole blood needed/used? I see them now separating platelets from plasma and calling it good.

Well, for us it depends on the blood type of the donor (we focus on a lot of A/AB blood types for platelets and plasma) and the immediate needs of local patients. We can and do spin platelets out of whole blood donations, but we prefer to have platelets that are donated through a specific donation called apheresis.
To have enough platelets to make one unit, when spinning out of whole blood donations it takes 6-8 whole blood donations and factoring in that many different donors, it allows for a bigger chance for the recipient to have a reaction to the transfusion.
Our local hospitals prefer to have single donor platelets, because of this.
But, to answer your question whole blood donations are definitely needed. We were asked last week to up our collections, to help the Iowa Hawkeye region. They lost many, many blood drives because of the flooding and their inventory was in pretty bad shape.

LisaS · 06-23-2008, 05:56 PM

I'm B+ - I was asked to switch from regular blood donations to apheresis for platelets a few years back so I did (might be a local need I suppose). Takes a lot longer to do (like 2/3 of a movie) but you can do it every couple of weeks instead of every 56 days so I try to do it when I can get the time on a weekend.