Please donate blood!

Ah, I'm glad your man is on the mend, mumski. I haven't given blood for a good few years, but i'll have to find out about doing it again. Someone in my family has had numerous transfusions in the last couple of weeks.

Good to hear your partner's doing well, mumski. It must have been a worrying time for you.

I've given blood since I was 18. I've done a lot of griping about it lately - our nearest collection centre was closed down, we were given appointments on bank holidays, etc. Your post reminds me why I do it, and I appreciate it. All the best to you.

I have always given blood about twice a year but had to stop a couple of years ago due to my own health.

My son gives platelets every couple of months. It is done by a different machine and takes about 90 minutes each time. The blood is extracted, platelets removed and then the remainder pumped back in. Platelets only last about 5 days so cannot be stored long term like blood so donors are always very welcomed.

My sister used to do this every couple of weeks, wildswan. She has a particularly useful blood group which I'm glad I don't share!

I offered to donate blood, but because i have Haemochromatosis, [too much iron] i was told i couldnt, seems a shame, as i have to have blood taken when m,y ferritin gets too high
I believe it can be donated in Canada, not sure about America

My DD has a gold award for donating blood . She has a very rare blood type as did her late father (who was also a donor) and her blood can be "spun"
To give to newborns ( not sure what this means ) she often gets calls asking her if she will come to the hospital that day as they are desperate.

You can't become a new blood donor if you are over 66. My husband had to give up being a blood donor due to medical conditions and I can't give blood because I was given a transfusion myself back in the 90s. My daughter stopped going to donate as she was refused several times due to 'time of the month' or because they were simply too busy!

It is so important to donate blood if you can unfortunately DH and I are on too many meds and are both immunocompromised.

I know i couldnt give blood now at my age,but it was when i was in my fifties ,but couldnt because of the iron, im sure it could have been filtered or something,and if other countries do it there must be a way

I gave blood many years ago but in the 1980s when, as the result of the AIDS epedemic, the Transfusion Service began to tighten up their criteria, I was asked if I had allergies and when I said I was allergic to penicillin, I was offered tea and biscuit without donating and later got a formal letter telling me I could no longer donate blood because of this allergy.

Mumski...I have donated blood since I was old enough to do so and I will continue until they say I can't. I think the age limit for existing donors is 70 so another 5 years to go!
I love the fact that the transfusion service now send a text message to tell you which hospital your donation has gone to, somehow that makes it more "personal"
Hope your husband makes a swift and full recovery

Sorry Mumski....that should be partner, soon to be husband.

Snap MOnica! Do we pass on our allergy in our blood? I was very sad when I couldn't get my free tea and biscuit anymore.
Glad your partner is on the mend, mumski.

The biscuits have improved enormously over the years - and last time I went they had crisps on offer as an alternative.

The text message is a nice touch, spyder, isn't it? My last two pints went to Sunderland and Hammersmith. I'd sort of assumed until then that they'd just go to the local hospital.

I'm a regular donor and have never heard of any problem with allergies. Because of that, I googled it and according to both SNBTS and the system in England (and Wales?) on a quick look, there shouldn't be a problem if you are not suffering from active allergic symptoms on the day you donate. If you are keen to get back to donating, it might be worth phoning whichever organisation is relevant to you, as the rules do keep changing. We don't get these texts in Scotland about where the blood has gone, but it sounds like a nice idea. I only do it for the cheesy biscuits, which I never get at any other time.

Eglantine the impression I got was that something like penicillin or other drug allergies could be passed in the blood and would cause an adverse reaction if the recipient were taking the drug. I was told that if I had just had a food allergy that would not have precluded me from giving blood.

MOica I'm allergic to penicillin too but it didn't seem to be an issue . You are all so amazing. Thank you for your lovely words of encouragement. When he hears all the plans our friends have made already for a wedding he may decide it's safer in hospital . xxx

Rules may have changed as medical research moved on. If that is so it is a pity that the Blood Transfusion Service could not do more to inform those previously excluded from donating blood that they could resume donating.

sorry your husband is in hospital...know the feeling my husband has recently been in hospital for three months Endocarditis

Glad that you can now see the end and well done to you for seeing the positive side to things

My husband is O neg and allergic to penicillin and was welcomed with open arms when he was young enough to donate. He also donated skin on one occasion, (the entire top surface of both thighs) but that was an experience he had no wish to repeat...

I know how he felt. DD had to have a large skin transplant from her own thigh and complained bitterly that she went to hospital with one injury and came out with two. Not a real complaint. She was grateful for all the care and treatment she was given.

Might be worth posting this on Mumsnet where most are of the right age.

I give blood regularly but I'm lucky enough to live near to a donation center. I'm told told there is no upper age limit for existing donors. For new donors there is a limit of 66 (70 if you are a lapsed donor). I'm 73 and will continue until they tell me otherwise.

If you think you may be eligible go along and encourage others to because only a small percentage of the population do and they do need more blood. The UK screening process is very strict and we don't want to have to import blood products from less safe places.

I had to stop donating blood because I came over funny in the middle of the blood-letting and came round with my legs stuck up in the air. Had a nice phone call from somebody at Blood Transfusion to check that I was OK who said "please don't come again because it puts other people off".