|   Gave blood the other day. Felt terrible on routine... | Fujiman
Oct 8, 2002 9:42 AM | | training ride. I've not given blood for a long time, certainly not while I've been a mountain biker. Thought I could rekindle a good habit. I imagine losing 2 pints of RBCs would be the cause of this. Has anybody experienced this? It was quite frightening until I related the two. |
| Same here. | Bikebreath
Oct 8, 2002 9:55 AM | | I gave blood once in a while and felt weak for a few days. Once I began mtb'ing I found it took a week or more to feel good on a ride. Then for some reason when I went to give blood they asked me a ton of questions and one of them was, "Do you ever get asthma"? Well, I do get pet related asthma and they refused me. Now I don't feel guilty for not giving blood.
Bb, [ all that would change if a friend or relative needed blood. ] |
| don't feel bad... | mtbfreak9er
Oct 8, 2002 12:07 PM | | i've never given blood....i don't weigh enough!
but i'm an organ donor fwiw. ;-)
rt |
| I'm not a doctor, but I have shagged a med student | -Chip.
Oct 8, 2002 9:56 AM | | Two pints? Sounds a tad extreme.
-C (OK, she was a dental student) |
| Yes, but did she have good oral hygene? | Doc
Oct 8, 2002 10:06 AM | | :<0> |
| gave a pint a couple years ago... | outdoorzen
Oct 8, 2002 9:58 AM | | with a friend and then went for a normal group ride on a hot day. How bad could it be? We both turned back after a mile or so feeling weak and light headed. Very weird feeling. Very foolish. You gave 2 pints?, that's a lot. |
| Normal. | Doc
Oct 8, 2002 10:04 AM | | I usually equate giving blood with living in Iowa then tying to mtb in colorado. (which I did once).
Wanna know why? Hemoglobin (the part of your blood that makes your RBC's red) carries oxygen, well, so does myoglobin- but that's a different issue. Anyway, you reduced your bodies ability to carry the volume of oxygen it carried before.
Analogy: you've got 20 dump trucks in your construction company, you blow up 5 with rocket launchers, will you still be able to move as much dirt? (you bet your sweet @ss you will, those other 15 drivers will be double timing it from now on....)
:P |
| Never fear, have a beer | trekker
Oct 8, 2002 10:13 AM | | Just kidding. Had an english teacher in highschool who always donated blood and went on a cheap drunk. Maybe he should have kept that to himself but we loved him anyway. Seriously though, your body needs 2 days to fully restore RBC count, maybe longer. Be careful about this! You could pass out. Body uses RBC's to transfer O2 throughout muscle cells and lungs, so with low RBC count you are starving your machinery. |
| It may have only been one pint. | Fujiman
Oct 8, 2002 10:26 AM | | They took two bags so I thought it was two pints. The delerium continues. What is the standard donation amount? As for riding, I will be careful, don't want to hurt myself. |
| I donate regularly. | gfox
Oct 8, 2002 10:31 AM | | The first few times it took me a week to be able to ride normally. Now (after a couple years of donating), I can donate on a Tuesday, and feel decent riding on Thursday or Friday.
This is my experience, YMMV.
Also, I just want to congratulate you on donating. In Canada, there is a huge blood drive on now because there is such a small percentage of the able donors who actually donate.
greg
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| You are a model "blood" citizen.... | DirtyGrl
Oct 8, 2002 11:14 AM | | ...way to go!! You know, it's estimated that there are 13 million eligible people in Canada who could donate blood. Pretty sad that only 3% actually do....
We are focusing on getting the younger crowd in. I'd love to do an article featuring you as you represent our target market we are after (the 17 - 35 year bracket)....imagine you looking gnarly with your armour and bike on our website and newsletters.... seriously, if you're interested let me know (Ina, CraigH's wife) |
| I read the same stats in the newspaper. | gfox
Oct 8, 2002 11:59 AM | | Hey Ina. Not sure if you remember, but we met once a couple years ago in Fernie.
I am definitely interested in doing what I can. I actually like giving blood. It makes me feel good (about helping others), and doesn't cost me money (which is tight right now).
I will send Craig an email to forward to you.
greg
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| Email forwarded. | CraigH
Oct 8, 2002 12:52 PM | | She remembers you... Who could forget!
(Pic from the Fernie gathering in 2000, pic by Brodiegrrl)
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| re: Donating blood...wait a few days after giving.... | DirtyGrl
Oct 8, 2002 11:07 AM | | I've worked in with Blood Services for 15 years and I"m always amazed at folks who ride their bike to a clinic, give blood and take off afterwards. How you feel afterwards and what physical activities you partake in is an individual thing - some blood donors wait for a few days, others do their thing right the same day. Just remember that you won't be your total usual self after giving blood.It also helps to make sure you are well hydrated and well fed before donating.
As for the two pint thing, I know in the States some blood collectors are starting to use a machine where they can collect two pints of red cells from donors who are of a "large nature". If this wasn't your case, then I suspect you may have seen incorrectly what you were bleeding into - there is always a main bag your blood flows into, but attached are anywhere from one to three extra bags for separating the blood further in the lab later on. |
| It takes days at least | Dragonfly
Oct 8, 2002 12:16 PM | | You may donate whole blood once every 56 days, which allows plenty of time for your red cells to be replenished. Platelet (apheresis) donors may donate more frequently -- as often as once every seven days and up to 24 times per year. This is because the body replenishes platelets and plasma more quickly than red cells. Platelets will return to normal levels within about 72 hours of donating.
In your case, Plasma (the liquid portion of your blood) will return to normal levels within a couple of days. Red blood cells (the oxygen-carrying cells) will take approximately two weeks to reach their normal levels.
Whenever there is a serious shortage around here, I get a phone call. I have O-neg which is always in demand because that is what they use in the ER when there isn't enough time to type the persons blood in an emergency. Anyone can receive O-neg. from what I understand. |
| Gave on Sat, bad rides on Sun and Tues | DurtGurl
Oct 9, 2002 5:52 AM | | I gave this Saturday (just a pint - that's all they'll take at one time down here in AZ), and figured no big deal. But on my SS ride on Sunday, I was hurting something horrible. I had no drive in my legs at all. I still felt weak on Tuesday morning, but today I'm feeling better.
I think it's great to give blood, but you definitely have to give yourself some recovery time. Or at least accept that you will not be 100% for a few days. |
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