Donating blood

Some of you may remember me asking if we could donate blood after surgery, I took a lot of your concerns or advice into consideration. I went to donate yesterday for the first time after surgery. Before I could never donate double because my hemoglobin wasn't high enough. Well yesterday was my first time donating double, because my hemoglobin was 15!!!!!

Four words I thought I'd never say.....Congrats on the hemoglobin!

Thanks! It was a shocker for sure

HI, I am curious what your WLS medical team has to say regarding blood donation? Mine said blood donation is not advised. I no longer donate my A+ type blood especially since routine lab work shows my iron levels slowly decreasing regardless of my hemoglobin readings. My DH is the universal blood "type O" so he pays-it-forward for both of us now. For any possible future "blood donation" search purposes, I hope more will post what they have been advised, as well. Again, please post what your WLS medical team advised? TIA

They said as long as I feel good and my labs are good that I can. I am o positive!

Have you had your ferritin tested? If so, what is it currently and in the past? Anemia post-RNY is not uncommon so I'd be very careful with donating blood. Many bariatric patients are unable to correct their anemia with iron pills and must rely on intravenous iron infusions to get healthy values again. For this reason, my surgeon does not recommend blood donations post-WLS.

My hematologist advised against donating whole blood on a frequent basis, because of the iron loss. I do it once a year for the company blood drive, but that's it.

Instead, I donate platelets. That doesn't deplete your iron, and you can actually do it more frequently-- every week or two. Plus it's a nice break; you get to sit for two or three hours and watch a movie while nobody bothers you!

I live at altitude and so my haemoglobin is always around 18, even when my ferritin was undetectable by the lab and I was in heart attack territory.

Iron is more complicated than a good haemoglobin and the people staffing blood donation are really not qualified to determine whether you are healthy enough to donate.

Please check, with a full set of iron checks before you donate again. Your iron stores will be depleting quickly over the next few years, even without donating

I was never told not to donate, but I have donated twice in the last few months. The first time went well, but last week when I donated, I had problems. An attempt was made in my left arm and didn't work so they used the right arm. It took a long time. Other people came in, donated and left. They put a band around my upper arm and kept pumping it up then I also had to squeeze a rubber ball every 5 seconds.

Both arms were badly bruised. I didn't fell well the rest of the day. Maybe I shouldn't be donating.

I have A- and they send me requests to come in because it's urgently needed.

I think blood donors are great people. I gave thousands of blood products over my time as a nurse.

Please do not donate whole blood. This is not good for you this early after your surgery.

Platelets are gold.

If you are willing to donate platelets, they will pull off the whole blood,spin off the platelets,and give you back the rest of your blood. It takes more time. These single donor platelets can really help patients.

You can do this and make a big difference AND not hurt your health.

Thanks for being a donor.