Never have. Never will. My body needs all the blood it has, all the blood it produces.
DY
Did you ever give blood?
by JH 23 Replies latest jw friends
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twinkletoes
Yes, I gave blood a few times, but that was before I became a JW.
Since I've been out of the witnesses, I have thought about donating again, but not got around to it.
I guess some of the teachings are hard to shake off.
Twink
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jt stumbler
Its more irritating than hurting.
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blondie
I'll be giving again this week. In the US, you can give every 8 weeks. When I did my research on blood products, etc., and decided that my "conscience" allowed me to receive blood products, I felt I would be hypocritical if I didn't at least investigate if I was qualified to give blood. For those in the US, you can go online and find out where the closest place is to give in your area, what the requirements are, and even make an appointment online and get reminders into your email.
This will be my 6th time. It gets easier every time and I hated blood tests and needles all my life.
UK
http://www.blood.co.uk/pages/b10faq.html
Canada
http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=002653&tid=019
Love, Blondie (universal donor)
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schne_belly
No, I never have. I even get Woozy when they have to take a small vile for medical tests..... I need to lay down while they do it and close my eyes? I was told it could be psychological?
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carla
It's not a big deal to give blood. Drink plenty of fluids before doing so and after. Jw's accept so many blood products anyway, why don't they give back?
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LongHairGal
Yes I did once many years ago. The company I worked for had a blood drive and I did it (I was curious to find out my blood type). They said you had to be at least 110 lbs. At the time I just made it.
I thought the experience was awful. That thing in your arm was uncomfortable and unnatural feeling. You feel as if you want to rip it out. My blood pressure was low so I was told I had to keep squeezing that thing in my fist to make the blood come out faster. It seemed to take forever. When it was done I was given some orange juice and some sugar wafers. All of a sudden everything got fuzzy and I got faint. Somebody put me in a wheelchair and the dirty old man/janitor/handyman of the company picked me up under my arms (while he grabbed my breasts - but I was in no position to complain), put me in the wheelchair and wheeled me to the nurses office. I was put in a bed for several hours till I didn't feel faint anymore. When the nurse released me to go back to my office, she told me if I felt faint I should put my head between my knees.
I never did complain about the dirty old man who took advantage of the situation but maybe I should have. -
JH
Drink plenty of fluids before doing so and after
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blondie
I would recommend going into the Red Cross office rather than an office blood drive.
Also, I will say that I have to have blood tests every 6 to 8 weeks for other health concerns. After 20 years, I have learned not to look and to know the best place to draw blood from my arm.
The majority of the donors I have met give for one of 2 reasons, because their life was saved by a blood product or a family member or friend was. They are grateful that someone took the time to give their blood, even though it is not as fun as going to Six Flags. For once your time, very well could save a life, not the empty hours we spent as JWs calling on not at homes.
Blondie
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Candlestick02
Yes. Once. Not long after I drifted away from the bOrg I thought it would be kind of a nice thing to give blood, since now my opinions on the subject were so different than they had been. Making the whole thing easier was the fact that the people came to my place of employment and had set up their 'center' in this big conference rooms at work. So, I signed up and showed up at like 9 or 10am. They asked me some questions and I passed the initial 'test' and then they checked my blood type by poking my finger. Yes! I WASN'T anemic so on to the next steps. More questions, etc... Finally, I get to the lawn chair where they were about to prep me for the actual blood drawing. 'Um, Ms Candlestick'..the 'vampire' asked me 'have you been weighed to see if you're big enough to give blood?' "Yes!" I sad, enthusiastically. "I'm 110 and they said the cutoff was 105." Okay, so she proceeds. "Did you drink a lot of water today?" she asked. "Just regular amounts, why?" "Well, because I'm having a tough time finding your veins. Why don't you go have lunch, drink plenty of fluids and come back this afternoon." Al-right.. So, fast-forward to the afternoon. I drank a ton of water and I was even afraid to pee cause I didn't want to get too 'dehydrated' again, or whatever (I know, I was
naivestupid).I come back, they by-pass me straight to an open lawn chair and they try at me again. The nurse (different one) tells me to pump up my fist a lot as she is having a tough time seeing my little veins. I do so. I also tell her about the earlier try and how I was back and I drank a lot of fluids and ate. She said that was good and to keep pumping my fist. Finally, she finds me needle.... Except, that because I had pumped so much when she hit the vein all this blood went spewing everywhere. It got all over my arm, my shirt a little... Well, dummy me looks at it. (I'm not a chicken when it comes to needles, so I figure, why not?). BAD IDEA! Regarless of how strong I THOUGHT I was when it came to blood and needles seeing my own splattered all over the place and the nurse furiously trying to clean it up without me freiking out was enough to....well, freik me out. I don't know how fast the following things happened afterward...but I remember a mob of people (okay, maybe like 4 or 5 nurses) coming at me all at once -- they put a cold compress under my neck, they laid me down on the lawn chair, they stuck my legs UP in the air (on the lawn chair, MIND YOU, I had a skirt on -- I was at work!).... and I can feel the lady moving the needle around STILL in my arm. They ask if I was OK... and I was..but I suppose I got pretty pale and looked like I was about to pass out.
"K, I'm better" I thought..... but the lady is still moving the needle around ...and so I'm looking and kind of beginning to think to myself that MAYYYYBE this wasn't such a good idea afterall. But, I'm a strong cookie and this is a good thing... so, I toughen it out.
The lady calls over another nurse and says that my blood is coming out really slowly and that maybe it's not in there right. Ugh.. So, instead of cutting me off, what do they do? The other nurse brings over a scale... YES, a scale to WEIGH my little bloodsack to get me at least to the minimum amount. (They must have REALLY needed my blood! sheesh!) So, the one tending to me gets down on the floor, sits Indian style on the ground and puts my little blood sack on the scale to weigh it. Meanwhile, other people come, sit down, give blood, and leave, I'm still there having my little sack weighed ....and w/ my legs up, no less. (Friend from work cracking up laughing!)... So, yeah, they finished and I was fine, but what an ordeal.
About 6 months later they called me and said I had a very common blood-type and they wanted to know if I was interested in giving more... Yeah right. I think the people who did receive my blood should be very happy cause I don't know if I'd do it again. Ahh... I probably will, but I just haven't felt the 'calling' again.
It didn't hurt - the needle going in -- just when they were moving the needle inside and I could see it in my vein. Yuck.
