What to Expect at Blood Donation Drives

Have you heard any ads on the radio or seen any on television for blood drives? Blood centers are holding them in offices and churches to make it convenient for as many people as possible to donate. The blood that is donated is almost always needed for transfusions, and shortages are due to the low number of donors. Since you or someone in your family could very well be the next one to need a blood transfusion, why not look into donating? You can learn more about it at www.redcross.org or by calling a local center.

The screening process involves being asked a slew of questions, some of which might seem disgusting. Just remember that everyone else also has to put up with being asked, "Have you had sex with anyone who's had sex with a walrus, coo-coo-ka-choo, in the past year?" You will be asked about any travel outside the country in the past year and any health problems as well.

If you are sometimes anemic, and the chances of your blood being good enough to donate are about 50-50 because of it, you can still try. If the response to, "I might have anemia" is, "You might have WHAT?" you probably just need to enunciate. It's anemia, not AIDS. A test will be done on a drop of blood taken from a fingertip to see if your hemoglobin level is high enough. If it isn't, you might be given a sticker that says, "I tried". It's kind of like the "I voted" sticker on Election Day.

Whether or not to watch as the needle is put into your arm is a matter of personal preference. If you've ever had blood tests for any reason, it's been done before. If you want to watch as the blood bag fills, that's fine too. It's also fine if you don't.

There might be people in the other chairs who are finished before you, but that shouldn't be a problem. There also might be times when it takes longer than it did last time to finish. This is not a problem either. Sometimes it flows faster or slower depending on what you've had to eat or drink.

There is a possibility of bruising from the needle, but the more experience the person who puts the needle into your arm has, the less likely that is. It doesn't really hurt anyway.

Enjoy the drinks and cookies after you finish. You've earned them.