Donating Blood sooner then 56 days?

[Wonton]

In the usa, from what I understand - you need to wait 56 days to donate , after you have donated blood.

I donated yesterday - Was told iron levels were 55 anything over 58 you can't donate...So I asked the lady about double red cell donation..she told me its a 2 hour process..

So I was thinking but I don't know the system well enough.

We have red cross and life stream - do they communicate? Have one universal system for donors?

Because If not I can walk into Life stream and donate..then 30 days later go ahead and donate to Red cross. Taking me a total of 40 minutes.





Little Background

I have iron overload which is monitored by a hemotologist..but its in 4 month intervals. So occasionally I would like do to this myself. I have never been approved for blood letting for this condition..but my iron levels are pretty dam high - just borderline don't qualify for blood letting based on their guidlines.

And being in my mid 40's - Little extra caution won't hurt imo. Also its very healthy to donate - for me and for others



Question is...life stream and red cross - possible to donate to both before 56 days? Or not.

 

[saps]

In your case like most you will actually be better served by just giving a single pint of whole blood every 8 weeks rather than the double red cell which you can only do every 16 weeks. Double red is not double iron per se; it is actually less than a pint of quantity. Besides if you were 55 per donation you are likely around 50 now and will easily be able to maintain decent levels by donating every other month.

Also just a correction the double red cell has a ceiling limit where 58 is the cut off but for single pint you can have any level of iron/rbc/hematocrit.

 

[buck]

my experience is that different donor systems do not communicate with each other. so you can walk in and donate if you want. the consequences are yours. the worst they can do is tell you you will have to wait.

 

[maldorf]

I get my phelbotomies done by my hematologist and its once every month, 30 days. If my hemoglobin drops down to 15 or lower then he wont do it, thats my goal. Mine has been running in the high 16s, and if I do skip a month then its up in the 17s. Lately its been a lot lower. He told me he is trying to make me boarderling iron deficient. The number you mention as your iron sounds like the hematocrit, which is roughly 3x the hemoglobin. There is a seperate test that is more expensive that he runs about 2x per year and it actually measeure the iron levels in my blood. He told me once my iron gets low enough in that test that my problem should lessen and I might only need a phlebotomy 4x a year or so if Im lucky. So far ive been doing this 4 years and it hasnt happened, but my iron level in that test is slowly coming down.

 

[thebrick]

Donating double reds takes about 25 minutes... NOT 2 hours.

 

[biggTdogg]

I get my phelbotomies done by my hematologist and its once every month, 30 days. If my hemoglobin drops down to 15 or lower then he wont do it, thats my goal. Mine has been running in the high 16s, and if I do skip a month then its up in the 17s. Lately its been a lot lower. He told me he is trying to make me boarderling iron deficient. The number you mention as your iron sounds like the hematocrit, which is roughly 3x the hemoglobin. There is a seperate test that is more expensive that he runs about 2x per year and it actually measeure the iron levels in my blood. He told me once my iron gets low enough in that test that my problem should lessen and I might only need a phlebotomy 4x a year or so if Im lucky. So far ive been doing this 4 years and it hasnt happened, but my iron level in that test is slowly coming down.

I'm guessing you had to get a script from your primary doc for this??? Mine won't give me prescription phlebotomy because he knows my high hemoblobin is from using aas. (Asshole). I'll be looking for a new doc soon, but it seems like I can keep my numbers just in the normal range if donate every two months and not any longer.

 

[maldorf]

I'm guessing you had to get a script from your primary doc for this??? Mine won't give me prescription phlebotomy because he knows my high hemoblobin is from using aas. (Asshole). I'll be looking for a new doc soon, but it seems like I can keep my numbers just in the normal range if donate every two months and not any longer.

Not primary, my hematologist does it. I dont really see a primary care doc anymore. Just hematoligist, 2 cardiologists, and an endocrinologist!LOL

You need a new doc then. A good doctor will care about your health more than that. Sure its right for him to tell you to get off steroids, but if you dont want to and youre going to keep on doing what youre doing it is his responsibility to help you do it as safely as you can.

 

[biggTdogg]

You need a new doc then. A good doctor will care about your health more than that. Sure its right for him to tell you to get off steroids, but if you dont want to and youre going to keep on doing what youre doing it is his responsibility to help you do it as safely as you can.[/QUOTE]

AMEN!!!!

 

[renewlyf]

In the usa, from what I understand - you need to wait 56 days to donate , after you have donated blood.

I donated yesterday - Was told iron levels were 55 anything over 58 you can't donate...So I asked the lady about double red cell donation..she told me its a 2 hour process..

So I was thinking but I don't know the system well enough.

We have red cross and life stream - do they communicate? Have one universal system for donors?

Because If not I can walk into Life stream and donate..then 30 days later go ahead and donate to Red cross. Taking me a total of 40 minutes.





Little Background

I have iron overload which is monitored by a hemotologist..but its in 4 month intervals. So occasionally I would like do to this myself. I have never been approved for blood letting for this condition..but my iron levels are pretty dam high - just borderline don't qualify for blood letting based on their guidlines.

And being in my mid 40's - Little extra caution won't hurt imo. Also its very healthy to donate - for me and for others



Question is...life stream and red cross - possible to donate to both before 56 days? Or not.

Not sure about Life Stream but I know Red Cross and United Blood Services, do not communicate. I can't donate with United Blood but can with Red Cross. United told me I answered some question back in 88' that prohibits me from donating with them. I was in college then so who knows what I said

 

[bgunner]

Ive donated at a few different places and none of them have ever communicated with eachother. What I did notice is that each place had different guidelines for double red donations. One donor center said they couldnt do a double red if my hematocrit was over 54 but they said that if it was at a blood drive and not a donor center that they could do it. Another place let me do it when I had tested at 62. When I wasnt allowed to do a double red they still let me donate a pint.