Give Blood

[lyncks2002]

guys it's not that easy with needle phobias. i dislike, but it's not a phobia. a friend of mine however actually has this phobia and it's freaking crazy. he starts shaking like 5 minutes before he has to go in and stuff like that. i remember in highschool we had to get a few vaccines and he just couldnt, he had to go afterwards at the hospital a being a bit sedated. phobias are serious business!

[mjkidd]

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It's my blood so I'm gonna keep it. If they give me a price I may ponder.

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And when that blood of yours is spilling out by the quarts after being in a car accident, are you going to wish everyone was like you, or that there are some good-hearted generous people that gave blood to save your life?

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I'm going to wish that an efficient and fair market for blood was set up so there would never be a shortage. Blood is obviously a valuable commodity, it is insane to just give it away.

[XXXNoahXXX]

I fully support giving blood and do at least once a year, but this has me feeling not so good about it.

The Blood Brokers-How the Gift of Life Became a Billion Dollar Business

Interesting read, although it doesn't dissuade me from giving, because in the end, lives are still being saved by people donating blood.

Also,

Tax Credits for Blood?



For those that have the time, ask your local blood bank/drive about donating plasma or other processes they have that take a little more time, but are often more helpful than full blood donations.

[TMTTR]

There are certainly people that have serious issues with needles, heights, open spaces, etc. that require psychiatric intervention -- but most people who claim to have "phobias" are just uncomfortable with needles (or whatever they claim to fear).

And if you can force yourself to do the right thing, you get free orange juice and cookies!

[mjkidd]

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It's my blood so I'm gonna keep it. If they give me a price I may ponder.

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This is not only dumb, it's also stupid. You can't even call it selfish. Giving blood costs you nothing other than time (and that should be less than a 1/2 hour). If you are healthy, your body will replace it quickly and you could be saving the lives of several other people with each donation.

Here in New York, I know that you can donate once every 56 days. I try to make sure I get in at least four times per year.

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I can't excersise for a couple of days without feeling like I'm climbing Everest. I feel weak and tired after giving blood. Giving the blood is uncomfortable, stressful, and disconcerting, and can be slightly painful. It clearly costs more than just time. I think 50 dollars is more than fair compensation for this ordeal, and would only add a small amount to the cost to the comsumer of the blood. It may even lower the cost of blood, since there wouldn't be a shortage anymore.

Giving blood for free is a scam that I am surprised that contributers to a poker forum would participate in.

[TMTTR]

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Giving blood for free is a scam that I am surprised that contributers to a poker forum would participate in.

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I assume you don't give to charity either (those damn scams give me nothing back). Also, you should probably put a sticker on the back of your driver's license (or wear one of those tags) refusing all blood transfusions unless the donor was adequately compensated for his donation. That will show them!

Most blood centers are non-profit organizations -- they operate as a charity and provide a public service. Give to a reputable non-profit blood center just like you would give only to a reputable charity.

[mjkidd]

TMTTR -- I do give to charity. But, unlike feeding the poor, there is no reason why blood banking should be a charitable enterprise. Blood is a commodity, and the free market would insure that there is always a good system for blood banking; the free market will let the homeless starve.

[XXXNoahXXX]

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I can't excersise for a couple of days without feeling like I'm climbing Everest. I feel weak and tired after giving blood. Giving the blood is uncomfortable, stressful, and disconcerting, and can be slightly painful.

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1. It is charity. Are you serious with this?

2. Unlike charities like fighting hunger in Africa, this is one that could benefit you, if you were in a car accident today. So its not even pure charity, unless you're fine completely mooching off the blood supply, but not giving back.

3. You can't work out for three days? I usually take that day off and am fine the next day for working out. Stop being so overdramatic. You miss one day of pilates to potentially save a life.

4. uncomfortable? you sit there for 15 minutes on a padded bed and then get fed juice and cookies.

stressful? how so? unless you are deathly afraid of needles, then its literally just laying still for 15 minutes.

disconcerting? I don't think you even know what this word means, so I won't bother addressing this one.

slightly painful? its a single prick and then mild discomfort at best. stop being a huge vagina.


Besides, you can have them send you a card in the mail that has your name and blood type on it. I sure as hell keep that right in my wallet in case I'm ever in need of blood so they can know right away what my blood type is. Pretty nice to have.

[mjkidd]

Noah -- For me, giving blood is disconcerting because it just seems so unnatural to have a pint of this vital stuff drained out of me. As far as uncomfortable goes, I generally get cold, dizzy, weak in the knees, and the last time I gave, nauseous. It seems that "slightly painful" and "mild discomfort" are synomonous. Working out the same day is clearly out, and I notice a significant decrease in my stamina the next day. I'm a runner, so this is easy for me to quantify.

And as far as the charity argument, I can see no compelling reason why blood banking should be a charitable enterprise. Why do you think it should be a charitable cause?

[GiantWalleye]

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I give blood about twice a year. It is virtually painless and obviously is needed by society. I have had no ill effects from giving. I urge those of you who are able to give blood in the near future.

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I don't want to sound like a little girl, but needles make me squirm a bit. I refuse to get flu shots too.