Donate Blood
 

Don't forget to go donate blood. You recover pretty quickly, so don't make up excuses to avoid it.

Don't the screen for EPO and idiocy?
Thats pretty much the whole 41.

Are you saying you'd have to be an idiot to not take EPO?

No, theres quite a lot of overlap between groups.

Gift of life, nothing much better than that.

My numbers are too low so sadly I can't do it anymore. When I was donating regularly I had a note from my Dr. in my file overriding their protocol regarding low BP and HR.

unfortunately, i can't do it...mine's permanently contaminated...tales of a misspent youth

Probably about 4 times a year. I hear ya. Will probably need it some day.

I do platelets now for cancer patients. Much worse than giving blood I assure you!!!!!

I recover quicker from giving blood than a hard day on the bike.

Went 2 days ago. Filled a pint in 4min 25 seconds.

I keep meaning to get out and do it.

Mostly because there's not a center near me, I'm without a car right now, and I've seen too many of my friends pass out from giving blood then doing physical activity, so I'd rather not ride there and back.

Do it after training at altitude to give the recipient a little extra boost. :)

My last donation was after a 12 mile bike ride to the donation bus then a little detour on the way back home that added a few extra miles. No problems since I took it slow and easy.

I only donate blood so that later they can give it back to me before I race. This is how it's done, right? >.<

You also live in Florida where it's flatter than flat. Even a few miles requires a few hundred feet of climbing here.

American Red Cross always tell me 10-15 minutes but I also am in the 5 minute range. Shocks them every time after they stick you then talk to you, and check you their comment is "you are already half way done". Drink water or OJ during and have been none to bike 20 miles within an hour of donating @ about 60% pace. Recovering from a tough ride is harder. Been holding off this year since I have some routine surery going on.

Appt is booked for the 24th

I do it in memory of my Mom and other friends who I lost to cancer and those that are bravely fighting that horrible disease

They won't take my blood because I have had a cardio incident, which is dumb. My blood has really low cholesterol. Really really low. It's good stuff.

But I was 59yo then and riding my 37lb, $100.00, 7spd Magna department store bike into a 14mph headwind both ways. :)

I used to donate regularly but then I went on some kind of skin medicine that can cause birth defects if a pregnant woman got my blood - no donating for THREE YEARS after I quit taking it.

I would donate "double reds" so it would take about two weeks before I didn't notice during intervals, and a couple more before I couldn't tell at all.

Bonus - the nurse offered to take my HCT before and after so I could see the drop... 43.8 to 38.7 last time I went in.

Before we moved, our formerly local blood bank would start calling us to set up appointments about six weeks after we gave. They wanted to maximize the number of donations they received from my wife, who is O-, CMV-, the only blood suitable for neonates. They always gave us the best phlebotomists; can't have an important donor get a hemotoma.

Now, we don't donate anymore. The facilities are unhygienic and they actually pay bums for blood around here. The risks are still small, but larger than I am comfortable with here. Maybe we should donate on our many trips back "home".

I got all technicians excited today, I finished with my donation and headed to the door, with helmet in hand. They were stressed out that I was jumping straight on my bike, which won't be a big deal. I reassured them that I was going across the street to the pizza joint for lunch before riding back to my office.

I wonder if I'd have received the same reaction if I had car keys in my hand?? Oh well, made me giggle a little.

I'm O+, CNV- and Code 96, so they love my blood. I donate 4-5 times a year.

Better to give it than need it.

No one wants my blood.

I was a regular donor until I went on Plavix two years ago. Now I can't donate. I'd like to but my doctor says that with my history of two heart attacks within a year, I probably won't be off of it any time soon. Kudos to everyone who can and does donate. From a performance standpoint it might slow you down just a bit for a few days (a very little bit) but there is evidence to support that it improves the turnover of red blood cells which may actually support better performance in the long run.