The blood donation usually takes about 10 minutes. The entire process—from the time you sign in to the time you leave—takes about an hour. Who doesn't have a spare hour to help save a life? Paula Dayton, donor recruitment coordinator at UI DeGowin Blood Center, talks about blood donations:
How do people know if they are eligible to donate blood?
There are some basic requirements for blood donors and they are all pretty simple.
Be at least 16 years of age and 16 year olds do need a consent form signed by their legal guardian; but if you're 17, you don't need that
Weigh at least 110 pounds
Be in general good health
Be free of cold and flu symptoms for five days
Most medications are not a cause for deferral. When you come in, we ask 48 questions about your health history and travel and give you need a mini physical. Once you pass it you're free to donate. If someone has a specific question about whether they're eligible or not, you can call the DeGowin Blood Center at 356-2058 and we will be happy to answer your questions.
For someone coming in for the first blood donation, what steps can he take to assure a good experience?
That is a great question. It is key is to do some things prior to the donation.
Get a good night's sleep
Have a full meal within four hours of the time you donate
Be sure to be well hydrated
Our staff is great and knows the special attention first time donors need and help them through the process. We understand that people get a little nervous about something they've never tried before, and we take their hand and walk them through the process
Is the health screening history questions and results confidential?
Absolutely! When you donate at the hospital, there is a private room where you go to answer your health history. When you go to a blood drive, we have privacy screens. All the results of those questions, as well as the results of your infectious disease testing, meet the same confidentially standards that apply to patients at the hospital.
Does donating blood make the donor weak or tired?
Usually a donor is able to return to their normal activity after about a 10 minute rest. After you donate, you drink some juice and eat a snack before you resume all your normal activities.
We suggest you don't do strenuous activities for 24 hours to give your body a chance to adjust to that volume loss. There are times people feel a little tired or weak, but the majority of our donors has no adverse affects. By following the steps prior to their donation helps, drinking plenty of fluids and eating heartily at your next meal, you should do just fine.
How long does it take our bodies to replace the fluid given in a blood donation?
The plasma or the liquid part of your blood, comes back fairly quickly—in about 20 minutes. The red cells take about six weeks to replace. That's why donors need to wait eight weeks between donations. But
How is donated blood used at UI Hospitals and Clinics?
Donated blood is used by patients at the hospital to treat a variety of conditions, injuries, and disease processes.
Transfusions can be given because of:
- Trauma due to massive injuries, maybe from a car accident
- Surgeries
- Large organ transplants
- Bone marrow transplant
- Ruptured aortic aneurysms
- Burn patients
- Cancers patients
- Neonates
- And the list goes on
Where do we call to sign up to give a gift that might actually save someone's life today?
You can call the DeGowin Blood Center at 356-2058 or sign up for our blood drives online. |
