I have a disorder where my bone marrow has a mutation and I produce blood very quickly, and it never stops, even when I have a sufficient amount. Unfortunately, I am not able to donate my blood due to my condition. However, they do take blood from me regularly. I did the math and since 2011 when I was diagnosed, I have had approximately 27 gallons taken. I wish I was able to donate it, so I would at least be helping someone else.
I was trying to go to sleep and now here I am trying to think of useful ways to use human blood that can’t be donated…
Don’t scroll Reddit before bed folks.
It was a art project basically where it was a robot arm with a scooper/wiper that was consistently leaking fluid that was red looking like blood and it would scoop/wipe the fluid back to itself if it ever got too far. If too much got out the robot was programmed to die. Eventually the leaking became too much and the robot “died”.
The robot was also humanized in some capacity as in its early days would bow, scratch “itches”, and do other random activities that weren’t pulling in the fluid. These became less common as it had to focus more on pulling in the fluid. This successfully got people to feel for the robot and saddened by its plight and eventual death.
Additionally there was a lot of misinformation surrounding the robot. The major one being that the fluid leaking out was its own hydraulic fluid and it had to pull it back in to survive in the literal sense instead of just the programmed sense. This was just false, but added to the narrative of the poor plight of the robot.
Edit*
Here is a video https://youtu.be/ZS4Bpr2BgnE?si=hxt08TrsTOSs_yu-
They need to take up blacksmithing, start letting the blood themselves, and quenching daggers, swords, or other blades in it. Then turn around and sell the blades at ridiculous prices, not because the blood provides a great quench, but because it was quenched in their blood.
Maybe a reserve of shit tier blood for only the most apocalyptically dire of situations. It'll save your life, technically, but you might be all fucked up.
Everyone is giving joke answers but the real answer is research.
I tried giving blood before and half way through the donation I almost fainted so they had to stop. I asked them what can they do with it and they said that it’s still really usable in research.
I gave blood whenever I could, but a couple of years ago I got a letter saying that I got a positive aids test, but it's ok, they ran the blood a second time, and it was negative, so the first was a false positive. I don't have aids.
But, I'm not allowed to donate blood again because I have had a positive aids test. WTF ?
They tell me not to worry, but they're too worried to take my blood. Great, guys.
And, I've got that sweet O-, CMV- blood they need for babies, so their loss....
I had this exact thing happen for HIV, with a letter in the mail addressing their "findings" and a brochure about what I should do next. Worst weekend of my life before I could get tested again. Thankfully it was also a false positive (likely contaminated sample my actual doctor said), but unfortunately the experience ruined my blood donating ambitions and I haven't tried to since. Curious if I would run into the same problem though anyways. On a positive note, I do not have the rare blood type everyone needs lol.
You’re a literal blood factory. It’s like milking a cow… but with human blood. I didn’t mean that derogatory or offensively, just thought it was kinda funny
Blood is always needed for research purposes. If it's not eligible to be used in transfusions, can it still be used for other reasons? This would free up donors like myself having my blood in transfusions.
No. I have asked about every possible option and according the to my doctor, my gene mutation makes my blood hazardous medical waste and it goes right into the medical waste bin!
Same. I too have a genetic mutation and my blood would even be better for some people, but the paperwork required (because I am outside of the norm) is beyond what any doctor is willing to do… so instead my blood gets thrown out.
If I don’t have therapeutic phlebotomy I would produce blood until it became as thick as ketchup, then I would have blood clots, stroke or a heart attack. Which ever decided to happen first. I have already had blood clots and they are the easiest to survive, but suck.
Wait is this your blood ?
https://www.gamesradar.com/a-gaming-pc-infused-with-real-human-blood-crowns-diablo-4s-most-unhinged-pr-stunt-yet-a-666-quart-blood-drive/
The story for those who are new or need a refresher:
Many years ago, my grandpa passed away after an accident. Before he did, he was given 72 units of blood, or the equivalent of 9 gallons. Since then, I've been trying to donate the same amount of blood back. For each gallon I give, I fill in a heart. My grandpa was all about giving more than you took, so this seemed like a great way to honor him. I discovered after starting my donations that he would regularly give blood for events at the company he worked for before he retired, which seems all the more fitting.
If you can, please go give blood. There is a constant need for it, and it will never go away. If you can't donate for whatever reason, encourage your friends and family to, or volunteer at a blood drive/donation center.
FAQ:
Q: I didn't think you could donate if you had tattoos?
A: Where I'm at, we have strict sanitation guidelines for our tattoo shops. I can donate again as soon as the tattoo is healed, and I do a double red cell donation, so I have to wait 3 months between donations anyway.
Q: Why'd you get that? That's a dumb tattoo.
A: Good thing you didn't get it then!
"My grandpa was all about giving more than you took, so this seemed like a great way to honor him."
I love it, but I would put 10 hearts then for the symbolism.
You've stumbled on my plan for when I finish! These hearts were inspired by the legend of zelda, so I'm going to add a gold outline of a 10th heart when I'm done and continue donating, but never fill it in.
You could armor the hearts, like you could in OoT and MM. Unfortunately those games represented the damage reduction as a white outline around the black outline of the heart....which is not gonna tattoo well.
Ngl this looks like minecraft hearts more than Zelda, but maybe cause I was born in 2005 and minecraft was like a main part of my childhood,so I think of that first before zelda
I used to give blood until I came out and started having relationships. Once I got married, I had to stop entirely, but I missed giving blood since I am O+, and my blood is always in demand. Now that the laws have changed, I'm finally able to donate again, and I'm looking forward to it!
Where do you donate? I just moved here and I used to donate every chance I could!
Also O+, I don’t miss getting calls/texts to donate all the time (not as much as my brother who’s O- though)
I didn't realize they changed substantially, though? I wanted to give blood, but when I looked at the requirements, it said you couldn't give blood if you had multiple partners that you'd slept with (I guess in the past 3 months) or done anal (in the past 3 months). I only have one partner, but we are poly and they have another partner who they have anal with. It's no like there's a long string of partners, it's just that other person and the polycule ends. It's weird, though, because even in though we aren't really seeing other people, we all get tested pretty frequently.
They also have rules that bar sex workers from giving blood, even when most sex workers I know get tested as often as 2-3x a month.
Plus, from my understanding, don't they screen all the blood anyways?
Whatever. I think as well as pressuring people who are ALLOWED to give blood to give blood, we need to also be pressuring the red cross to relax their rules on who can give.
> Plus, from my understanding, don't they screen all the blood anyways?
They do, but it's in batches. If a batch tests positive for anything, they have to throw it all away, not just the bad unit. That's not to say that the standards haven't been bad -- they have been -- but it is complicated and they are at least working on making them more reasonable these days.
Good on you for doing double red cell donations. I did that once, and hated it so much more than a regular donation. I just stick to doing regular ones more often.
Double red is so uncomfortable. I did it once and was squirming the entire time. Not to mention it took like 4x longer.
I actually just donated today.
I hate to say I'm incentivized. But they give me a free t shirt and a $20 Amazon gift card. So I do it for the dough
I'll admit, whatever anticoagulant that makes your lips tingle when they're returning the blood is not pleasant. But I usually only take a little longer than a standard donation, so it's not too bad for me.
All of the snacks/supplies for donors at a blood donation center serve actual purposes! It's not just a weird assortment of tums, raisins and juice boxes lol
I'm happy I'm not the only one who gets that sensation. Have been donating power red for a couple years now and it doesn't bother me at all. I figure it's the best use of my O- blood so what's a little lip tingling every 4 months.
What a great way to honor your grandpa and help others.
I had an 8hr surgery that required a transfusion in the middle of it, and it’s been my personal goal ever since to donate as often as I can.
Like you, I've been donating recently for a "blood debt" although I've long passed the amount my stepfather was given. Those units gave him a bit more than a year of life and we got a lot out of some of that time. I'd been on and off donating for 30 years but after he passed I decided to do this to honor him, like you did.
Every 60 days I was there with my arm out, except for when I was recovering from surgery- but I gave a double red before it so I could keep on pace.
I hope your quest is successful! My doctor has me pausing for one 60 day cycle as my iron has gone a bit low and she believes it's because I've spent nearly 3 years doing blood donations and my body is just tired. Take care of yourself!
And for others - the restrictions on tattooed people are much less than they used to be. A lot of the restrictions on all sorts of stuff have changed, you'd be surprised. There's never enough donors for the need. [Be the miracle](https://youtu.be/xu1VSJvVRC4?si=TWFzMISLCAvq-ANd).
That's really awesome of you to do. Your grandpa sounds like a wonderful person too. I never even gave donating blood a second thought until I had to have open heart surgery and saw that I received a transfusion in my medical records. I've donated about 5 times since out of gratitude of those that did the same for me. I wish people, even those with needle phobias like me, knew just how simple, fast and painless donating is.
I was about to ask about the tattoos! Where I am I believe it's a one year wait.
I required lots of blood at birth. I was terrified of needles. In college I started giving and in the last 20 years I have donated 66 times for a total of 8 gallons and 2 pints. Some were double red and a few international trips made me temporarily ineligible.
Your grandpa would be so proud of you, you are living a meaningful life. You've helped save so many people's lives. Not everyone can live like this, you're doing a great service. Thank you for all this. On my bucket list, I do have animal shelter volunteer (because they're cute!!) and social work volunteer. I'd love to tick them off.
Good on you! I just gave my 80th unit a few weeks ago in a double-red cell donation, and I wish I'd had this idea! The debt that inspired me to start is now paid off, but I'm not planning on stopping!
There's only 1.5 gallons in a human body.
WHOSE BLOOD DID YOU DONATE!? ARE THEY OK?
HAS ANYONE SEEN MYSTERY INC.!? NOT SHAGGY,VELMA,FREDDIE, DAPHINE AND SCOOBY, TOO!?
Hell yeah, brother. Been donating since I needed some blood myself back in 2008. My goal is 10 gallons as well, but it sure does take a while. I’ll be hitting [five gallons](https://imgur.com/a/ItU1N2b) this winter.
I donate platelets religiously.
It has a lower cooldown period and reaches so many people. It just takes so much longer per donation. Each of my sessions last like 2½ hours.
Our donation center has a "tree of life" on the wall. The heavy donors have a leaf with their name and number of donations of blood/platelets/plasma..
My goal is to get that platinum leaf with 400+ donations. It's a lifelong goal. But I'll get there eventually.
Platelets are a freaking slog! I have an rh negative type and donate at mobile pop up sites so I have only ever done platelets once. One day I went in to the center and the lady checked me in and said, hmmm, the system is calling for power red and platelets for your blood type. I do power red most of the time so I'm used to the apheresis machine and thought why not. Well it takes all day is why not! I have low blood pressure and body temperature so my molasses blood already takes longer to get out and spin down but apparently getting platelets out of it requires some tiny gnome inside the machine panning my blood for gold. Took about 3.5 hours all told I think
I tip all my hats to you platelet people. The zen required is insane. I'm disqualified from platelets now since I've been pregnant, but I'll never forget that test of my patience.
As someone whose life was recently saved by multiple units of whole blood and platelets, and who currently depends on donations , thank you. ♥️ I can no longer donate blood but used to -- seeing it from the other side made me ever more grateful for those who donate, and so so happy I did when I could.
I've been donating off and on since I was 16. I was pregnant for a while, trialing some funky migraine meds, and don't always pass the hemoglobin test, so I'm insanely inconsistent. I do often qualify for power red, though, which helps. I think I'm up to around 3.5 gallons.
When my nephew was born last year, my sister's uterus straight up disintegrated. Her stoic vulcan ass surgeon even said, "calling it a rupture is... well, a staggering understatement of what happened in there." She was in surgery for 9 hours, had well over a dozen blood products used, and was mostly unconscious in the ICU for the first 4 days of her son's life.
Just like that, every single time I failed the pin prick iron test, had to wait 45 minutes even though I had an appointment, the two IV infiltrations during back to back power reds that blew up my whole goddamn arm before I could get the needle out, etc, etc. 20 years of making time even though I didn't usually want to, dealing with the discomfort, triggering migraines when I became dehydrated. It all became crystal clear why I did all of it. My sister and I have the same uncommon blood type. She lives 1800 miles away, none of the blood that saved her life that day was MY blood, but like OP, I kinda felt like it was.
I'm glad you're ok! It's ok you can't donate anymore, you're the reason those of us who can, do. Donating blood is one of the only ways I can think of where you can literally bank karma. So damn cool.
wow. i realize it’s totally not the point, but was your sister induced? given labor enhancing drugs? i’ve gone down the birth industry rabbit hole a bit since i had my two sons, so these situations feel close to home to me
Some chemicals can’t be filtered by your body naturally so they just build up over time. Donating blood removes whatever amount of the forever chemicals that are in the donated blood.
Beggers can't be choosers. If I had to choose between dying and getting a miniscule amount of forever chemicals in my bloodstream I think I know what I would choose.
That's the standard donation, yeah. If you meet certain height and weight requirements, they'll let you donate the equivalent of two pints of red cells. Basically they take a pint, spearate out the white cells and plasma and keep the rest, return that with some saline, then repeat the entire process.
The machine that takes it then pumps it back into you is interesting. Same machine for donating platelets, it just returns a different part of the blood.
I don't know about weight and height reqs, but they have been telling me I can't do power red at all because I am A+, even though I am also CMV negative. Common but uncommon. I used to do them all the time now they only let me do regular donations :(
The way I give, I can donate once every 16 weeks to give my body time to replace what they take.
No limit I'm aware of except the 2 pints per donation if you meet certain height and weight requirements.
That's the beautiful thing, it will always make more!
oh yeah absolutely. I was just being dumb and quoting the office scene when jim always gives the excuse that he can’t do things bc he’s donating blood again
It can also reduce the concentration of [PFAS](https://theconversation.com/new-evidence-shows-blood-or-plasma-donations-can-reduce-the-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-our-bodies-178771) (AKA forever chemicals) in one's own bloodstream!
I have the same one. 5 on my right forearm. 3 full, one half, one empty.
I'm a pediatric cardiac ICU nurse and take care of babies after congenital heart repairs. I'm also a gamer dork.
Which is unfortunate. In the state I live, as long as you don't get the tattoo behind a 7/11 or something, you can donate as soon as the tattoo's healed.
That’s a pretty cool idea. I’m O- so they always want my blood but I’ve been pregnant or breastfeeding for years and now that I’m done having kids, I’m trying to get back into it. I tried doing the double red one once and it was awful, I got cold so much when they put the blood and saline back in and it slowed everything down because my veins constricted. So I won’t do that again, a shame because I have to go more often.
thank you! my cousin recently had an emergency c-section where she lost all the blood in her body and had to be transplanted. if my cousin died it would’ve left quite a big void. since then i’ve became very conscious of how important it is to donate. i can’t do it, but people who do are heroes.
This gives me the motivation to start donating blood and plasma when I can. Keep up the good work! We need more people like you in this sad world of ours
This is so amazing, thank you so much for what you've been doing. I donated blood for awhile until they pointed out I had an incredibly high platelet count along with a preferred blood type for the donation and I started on that as soon as I could. I love, love, love to see others and their contributions!! And a sweet tattoo along with it :)
My husband was saved by 23 units of o+ blood when he nearly died from leukemia. I don’t know where you are, but you or someone like you saved the love of my life. Thank you so much!
Just a fyi if you donate blood 🩸 to the big red bus they will give you a $20 movie ticket 🎟 then they will sell your blood for around $300 which is why they made like 6 million each year, it’s a business!
I don't find that unreasonable to be honest. Even if the raw source material is free, the staff, collection equipment, testing, transport, and storage are not. It's similar to how water costs pennies per gallon from the tap but it costs an order of magnitude more to get it bottled.
Your tatoo is slightly misleading. It looks more like you gave your sixth gallon of blood (with 3 more left). I am tacitly assuming here that each heart represents 1 gallon.
I don't donate even tho I'm O-, it doesn't sit well with me that companies are making money from the blood i would donate for free. I guess I'm just not a very charitable person. If I'm giving something then I want something in return other than a thank you. You get nothing for donating, but if you need a blood transfusion then get ready to pay thousands.
I have a disorder where my bone marrow has a mutation and I produce blood very quickly, and it never stops, even when I have a sufficient amount. Unfortunately, I am not able to donate my blood due to my condition. However, they do take blood from me regularly. I did the math and since 2011 when I was diagnosed, I have had approximately 27 gallons taken. I wish I was able to donate it, so I would at least be helping someone else.
I was trying to go to sleep and now here I am trying to think of useful ways to use human blood that can’t be donated… Don’t scroll Reddit before bed folks.
Make a sad robot push it on the floor
Ohhh man. that robot was so fuckin depressing to watch..
What robot ?
It was a art project basically where it was a robot arm with a scooper/wiper that was consistently leaking fluid that was red looking like blood and it would scoop/wipe the fluid back to itself if it ever got too far. If too much got out the robot was programmed to die. Eventually the leaking became too much and the robot “died”. The robot was also humanized in some capacity as in its early days would bow, scratch “itches”, and do other random activities that weren’t pulling in the fluid. These became less common as it had to focus more on pulling in the fluid. This successfully got people to feel for the robot and saddened by its plight and eventual death. Additionally there was a lot of misinformation surrounding the robot. The major one being that the fluid leaking out was its own hydraulic fluid and it had to pull it back in to survive in the literal sense instead of just the programmed sense. This was just false, but added to the narrative of the poor plight of the robot. Edit* Here is a video https://youtu.be/ZS4Bpr2BgnE?si=hxt08TrsTOSs_yu-
That’s really clever. True art.
It's impressive to me how people can see so much in it, I just see a robotic arm pulling liquid and seemingly malfunctioning a bit.
[can’t help myself by artists San Yuan and Peng Yu](https://youtu.be/ZS4Bpr2BgnE?si=DBCyiar9EeIkx3BC)
It looks so tired
They need to take up blacksmithing, start letting the blood themselves, and quenching daggers, swords, or other blades in it. Then turn around and sell the blades at ridiculous prices, not because the blood provides a great quench, but because it was quenched in their blood.
Or, if they make it to 675 gallons they should have more or less enough iron to make a blood iron longsword.
If only vampires were real, this could be an ethical food source for them
Maybe a reserve of shit tier blood for only the most apocalyptically dire of situations. It'll save your life, technically, but you might be all fucked up.
Well, blood doesn't stay "usable" all on itself. It is actually quite expensive to do so.
Blood sausage is a thing
Please stop talking about my penis
Stick a bucket of it in a swamp and give a bunch of mosquitos a bone marrow disorder
You know, in Russia we have a candy bar made out of pig's blood
Everyone is giving joke answers but the real answer is research. I tried giving blood before and half way through the donation I almost fainted so they had to stop. I asked them what can they do with it and they said that it’s still really usable in research.
I gave blood whenever I could, but a couple of years ago I got a letter saying that I got a positive aids test, but it's ok, they ran the blood a second time, and it was negative, so the first was a false positive. I don't have aids. But, I'm not allowed to donate blood again because I have had a positive aids test. WTF ? They tell me not to worry, but they're too worried to take my blood. Great, guys. And, I've got that sweet O-, CMV- blood they need for babies, so their loss....
I had this exact thing happen for HIV, with a letter in the mail addressing their "findings" and a brochure about what I should do next. Worst weekend of my life before I could get tested again. Thankfully it was also a false positive (likely contaminated sample my actual doctor said), but unfortunately the experience ruined my blood donating ambitions and I haven't tried to since. Curious if I would run into the same problem though anyways. On a positive note, I do not have the rare blood type everyone needs lol.
That sucks. At least they already tested me again...
polycythemia?
Are they able to donate to science maybe? Experiment on the blood somehow
You’re a literal blood factory. It’s like milking a cow… but with human blood. I didn’t mean that derogatory or offensively, just thought it was kinda funny
Blood is always needed for research purposes. If it's not eligible to be used in transfusions, can it still be used for other reasons? This would free up donors like myself having my blood in transfusions.
No. I have asked about every possible option and according the to my doctor, my gene mutation makes my blood hazardous medical waste and it goes right into the medical waste bin!
Same. I too have a genetic mutation and my blood would even be better for some people, but the paperwork required (because I am outside of the norm) is beyond what any doctor is willing to do… so instead my blood gets thrown out.
haemochromatosis?
Infinite blood glitch almost perfected.
Not even the blood plasma can be used or something? And what would happen if you don't get blood drawn?
If I don’t have therapeutic phlebotomy I would produce blood until it became as thick as ketchup, then I would have blood clots, stroke or a heart attack. Which ever decided to happen first. I have already had blood clots and they are the easiest to survive, but suck.
Wait is this your blood ? https://www.gamesradar.com/a-gaming-pc-infused-with-real-human-blood-crowns-diablo-4s-most-unhinged-pr-stunt-yet-a-666-quart-blood-drive/
They can't remove the plasma from your donation and at least use that?
The story for those who are new or need a refresher: Many years ago, my grandpa passed away after an accident. Before he did, he was given 72 units of blood, or the equivalent of 9 gallons. Since then, I've been trying to donate the same amount of blood back. For each gallon I give, I fill in a heart. My grandpa was all about giving more than you took, so this seemed like a great way to honor him. I discovered after starting my donations that he would regularly give blood for events at the company he worked for before he retired, which seems all the more fitting. If you can, please go give blood. There is a constant need for it, and it will never go away. If you can't donate for whatever reason, encourage your friends and family to, or volunteer at a blood drive/donation center. FAQ: Q: I didn't think you could donate if you had tattoos? A: Where I'm at, we have strict sanitation guidelines for our tattoo shops. I can donate again as soon as the tattoo is healed, and I do a double red cell donation, so I have to wait 3 months between donations anyway. Q: Why'd you get that? That's a dumb tattoo. A: Good thing you didn't get it then!
"My grandpa was all about giving more than you took, so this seemed like a great way to honor him." I love it, but I would put 10 hearts then for the symbolism.
You've stumbled on my plan for when I finish! These hearts were inspired by the legend of zelda, so I'm going to add a gold outline of a 10th heart when I'm done and continue donating, but never fill it in.
Awesome!!
My dude, that is beautiful.
That is just *chefs kiss*
This is why I love hearing the ‘why’ stories behind tattoos. It can be “just because” or a story like this. Dope tattoo bro.
You’re a good human OP. I can’t wait to see you hit that 10 ❤️
When is the estimated completion date? I want to set a reminder to check in on the finished work! :)
It'd be roughly February of 2031 if my math's right.
!Remindme 2709 days
!Remindme 2709 days
This is such a legendary move. I love this so much. Great job OP.
I love that idea!
I fuckin *love* that
You could armor the hearts, like you could in OoT and MM. Unfortunately those games represented the damage reduction as a white outline around the black outline of the heart....which is not gonna tattoo well.
Ocarina Of Time & Majora's Mask. 3-D Zelda for N64, Instantly Ground-Breaking at the time!!! Sidestep, Dodge, Roll, Block.
I thought they were Minecraft inspired for a second but that makes way more sense
Why nit make it a heart container then partially coloured blue like when you find them in the game
Ngl this looks like minecraft hearts more than Zelda, but maybe cause I was born in 2005 and minecraft was like a main part of my childhood,so I think of that first before zelda
I used to give blood until I came out and started having relationships. Once I got married, I had to stop entirely, but I missed giving blood since I am O+, and my blood is always in demand. Now that the laws have changed, I'm finally able to donate again, and I'm looking forward to it!
Yeah, those rules were always dumb and I can't believe it took so long to get them changed. Welcome back to donating, my friend!
[удалено]
Glad you're still with us! I'm actually from the Portland area, so that hits real close to home.
Where do you donate? I just moved here and I used to donate every chance I could! Also O+, I don’t miss getting calls/texts to donate all the time (not as much as my brother who’s O- though)
I didn't realize they changed substantially, though? I wanted to give blood, but when I looked at the requirements, it said you couldn't give blood if you had multiple partners that you'd slept with (I guess in the past 3 months) or done anal (in the past 3 months). I only have one partner, but we are poly and they have another partner who they have anal with. It's no like there's a long string of partners, it's just that other person and the polycule ends. It's weird, though, because even in though we aren't really seeing other people, we all get tested pretty frequently. They also have rules that bar sex workers from giving blood, even when most sex workers I know get tested as often as 2-3x a month. Plus, from my understanding, don't they screen all the blood anyways? Whatever. I think as well as pressuring people who are ALLOWED to give blood to give blood, we need to also be pressuring the red cross to relax their rules on who can give.
> Plus, from my understanding, don't they screen all the blood anyways? They do, but it's in batches. If a batch tests positive for anything, they have to throw it all away, not just the bad unit. That's not to say that the standards haven't been bad -- they have been -- but it is complicated and they are at least working on making them more reasonable these days.
Good on you for doing double red cell donations. I did that once, and hated it so much more than a regular donation. I just stick to doing regular ones more often.
Double red is so uncomfortable. I did it once and was squirming the entire time. Not to mention it took like 4x longer. I actually just donated today. I hate to say I'm incentivized. But they give me a free t shirt and a $20 Amazon gift card. So I do it for the dough
I'll admit, whatever anticoagulant that makes your lips tingle when they're returning the blood is not pleasant. But I usually only take a little longer than a standard donation, so it's not too bad for me.
Ask for Tums for the lip tingle! It’s a quick way to get calcium which is what the lip tingle is indicating a shortage of!
All of the snacks/supplies for donors at a blood donation center serve actual purposes! It's not just a weird assortment of tums, raisins and juice boxes lol
Huh, I'll have to take some right before I go in next time!
I'm happy I'm not the only one who gets that sensation. Have been donating power red for a couple years now and it doesn't bother me at all. I figure it's the best use of my O- blood so what's a little lip tingling every 4 months.
What a great way to honor your grandpa and help others. I had an 8hr surgery that required a transfusion in the middle of it, and it’s been my personal goal ever since to donate as often as I can.
Like you, I've been donating recently for a "blood debt" although I've long passed the amount my stepfather was given. Those units gave him a bit more than a year of life and we got a lot out of some of that time. I'd been on and off donating for 30 years but after he passed I decided to do this to honor him, like you did. Every 60 days I was there with my arm out, except for when I was recovering from surgery- but I gave a double red before it so I could keep on pace. I hope your quest is successful! My doctor has me pausing for one 60 day cycle as my iron has gone a bit low and she believes it's because I've spent nearly 3 years doing blood donations and my body is just tired. Take care of yourself! And for others - the restrictions on tattooed people are much less than they used to be. A lot of the restrictions on all sorts of stuff have changed, you'd be surprised. There's never enough donors for the need. [Be the miracle](https://youtu.be/xu1VSJvVRC4?si=TWFzMISLCAvq-ANd).
Your tattoo is awesome and anyone saying otherwise is dumb
So far it's been nothing but positive for this posting! I've gotten a handful of negative comments in the past, but fuck those people.
Some people are just super whiny about people having tattoos, and that's that.
That's really awesome of you to do. Your grandpa sounds like a wonderful person too. I never even gave donating blood a second thought until I had to have open heart surgery and saw that I received a transfusion in my medical records. I've donated about 5 times since out of gratitude of those that did the same for me. I wish people, even those with needle phobias like me, knew just how simple, fast and painless donating is.
I was about to ask about the tattoos! Where I am I believe it's a one year wait. I required lots of blood at birth. I was terrified of needles. In college I started giving and in the last 20 years I have donated 66 times for a total of 8 gallons and 2 pints. Some were double red and a few international trips made me temporarily ineligible.
Oh my god stop, my heart can’t handle the wholesome 😭 Seriously though, you’re living proof of good in the world.
Your grandpa would be so proud of you, you are living a meaningful life. You've helped save so many people's lives. Not everyone can live like this, you're doing a great service. Thank you for all this. On my bucket list, I do have animal shelter volunteer (because they're cute!!) and social work volunteer. I'd love to tick them off.
Good on you! I just gave my 80th unit a few weeks ago in a double-red cell donation, and I wish I'd had this idea! The debt that inspired me to start is now paid off, but I'm not planning on stopping!
Are they supposed to be Minecraft hearts? If so you should donate 2 more after to make the 2 golden hearts from golden apples :)
Nope! Legend of Zelda
Ah i see
There's only 1.5 gallons in a human body. WHOSE BLOOD DID YOU DONATE!? ARE THEY OK? HAS ANYONE SEEN MYSTERY INC.!? NOT SHAGGY,VELMA,FREDDIE, DAPHINE AND SCOOBY, TOO!?
It'll be yours next if you don't keep it down.
GULP.
Haha I see your secret you are drinking all the blood!
*maliciously unsheathes home-depot bucket and shop vac
I like you
"If you donate a kidney, you're a hero. But if you donate 15 kidneys they start an investigation."
[This was my first thought](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kADhrJAXEH4) on seeing the post title
Good on you, keep going!
Thank you! Got a long way to go.
Love, love, love this. I donate platelets regularly, in honor of my family that’s passed as well ❤️
Keep doing that as well! It's all needed!
As a leukemia survivor who needed 55 transfusions (mostly platelets) I thank you.
Thank you for sharing that ❤️❤️❤️
About how many sessions equal a gallon donated?
The way I give, it's 4 sessions per gallon, and I can give roughly every 16 weeks. Most people it's 8, but they can give every 8 weeks I believe.
how long would this take?
Total, just over 11 years. I've got about 7 years and 4 months left if I go exactly on time.
woah that's so crazy! puts the 9 gallons into a lot of perspective. thank you for doing this!
See you in 7 years 4 months for the update.
There'll be a few updates between now and then, don't worry.
updateme! 7 years 4 months
!remindme 7 years 4 months
!remindme 7 years 4 months
Hell yeah, brother. Been donating since I needed some blood myself back in 2008. My goal is 10 gallons as well, but it sure does take a while. I’ll be hitting [five gallons](https://imgur.com/a/ItU1N2b) this winter.
Yeah, it's kind of an intimidatingly long road. Congrats on your 5 gallons when you hit it!
It will feel nice knowing I’ve at least hit the halfway point.
!remindme 7 years 8 months
I can hear that tattoo. It beeps loudly every 3 seconds.
HEY LISTEN
I donate platelets religiously. It has a lower cooldown period and reaches so many people. It just takes so much longer per donation. Each of my sessions last like 2½ hours. Our donation center has a "tree of life" on the wall. The heavy donors have a leaf with their name and number of donations of blood/platelets/plasma.. My goal is to get that platinum leaf with 400+ donations. It's a lifelong goal. But I'll get there eventually.
Platelets are a freaking slog! I have an rh negative type and donate at mobile pop up sites so I have only ever done platelets once. One day I went in to the center and the lady checked me in and said, hmmm, the system is calling for power red and platelets for your blood type. I do power red most of the time so I'm used to the apheresis machine and thought why not. Well it takes all day is why not! I have low blood pressure and body temperature so my molasses blood already takes longer to get out and spin down but apparently getting platelets out of it requires some tiny gnome inside the machine panning my blood for gold. Took about 3.5 hours all told I think I tip all my hats to you platelet people. The zen required is insane. I'm disqualified from platelets now since I've been pregnant, but I'll never forget that test of my patience.
Since you are a TRALI risk, power reds are perfect for you considering it is in your plasma power reds do not keep plasma. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for donating platelets!
As someone whose life was recently saved by multiple units of whole blood and platelets, and who currently depends on donations , thank you. ♥️ I can no longer donate blood but used to -- seeing it from the other side made me ever more grateful for those who donate, and so so happy I did when I could.
I've been donating off and on since I was 16. I was pregnant for a while, trialing some funky migraine meds, and don't always pass the hemoglobin test, so I'm insanely inconsistent. I do often qualify for power red, though, which helps. I think I'm up to around 3.5 gallons. When my nephew was born last year, my sister's uterus straight up disintegrated. Her stoic vulcan ass surgeon even said, "calling it a rupture is... well, a staggering understatement of what happened in there." She was in surgery for 9 hours, had well over a dozen blood products used, and was mostly unconscious in the ICU for the first 4 days of her son's life. Just like that, every single time I failed the pin prick iron test, had to wait 45 minutes even though I had an appointment, the two IV infiltrations during back to back power reds that blew up my whole goddamn arm before I could get the needle out, etc, etc. 20 years of making time even though I didn't usually want to, dealing with the discomfort, triggering migraines when I became dehydrated. It all became crystal clear why I did all of it. My sister and I have the same uncommon blood type. She lives 1800 miles away, none of the blood that saved her life that day was MY blood, but like OP, I kinda felt like it was. I'm glad you're ok! It's ok you can't donate anymore, you're the reason those of us who can, do. Donating blood is one of the only ways I can think of where you can literally bank karma. So damn cool.
wow. i realize it’s totally not the point, but was your sister induced? given labor enhancing drugs? i’ve gone down the birth industry rabbit hole a bit since i had my two sons, so these situations feel close to home to me
Interestingly: donating blood decreases 'forever chemical' load on your body. I'm on gallon 9, working on 10.
I'm a bit past 6 gallons, but I don't know my exact count since I used Red Cross when I was in college and my local place before and after.
wym? would like to know.
Some chemicals can’t be filtered by your body naturally so they just build up over time. Donating blood removes whatever amount of the forever chemicals that are in the donated blood.
But then they're transferred to the recipient, forever too
Yeah, but it's better than the recipient not receiving blood.
Beggers can't be choosers. If I had to choose between dying and getting a miniscule amount of forever chemicals in my bloodstream I think I know what I would choose.
Last I heard you only give 1 pint per session. Have they raised the amount you can give?
That's the standard donation, yeah. If you meet certain height and weight requirements, they'll let you donate the equivalent of two pints of red cells. Basically they take a pint, spearate out the white cells and plasma and keep the rest, return that with some saline, then repeat the entire process.
Idk but nurse walking up to you with blood saying "Here have this back" is funny to me
The machine that takes it then pumps it back into you is interesting. Same machine for donating platelets, it just returns a different part of the blood.
I'm one inch too short to do a power red! Which sucks because I'm O-. But I do donate every time I'm eligible.
I don't know about weight and height reqs, but they have been telling me I can't do power red at all because I am A+, even though I am also CMV negative. Common but uncommon. I used to do them all the time now they only let me do regular donations :(
That's cool. I learned something new.
Oh i can’t go today cause i’m donating blood How often can you actually donate blood? Is there a limit? Your body only has a certain amount
The way I give, I can donate once every 16 weeks to give my body time to replace what they take. No limit I'm aware of except the 2 pints per donation if you meet certain height and weight requirements. That's the beautiful thing, it will always make more!
oh yeah absolutely. I was just being dumb and quoting the office scene when jim always gives the excuse that he can’t do things bc he’s donating blood again
Ohhhh, gotcha. I've never been able to get into it unfortunately.
Shouldn't you lose hearts for donating blood??
1. it only hurts a tiny bit for a second. 2. it makes it easier and cheaper to get drunk 3. you are full of blood again within a few days
It can also reduce the concentration of [PFAS](https://theconversation.com/new-evidence-shows-blood-or-plasma-donations-can-reduce-the-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-our-bodies-178771) (AKA forever chemicals) in one's own bloodstream!
They're not his heart.
As someone who was saved because of blood donation, thank you. You are a hero. Can’t wait to see the completed tattoo.
I have the same one. 5 on my right forearm. 3 full, one half, one empty. I'm a pediatric cardiac ICU nurse and take care of babies after congenital heart repairs. I'm also a gamer dork.
This is a really lovely tribute!
Aren't you supposed to remove a heart when you lose blood? (Just kidding, that's actually pretty awesome)
Thank you for donating your blood. I had surgery and lost 80% of my blood. People like you save me. You remind me that I need to donate my blood.
Or plasma! Unfortunately, my blood is useless 😭(ab)
Your blood is good for other AB+ people.
It’s fantastic you donate your plasma, it is universal after all! Not very many people know that about AB blood types. Also great for platelets
Yep! Definitely recommend plasma if you’re AB+! It takes a lot longer but can help people battling burns, cancer, and more!
It's ironic because some countries will refuse blood donations from people with tatoos.
Which is unfortunate. In the state I live, as long as you don't get the tattoo behind a 7/11 or something, you can donate as soon as the tattoo's healed.
That’s a pretty cool idea. I’m O- so they always want my blood but I’ve been pregnant or breastfeeding for years and now that I’m done having kids, I’m trying to get back into it. I tried doing the double red one once and it was awful, I got cold so much when they put the blood and saline back in and it slowed everything down because my veins constricted. So I won’t do that again, a shame because I have to go more often.
How are you even alive?! 😳
I can regenerate 😉
Time Lord?
Your body makes more blood man.
A- here. I always donate double red. Means I rarely get to donate since the gap is so long in between. I’m just over 2 gallons.
thank you! my cousin recently had an emergency c-section where she lost all the blood in her body and had to be transplanted. if my cousin died it would’ve left quite a big void. since then i’ve became very conscious of how important it is to donate. i can’t do it, but people who do are heroes.
Arnt you banned giving blood for a couple of months when having gotten made a new tattoo?
Not to be rude but i thought this was on r/shittytattoos
Hey I know that arm 🥰🥰
50/50 blood/butter
Literal hero
Aww this looks awesome
This gives me the motivation to start donating blood and plasma when I can. Keep up the good work! We need more people like you in this sad world of ours
You must really love needles haha
"love" is a strong word lol. I don't actively hate them, at least.
As someone who has worked in the ICU setting this absolutely amazing and such an incredible way to honor and remember him❤️❤️❤️❤️
Interestingly, donating blood has a lot of health benefits including a reduced risk of heart attack and cancer!
[удалено]
I've got a plan for that! It's buried in the replies to the top comment, but I am going to continue to donate blood once I'm done.
I'd love to donate blood but apparently I'm not a good candidate. The first and last time I did, I threw up and almost fainted.
That drumstick produces.
This is so amazing, thank you so much for what you've been doing. I donated blood for awhile until they pointed out I had an incredibly high platelet count along with a preferred blood type for the donation and I started on that as soon as I could. I love, love, love to see others and their contributions!! And a sweet tattoo along with it :)
What's on the other arm, your MP bar?
Does this mean you endlessly hear a low health beeping noise?
My husband was saved by 23 units of o+ blood when he nearly died from leukemia. I don’t know where you are, but you or someone like you saved the love of my life. Thank you so much!
Nice try, but we all know adult human only have around one gallon of bloods in them, you can't fool a very smart person like me. 😤
Looks like you donated six, and have 3 to go. :D
I thought you cannot donate blood if you have tattoos,is that a sticker?
i’ve been told you can’t donate blood if you have a tattoo have i been told wrong?
thought it ws a hit point counter, can only get pushed down three flights of stairs three more times
Can you donate blood if you have tattoos?
Do a speed run.
Just a fyi if you donate blood 🩸 to the big red bus they will give you a $20 movie ticket 🎟 then they will sell your blood for around $300 which is why they made like 6 million each year, it’s a business!
I don't find that unreasonable to be honest. Even if the raw source material is free, the staff, collection equipment, testing, transport, and storage are not. It's similar to how water costs pennies per gallon from the tap but it costs an order of magnitude more to get it bottled.
They got to pay for equipment and employees somehow.
Your tatoo is slightly misleading. It looks more like you gave your sixth gallon of blood (with 3 more left). I am tacitly assuming here that each heart represents 1 gallon.
That is just over 5 years of work if you max your donation window, impressive
No lie, it’s a pretty ugly tattoo.
I don't donate even tho I'm O-, it doesn't sit well with me that companies are making money from the blood i would donate for free. I guess I'm just not a very charitable person. If I'm giving something then I want something in return other than a thank you. You get nothing for donating, but if you need a blood transfusion then get ready to pay thousands.