Saturday is World Blood Donor Day, celebrated by the World Health Organization. A few weeks ago, I talked a little bit about blood donation, but now I want to talk more personally as a frequent blood donor. This is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor. This is from my personal experiences for the purposes of education.
Fill Out Any Forms Beforehand
Blood donation centers should have a donor questionnaire for you to fill out. It’s usually about certain risky behaviors and travel history as well as any medications you are on. These questionnaires can take a while if you do them at the center, but there is usually an option to fill it out in advance at your convenience. This can expedite your check-in process.
Drink Lots of Water and Eat Well
Making sure you eat and drink well can help the donation process and make sure you recover. Again, this is not medical advice, but I only skipped breakfast before blood donation once. It was not a pleasant experience. I have usually had smooth donations but that time I almost passed out after my donation. Luckily, they had snacks on hand for me afterwards but I never skipped a meal before donation again.
Bring a Buddy
This person can be a friend who is donating with you or they can be a support person. It might scare you less if you have someone to go with you.
Have you ever donated blood? Let us know down below!
Written by Brigid Stakelum
