1st time blood donor

[vanilla]

if i wana donate blood for the first time, do i needa do anything in advance or can i donate on that day?

[Shan Xue]

There is nothing you need to do in advance. Rest well and eat your meal b4 donation.

You can also read up on the criteria and reasons for temporary deferral to check whether you can donate blood.

http://www.hsa.gov.sg/html/consumer/ctm_how_to_be_a_donor.html

[vanilla]

does it mean that the health check is followed by the donation? as in on the same day? cos i wana donate blood on dis particular day...

[Shan Xue]

if you want to donate blood on a certain day, you have to make sure you do not have cough, fever, have not taken medicine for the past 3 days, etc. that's why to prevent a wasted trip, it is best you read the criteria and reasons for temporary deferral at http://www.hsa.gov.sg/html/consumer/ctm_how_to_be_a_donor.html

on the day of the blood donation, you have to fill up a declaration form to declare. the declaration is to check that you are eligible to donate blood, do not have illness or taken medicine, etc. after you submit the declaration, the doctor will do the health check up b4 you can donate. the health check consists of checking your declaration form, taking your blood pressure and pulse rate. at a separate counter, your hameoglobin level will be tested. sad to say, many females fail the hamoeglobin test and hence cannot donate.

for the procedures on blood donation, pls refer to http://www.hsa.gov.sg/html/consumer/ctm_donation_procedures.html

[vanilla]

uh sorry. one last question...uve donated b4 right? was it painful?

[krishnan]

Hi Vanilla,

The Blood donation process is not painfull in Singapore.

You will be administered a local anesthesia before the blood donation.
(this just feels like a prick)
Once the anesthesia is active, you will not feel the pain at all.

In addition, to encourage first-timers the HSA will issue a special sticker.
This ensures that you are given special attention and care.

As Shan Xue rightly points out, eat your meal atleast 1 hour before donation. (1 hour for digestion)

Trust me, I donate atleast 3 times in a year.

cheers,
Krishnan
Chairman, Donorweb

[Shan Xue]

Hi vanilla,

You are welcomed. i have donated b4. i won't say it is painless but the pain scale is 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most severe).

two times you will be bitten by a red ant (analogy to the pain level). once during the prick on your finger to draw blood to test your hamoeglobin level and 2nd time for the needle injection on your arm to apply local anesthesia. it is bearable. the small pain is definitely worthwhile considering that your bag of blood can save 3 lives.

as krishnan correctly pointed out, once the anesthesia is active, you will not feel the pain at all. insertion of the tube to draw blood is painless, drawing out of the tube after the donation is painless.

after your donation, remember to rest for at least 10 mins while having your refreshment.

Happy blood donation :D

[vanilla]

heyy. im going for blood donation tml~! gosh. im so excited cos its my first. wish me lucks=D

[Shan Xue]

May you be able to donate successfully :D

[Jon G]

Hi vanilla,

You are welcomed. i have donated b4. i won't say it is painless but the pain scale is 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most severe).

two times you will be bitten by a red ant (analogy to the pain level). once during the prick on your finger to draw blood to test your hamoeglobin level and 2nd time for the needle injection on your arm to apply local anesthesia. it is bearable. the small pain is definitely worthwhile considering that your bag of blood can save 3 lives.

Ha~ IMO the first prick maybe is 1 out of 10... but the second prick I would say is maybe a 2 or 3 (depends on how long the nurse takes to inject the anesthetic)

After that, pump, pump away!

[Shan Xue]

Hi vanilla,

Ha~ IMO the first prick maybe is 1 out of 10... but the second prick I would say is maybe a 2 or 3 (depends on how long the nurse takes to inject the anesthetic)

After that, pump, pump away!

Thanks Jon G for giving a more accurate description of the pain level. i have forgotton the experience of whole blood donation until last fri. the prick for the anesthetic is more painful than the prick to test the hameoglobin. for plasma and platelet donation, there is no prick to test the hameoglobin.

[taw]

hey.. i'm new here and i hv a qn to ask..

hmm.. can i go for a jog in the morning and then go for blood donation in the afternoon? should i or shouldnt i?

i think it is alright if i go jogging the next day after donation right?

thanks. :D

[evehow]

You can most certainly jog in the morning before you donate. The main concern here is that jogging may somehow affect your ability to donate. There's been some studies suggesting that prolonged running can actually bring your haemoglobin levels lower, but I believe it's in the very extreme cases (like marathon races). For slow jogging, should not be a problem.

As for jogging the following day, it really depends on how intense your jog is. I think you should judge by how you feel and be perpared to take it slow :)

I time my donation such that I don't have to exercise 1 day after the donation.

[Shan Xue]

hey.. i'm new here and i hv a qn to ask..

hmm.. can i go for a jog in the morning and then go for blood donation in the afternoon? should i or shouldnt i?

i think it is alright if i go jogging the next day after donation right?

thanks. :D

no problem. i often do that on sat early morning and donate late morning.

however, jogging in the morning may increase your blood pressure and pulse rate even hours after the activity. too high a blood pressure and pulse rate will disqualify you from donation. for me, it is not a problem because my blood pressure and pulse rate is on the low end.

jogging the next day is ok. i often do that too. i plan not to exercise on the same day though. as eve mention, it depends on the intensity. for instance if you are taking your physical fitness test 2.4 km run, i would recommend 3 days after blood donation.

[vanilla]

do kids under 18 need a consent form for their 2nd visit?

[Shan Xue]

looking at the consent form, it should be required also for the 2nd visit. Parents can only determine his/her child conditions just before each donation.

http://www.hsa.gov.sg/docs/parentconsentfinal.pdf

to confirm, you may want to call the blood bank.

[section9]

hi everyone, i'm willing to donate blood but am not sure how things work. So if according to the calendar, there's a donation drive at St. Stephen's School tomorrow (4th June), can i just have to bring identification, eat at least an hour in advance then walk in to donate blood?

[Shan Xue]

Sure you can. You do NOT need to fast to donate blood. However, it is good to avoid any oily or unhealthy food a few hours before you donate. You need to be free from medication for the past 3 days. Vitamin supplement such as vitamin C is allowed.

[shar_ila]

I would like to know..if its our first time to go and donate blood must we register first or anything or just go to the place?

[Shan Xue]

Just go there. No need to register. Bring your IC along.