When did you last give blood?

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Little Nemo May 2021 9:06am, 9 May 2021 12,227 posts	0 Little Nemo Feeling fine now, slept for nearly 11 hours last night!
LindsD May 2021 10:37am, 9 May 2021 46,899 posts	0 LindsD That's good
jelly (limegreenjelly) May 2021 12:48pm, 9 May 2021 651 posts	0 jelly (limegreenjelly) I’ve just managed to bring my appointment forward! Things starting to get back to normal!
ftrobbie May 2021 1:02pm, 14 May 2021 308 posts	0 ftrobbie As a NHSBT interval study donor, had the six monthly newsletter through. Interesting piece on Haemoglobin testing changes link below nihr.ac.uk Previous newsletters available here intervalstudy.org.uk
ftrobbie May 2021 1:05pm, 14 May 2021 309 posts	0 ftrobbie The interval study group was set up many years ago to look at what was a safe interval for people to donate at, previously it was a best guess. It led to the different interval gaps for blood donation for men and women.
HappyG(rrr) May 2021 2:40pm, 14 May 2021 38,701 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I'm in next week - hope I don't fail my Hb test! Iron tabs, no running immediately before etc. Water, but no coffee too? G
HappyG(rrr) May 2021 2:44pm, 14 May 2021 38,702 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) Good link ftrobbie, thnaks. "The HemoCue test needs just a pinprick of blood from a finger, which is checked by a HemoCue machine to calculate an accurate haemoglobin level. Depending on the results, donors are either deferred or allowed to give blood. HemoCue’s main disadvantage is that it would have deferred up to about 14% of donors who could have donated, i.e. their haemoglobin levels were actually high enough to donate blood. NHSBT continually recruits new donors to mitigate for the loss of existing ones." Doesn't mitigate for a disappointed donor who wants his Tunnock's Tea Cake! G
LindsD May 2021 8:40pm, 14 May 2021 47,008 posts	0 LindsD I was on the interval but then got banned for a year
poppyH May 2021 9:24pm, 14 May 2021 1,362 posts	0 poppyH Monday, felt fine all week but today's pool session was a real slog. Have booked next session for September.
ftrobbie May 2021 10:45pm, 14 May 2021 310 posts	0 ftrobbie I thought it was interesting in that the CuSO4 test which has been a staple for years and cheap was found to be ineffective. I remember, providing the sample sank within 30 secs it was ok, more recently unless it sinks immediately you potentially have low haemoglobin levels. Hermocue testing has been on the rise for the last 18 months in my experience. NHSBT seem to have changed their stance to make donation teams aware of donor welfare. Previously I got the impression that donation teams would do whatever they could to help you donate provided your donation wouldn't harm the recipient. Or perhaps I've got wiser as I have got older