It appears that I can't donate blood.

[NNadir]

I'm a long time blood donor, going back more decades than I'd care to confess. The Red Cross hounds me all the time, and I don't even have a rare blood type.

But my life was saved when I was a kid by a blood donation, and I've always done by best to give in to the hounding and donate when there is time.

One of the recent emails said, "Free Covid antibody testing, with a blood donation." I said to myself, "I should do that one, what the heck," but I didn't get around to making my appointment. Today I needed a tee shirt and one that came out of the pile was one of those donor, "I saved a life today," tee shirts I use for yard work so reminded, I said to myself, "I'll go down to the computer and sign up."

Apparently the free antibody testing has led to a run appointments. Here in Central New Jersey, there seem to be no appointments available anywhere; they're full.

It's a good thing I guess. The testing and screening is a good thing too, since antibody positive blood has been considered as a possible treatment for severe Covid cases.

Eventually they'll be a shortage again, and I'll head on in when they really need me.

[Skittles]

1. it's now part of their screening

sad that some people will donate only if there's something in it for them; they should never have to "beg" for donations (I'm a 56 gallon donor)

https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/press-release/2020/red-cross-announces-testing-of-all-blood-donations-for-covid-19-antibodies.html

[NNadir]

5. 56 gallons. That's very impressive.

I have to say, I have no idea how much I've donated. I've given in lots of the jurisdictions in which I've lived, and while I may have had a donor card at one point, they ask me every time if I have one and I don't. I lose track. They call me when I'm due, or they send me an email, and I usually get around to it.

I very much enjoy having to answer all the great questions about my sex life, every time, even though my sex life is apparently pedestrian, as well as describing all the times I've been to Europe. It seems that many people live lives more, um, interesting than mine.

(One time, back in the 1990's, I was refused because I'd been to England recently. I told them I'm a lactovegetarian and I don't eat cows, at all, never mind their brains, but it didn't matter. It was the time of BSE - I had to sign all kinds of forms about BSE at my job in those days as well. I did find the BSE thing a little annoying. I kind of miss that was all we had to worry about back then.)

I recently gave platelet donations a shot - twice, but failed both times for bad veins pumping the platelet drained blood back in. I decline to try that again, the techs really messed up my arms.

One time, I donated for a co-worker's father - we had the same blood type - and after that she had to endure years of jokes in which I called her "sister" because we were "blood relatives."

Because I'm very monogamous, I've always felt doubly compelled to donate, because, well, I know my blood is clean. Yours must be as well.

My sister-in-law is a Covid survivor, and she donated for the first time, for a friend with Covid. I'm amused. She acted like she had brain surgery.

You and I know, it's generally pretty easy, and you get a nice cookie and some orange juice in a box, and sometimes a tee shirt.

Congrats on that milestone. I'm impressed. I've given a lot, but I can't imagine it's 56 gallons.

You've saved some lives, for sure.

[panader0]

6. Wow Skittles. 56 gallons!

How much at a time and how often?

[Skittles]

8. for a long time now it has been double platelets

that's a couple hours every few weeks, if I can pass that damn iron test.......I have made over 400 trips to the blood center

actually, I have more than 56 gallons, that's just in this area the past 27 years

[Louis1895]

2. I am also a regular donor...

...and gave last Wednesday. For the first time ever, I had a hard time finding a time slot to donate, even though there seemed to be more drives than normal.

[Salviati]

3. Maybe you picked up the ALAS virus during your blood transfusion...

... (note: not a real virus) your story just reminded me of a short story I had read a long time ago...

http://www.davidbrin.com/fiction/givingplague.html

[rurallib]

4. The cut back in "elective" surgeries and the cut back in driving & thus many less accidents

has drastically cut the need for blood. Blood can only be stored for a short period.

Actually there is a blood trading system that moves blood around the country fairly efficiently.

The hospital where I give has always been a pretty much self contained entity. But in April and early May they were unable to fill their own needs and had to get some from the trading system.

Now that the virus seems to be somewhat stabilized around here people are back to donating. Plus they have picked up many new donors.

[3catwoman3]

9. The decrease in driving has also resulted in...

...a shortage of organs for donation - fewer people are being mortally wounded in car accidents because of less time on the road.

My husband read about this yesterday.

[Aristus]

10. Neither can I.

I was stationed in Germany from 1989 to 1991. That is a risk factor for exposure to Creuzfeld-Jakob. There's no office test for it, so I'm banned for life (or until they get an office test for it, and there's no real demand for it) from donating blood...

[LeftInTX]

11. Hubby is O+

Universal donor. The blood bank used to always call!

[NNadir]

12. So is my wife. One of her sister is O- and apparently has never donated.

My wife has donated, but often gets rejected for her hemocrit.

They call her a lot though.

Then again, they call me a lot too and I'm nothing special.