Mmm, iron.

[brigdh]

*pouts*

I, apparently, do not have enough iron to give blood. I made plans to prevent this! I ate chicken on Tuesday, and fish this afternoon! I've been eating more meat than I have in years. So why do I not have enough iron? I should have iron! I should not have blood that bobs straight to the surface during the iron test instead of sinking like it's supposed to.

I was even there with a friend who had never given blood before, but whom I'd convinced to come. She got to give blood. See how unfair it all is? Life is so cruel.

Stupid... blood.

Comments

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

I didn't even know they tested for iron. They've always bounced me for not weighing enough, which must happen before they get to the part where they check for whether your blood is up to their standards.

But Xan's right: most people need to start the iron-building process weeks in advance, not days in advance. If you have been, and you're still losing weight no matter what you eat, you might want to check in with your medical people and make sure there isn't some issue that you should be aware of. If only because having enough iron in your blood is likely to help with being miserable and chilled in the winter.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yep. After they've finished asking the questions (how much do you weigh, when was the last time you've donated, have you paid someone in money or drugs to have sex with you, have you ever had brain covering matter injected- the questions just get more bizarre as you go along), they take your temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, and then prick the pad of one of your fingers, take a few drops of blood, and test it for iron.

Everyone I know agrees that the one little needle prick hurts more than the actual donation, but I don't know why.

And yes, the nurse told me that it'd take about a month before I'd be able to donate. I'm not particulary worried about it; I'm sure it's just because I don't eat meat and not a serious medical issue. I've always tended to have fairly low iron because of my diet- I decided I was a vegetarian back when I was 15, and though I'm much less strict about it lately, I still avoid meat most days. I think I'd know if it was serious. I had anemia once, and I don't feel at all tired and engeryless like I did then.