After being diagnosed, I researched and found that not only can frequent blood donation cause or contribute to iron deficiency or anemia, but that the FDA also allows blood centers to take blood from donors who are already anemic without informing donors. They came back less than 5 minutes later, tested my other hand, and said my iron levels were "good enough for a donation". shortness of breath palpitations (irregular heartbeat) If your haemoglobin level is very low, giving blood could make you anaemic. The amount of iron reserves can be estimated by measuring ferritin levels. This allows them to receive help straight away if they have any adverse side effects. I felt giving blood was a good thing to do that took a small bit of time. I was a "life donor". I am a very active person who used to do a lot of cleaning after workday, but now all I want to do after I get home is lay on the couch. I was sincerely scared and scarred from this experience. If you are a frequent blood donor, discuss measurement of iron reserves with your physician. Sudden dizziness. Had no idea how closely I needed to monitor my iron stores. Met multiple doctors and all give medicine for acidity. Despite health benefits of blood donationI mention above, blood donation also have side effects you should know before you go and generously donating your blood. Thank you for donating blood today. Shortness of breath can be caused by: a blocked airway, such as when a tumour blocks or puts pressure on structures around an airway narrowing of the airway (called bronchospasm) side effects of radiation therapy, such as damage and inflammation to the lungs (called radiation pneumonitis) Naturally, the blood center loved me. It happens when antibodies in the donor blood, such as human leukocyte antibodies, react with the recipients leukocytes, or white blood cells. According to a 2020 article, the most common signs that indicate a person is experiencing an adverse reaction include: However, these symptoms can resolve with little or no treatment. And I'm hoping a rare one. If you feel ill before donating your blood you must tell the donor center so that the infection of your blood will not be transmitted to the donors receiver. On the other hand, you may have visited a blood collector I've never been to; I left out their name and my location on purpose; I don't want to cause them a shortage of donations, just inform donors to be wise and get your blood work done at your yearly physical. https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/blood-donation-process/before-during-after/iron-blood-donation/donors-deferred-forlowhemoglobin.html. Shortness of breath on exposure to allergens or provoking agents. The most common causes of short-term dyspnea are: Anxiety disorders. Paid employees of the blood centers are called phlebotomists, or "bloodletters," and they can help determine your eligibility. Became anemic quickly learned that even my GP didn't know much about anemia due to blood donation. Before i jump to the main topic i want to recall that not everybody can donate her/his blood. Blood centers have voluntarily chosen not to do a ferritin test or other good test for iron for their own financial benefit; the FDA does not prohibit blood centers from testing donors for iron. Anyone else have bad shortness of breath after covid and how long did it last? Iron supplement overdose is the LEADING CAUSE of FATAL POISONINGs for children under 6. the next day was also fine, but my arms felt kind of painful. regulations might even require it soon. I hopped on the next bus, got home 5 minutes later and didnt move a muscle out of my bed. So RN or not, they took blood from me when I (a male) was already anemic, which I found out only months after donating blood and after I was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia by doing a HIPAA request to the blood center to get my hemoglobin level they measured with a fingerprick blood sample before they took my blood. Low red blood cell counts (anemia). You should never donate blood without this information being TOLD to you. I couldn't blame it on being old because I was only 40 and I couldn't blame it on drugs or alcohol because I don't do those things. Stoke is the major concern due to the normal pooling of the blood.= due to FIB. I do my own blood testing at LabCorp through Wnlk-In-Lab and used 23andMe.com for my RAW DNA data results I plugged into a third party online analysis software system (Livewello, etc.). Wondering if there's a cutoff age? i kept zoning out from time to time. I got dizzy, nauseous, disoriented, overheated and then my vision went. The nurses who monitor me are nurses, with medical training mostly coming out of hospitals seeking a more positive career - lots of people die in hospitals after all. People will rest at the donation center after they have given blood. I started not being able to breathe playing ice hockey. note that im strictly an early riser. Firstly, who do you rely on at a blood drive to keep your interests in mind? Working at United Blood Services, I can tell you that our donors are just as important as our patients. Before your donation. "Individuals who donate more than once every four weeks should be monitored," Puca said. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Today i woke up still very dizzy, weak and with a horrible headache. Shortness of breath is a common symptom of allergy, infection, inflammation, injury, or certain metabolic conditions. If the site begins to bleed again, they can apply pressure for 25 minutes, and keep the bandage in place for a further 4 hours. Sudden shortness of breath, or breathing difficulty (dyspnoea), is the most common reason for visiting a hospital accident and emergency department. This effect is commonly occur to donors after donating their blood. Not good. If you have signs and symptoms of a low hemoglobin count, make an appointment with your doctor. or will it pass soon? A blood clot in your lungs, known as pulmonary embolism. Feel faint, dizzy and/or nauseated; faint and/or have muscle spasms. If a person is experiencing any of the above symptoms, a nurse or doctor will stop the transfusion. It's very important when it comes to maintaining your health. Did you actually suffer a stroke and obtain permanent neurological damage or was that just reversible anemia? Low red blood cell count, called anemia. It was not professional for the employees to be discussing such things in front of donors. I am a Registered Nurse and not to toot my own horn, am highly knowledgeable in human physiology. safe to say im never donating again. Some people will experience minor side effects of donating blood, such as lightheadedness, bruising, or light bleeding. If you feel nausea it is usually follow by vomiting. I too gave blood on a reqular basis whenever blood drive came to my place of employment or at local blood drive location close to my home. Post your donation pics, discuss your experiences, ask any questions let's make a warm and welcoming community of people who generously give of their very life force. It is normal to feel a little bit tired after donating blood because theres less circulation of blood to the brain. I hope this experience does not scare your readers and deter them from donating blood. If the problem continues, make an appointment with your doctor. If an individual experiences any severe symptoms, they should contact their doctor, or call 911 in an emergency. Wow. Everyone in my family gets them though. Blood transfusion safety and risks. This is better for everyone, but they need to invest in us, if nothing else, to keep us around to donate! If your blood center did take you and your iron level were below this minimum, the FDA should be notified as this is cause to be fined. McPherson RA, et al. Have been turned away often due to low BP and/or low hemo, but am at nearly 4 gallons. There may be something wrong in your blood system that effect your health. There must have been a pre-existing medical condition, genetic anomaly or illness behind this. Difficulty Breathing After Baby Difficulty Breathing After Baby Watch on What causes long term shortness of breath? Last time I donated i had to lay off the cardio for a week. Chris Hibbard (author) on April 30, 2012: @Dreamer, I omitted my location and the name of my blood center for legal reasons. severe shortness of breath fever low blood pressure Treatment Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms: For mild cases, a person will need oxygen therapy. In medication from past 2 weeks with bland diet, fruits an vegetable but shortness of breath persists. People who donate blood may also experience side effects, such as minor bruising or feeling lightheaded. Jo D Vasque from Upper Arlington, Ohio on September 18, 2013: I think what people need to realize is that Chris was giving his story to inform others of "what" could happen. why are the headaches only one sided, why so many things. In TACO, the circulatory system becomes overwhelmed, resulting in pulmonary edema where the lungs fill up with excess fluid. I was concerned about the pins and needles I had been experiencing in my hands and feet along with dizziness, itchy skin, shortness of breath and complete exhaustion that just made me want to cry, I feel so emotional and fuzzy headed ! However, it is a very rare occurrence, and it has become less prevalent since the introduction of the irradiation of blood products. This will help prevent bruising, help the needle site heal, and allow your body to readjust to the blood loss. Shortness of breathwhat doctors call dyspneais the unpleasant sensation of having difficulty breathing. Chris, after your accident and when you were in the hospital, were you diagnosed with anemia, based on your hemoglobin or hematocrit level then? Im waiting to see the doctor to discus my results. I don't run any marathons, but I do walk five miles a day, sometimes seven days a week. The Red Cross is out there to help people, but I have to question if they get as many donors as they can to get some type of kickback from the government by showing that they can keep the blood flowing. The shortness of breath is in this case an illusion. Its terrible. My blood specialist told me neither has enough iron to help me, I need quite a bit more, either pills or IV. The fever is part of the persons white blood cells response to the new blood. I'm warning all my friends who donate regularly to GET CHECKED and DON'T trust the Blood Centers. BIG MISTAKE! Chest pain that gets worse. This includes your lung tissue. Donating 5 times a year? Now I realized that I should take care myself first. It was thought to be inflammation from the procedure, started about week2 and lasted about 6 weeks. Yes, an increase in hemoglobin, red blood cells, and hematocrit leads to shortness of breath. That being said, yes, most people have too much iron in their blood, especially men, since they do not lose it through monthly menstruation. He found that my iron stores were completely depleted. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Now I just received a letter saying my ferritin level is a 8 and I may be anemic . I didn't faint or anything during the process, but felt lightheaded which I thought was just a normal reaction. ONE OF MY REASON,IS BECAUSE I HAVE NOT DONATED BLOOD OVER TWENTY YRS. I gave blood back in February and within three days had a major ocular migraine incident that I wrote this article. I'm a strong believer in supplements and have taken Vitamin C and E religiously for around 40 years. Here, we look at the positive effects of donating blood and some temporary physical side effects that can occur. The causes of shortness of breath range from very strenuous exercise and extreme temperatures to obesity and higher altitude. Sad but true. They test hemoglobin. And yes you can have high hemoglobin and low iron. Learn more about how to recover after donating blood here. The FDA permits but does not require blood centers to take blood from already anemic donors, and blood centers choose to actually do so. Can I donate blood after getting a tattoo? He ruled out a bleeding ulcer and I tested positive for Celiac disease through a blood serum test. It occurs when the recipient develops antibodies against the platelets. Dyspnea is one of the most common symptoms associated with CKD. Shortness of breath, also known as dyspnea, when climbing a flight of stairs can be caused by a respiratory condition like COPD or asthma. You can pay attention on this information and be more prepare before you donate your blood. This also caused by the dropping pressure of your blood. I have found that you can't trust a blood center to consider your health when they are concerned with collecting as many pints of blood as possible. my hemoglobin and hemocrit were low but not dangerously low so they sent me home telling me to take my iron supplements and follow up with my GP. Your system just sounds, broken. I just donated this afternoon after a prior donation in late May. I never failed the hemoglobin test the blood donation place does. The next day, on Friday, I felt better. I can also say that the Red Cross allowed me to donate blood even when my blood pressure was a little high once or twice. Been donating on/off for at least 20 years, despite being anemic. I am here in Malawi a developing country but our centers are well advanced. And I already booked the next appointment July 2018. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice. I often tested at the low end of normal for iron when I went to give blood, and was turned away twice. Let me begin by saying that giving bloodand helping others in generalis both noble and honorable. I was told by these doctors that I could never give blood again. Excuse the "all-caps rage" there, I really wanted that info to stand out :D, that link didn't come out so here's a tiny url one to the same. I didn't faint or anything during the process, but felt lightheaded which I thought was just a normal reaction. They ordered an iron panel for me that same day and the results later showed that I had iron-deficiency anemia and she told me not to give blood until I had things cleared with her. Common causes of shortness of breath after eating include acid reflux, food allergies, or inhaling food particles. Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations. Can diet help improve depression symptoms? Before donating it was at 14.1, as I was told. What you need to know after you donate blood. TACO occurs if a persons circulatory system is unable to process the amount of blood or the speed at which they are receiving it. You may expect a kind volunteer who helped organize the blood drive might look out for you. Sudden onset of shortness of . They then attack the recipients cells. A hemoglobin test measures hemoglobin levels and can only detect iron deficiency so severe that it has become anemia. This blood transfusion reaction develops very quickly. Minimum for females to be able to donate is 120g/L. Information sheet transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). It's a bit unusual for a man to have low stored iron (or serum iron) short of an occult bleed, so I hope they're investigating what the cause of that is. Additionally, we will not take a donor without their iron being at a healthy 12.5. About a year ago, they tested my iron at a blood drive and flagged me as having low iron. information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of How can blood transfusions treat anemia? Dont worry, theyll come back. Shortness of breath treatment depends on the underlying cause and duration of symptoms. This content does not have an English version. People may also experience some pain or tenderness at the site of the needle insertion, and possibly some minor swelling. I seldom go to the Dr but if you donate--you do have to watch out for yourself regarding your iron because many blood banks won't. Spot on, Andrew. If a person develops an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction, the doctor or nurse will stop the transfusion. If you have symptoms like a cold or flu (fever, headache, or sore throat) within four days after you donated your blood you must call the center immediately. information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with I was barely informed of what to do and not to do before my donation, let alone after. I spent the better part of a week there, as they pricked and probed every part of me, treating me with their stroke protocol. When you feel shortness of breath, you may breathe faster, which can lead to hyperventilationand, in turn, hyperventilation can trigger or worsen shortness of breath. i called the donor hotline which wasnt much help. During this particular blood drive, the phlebotomists were instead engaged in a heated discussion over whom among them was the laziest employee, citing many recent examples of each other's poor work at the blood drive that day. However, some people who use nicotine or cannabis products may wonder if they are eligible blood donors. These are the benefits you may found in many articles and journals. Please don't dismiss and put down blood bank workers. I used to attend as part of a blood donating "team" and many times many of our members were turned down for low iron. Do not smoke. Yeah, you do need to be careful. Just now checked on the app and it was 128g/L. The people running the Blood Centers in our country need to be motivated to collect enough blood to meet our needs, but it must be balanced with donor health as well. I'm sorry you had such a bad reaction and that your iron/ferritin levels were so low that you became anemic. People may experience minor bleeding from the needle site after donating blood. Those with long-term anemia have problems with energy and even with motivation. I would also suggest keeping away from caffeine and alcohol as it inhibits iron absorption. This results when air gets trapped in damaged areas of the . I became confused at times, even lost because I didn't know where I was a few times, and I even fell down a couple of times, too. Yellow, green, or rusty colored sputum or phlegm or blood in the sputum. I went to meet a new physician about a month ago and she had a general blood test since I was a new patient and she noticed that I had general anemia. After doing some research yes frequent blood donors can tend to have reduce iron, 3 times a year or more is considered frequent, glad I do not give every 8 weeks!!! The sight of blood or the collection needle, pain from the needle insertion, or anxiousness about the donation process can trigger this reaction. There is a problem with Faint is frequently as side effects of blood donation, This effect can be occur if you stand up abruptly of if you have been standing for a long time after donating your blood. 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