What's your blood type?

[Scandia]

Another A+ here.

[SOPi_Jawbreaker]

O+ found out by giving blood

[kansas13]

AB- I am not sure if it's the rarest or second rarest blood type. Funny though, my dad is A+ and my mom is B+, but I turn out to be AB-. Must have been a recessive gene in there somewhere...either that or there something my parents are not telling me!!

[AlphaSigOU]

Originally Posted by KunjaPrincess

O+ as is the hubby and our kids.

I found out due to being Active Duty and it being on my ID card

Can't donate though since I lived in England and everyone is convinced I have mad cow disease. Guess the fact I don't eat cow doesn't matter LOL

O+, but blacklisted from blood donation as well because of the fear of possible mad cow disease. Did my time at 'Spang-Quentin' -ahem- Spangdahlem, Germany.

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by Jen

Bumping this up because I recently donated platelets for the first time (I've had low iron sometimes and been deferred from whole blood, so this was suggested to me because of that and the fact I'm CMV negative).

The platelet donation is way different from blood donation. They take out some blood, spin it around a centrifuge, then give it back to you mixed with blood thinner. The "giving back" part was really weird ... I got shivery (despite the blankets and numerous hot water bottles they give you), and felt a weird almost burning feeling in my arm on the return. It took me NINETY minutes to donate lol. Apparently I was a bit of a slow poke. That wasn't fun for my back, I can tell you that.

I felt really weird afterward too ... and here I was thinking it'd be easier than whole blood because I wasn't losing red blood cells. I find donating whole blood a lot easier for me, so I'm not sure which program I'll stick to.

But the snack table is win in both places, so it's all good lol.

That's the one thing I don't miss about donating platelets.

[summer_gphib]

I tried to give blood this weekend, but my blood pressure was too high. I had been taking Aleve, and didn't realize that it counter acted with my BP meds. Anyway, I'm AB-, wich is 1% of the population.

[ShadeTree]

Originally Posted by Jen

They've changed the rules for donating platelets here. Now any woman that has ever been pregnant can't donate - they've lost about 2400 of the over 6000 donors they had because of it (apparently it has to do with antibodies that could cause a rare reaction in some recipients or something).

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/...074/story.html

Fortunately, that guideline is not applicable to all collection agencies. Many in the US are still collecting platelets from women. Often, men who have had transfusions are also excluded. Contact your local blood bank before assuming you can't donate. AND, you may still be eligible to donate whole blood!

Jen - thanks for donating in the past. Hopefully, future testing and more info about TRALI will ease the restrictions.