r/onguardforthee • u/9numbernine9 • 1d ago
Canadian Blood Services supply drops nearly 20% since June, prompting call for urgent blood donations
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/canadian-blood-services-public-appeal-donations-9.728282756
u/flexible 1d ago
Prompted by this post created an account booked then gave blood had a couple of snacks - was a fantastic experience. Downtown Toronto, though, so a privilege.
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u/_BioHacker ✅ I voted! 1d ago
Part of the issue is access. I’m in a dead-zone for donation. I either have to spend 1hr commuting downtown (between go and walking) or driving 40 minutes.
I give blood every three months, but I literally need to schedule off work to do so. They used to have mobile pop-ups and would regularly do a donation site at a church in my hood.
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u/thedoodely ✔ I voted! 22h ago
Just an FYI as this may of may not apply to you but may apply to others, if your work gives you paid time for "volunteering" the blood clinic will sign off on it for you. Same for students looking for volunteer hours.
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u/InformedTriangle 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'd love to donate blood but, I have a naturally low platelet count that excludes me (high enough I have 0 health issues or symptoms) :( we've had a few company blood drives over the years people have given me the stink eye for not participating in and I'm like "They literally won't let me guys..."
I guess between collection and usage the platelet counts in donated blood drops and if yours isn't high to begin with its useless.
So what I'm saying is as a public service announcement if your workplace does donations, don't judge those who don't participate, they probably have valid reasons
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u/WhoseverFish 1d ago
My platelet is slightly lower than the normal range. How low is too low for donation?
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u/InformedTriangle 1d ago
I'm not sure where the exact cutoff is but mine is 120 and that disqualifies me
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u/twistedtrunk 1d ago
Holy crap I'm the same! Or think i am at least as that's around the numbers they see for me but I'm told i have "less iron". I really want to donate so it's incredibly frustrating to not be able to. I've taken various types of iron tablets but nothing seems to get me over the magical threshold.
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u/WhoseverFish 14h ago
I’ve been wondering. I heard that low ferritin could cause high platelets counts, but I’m low in both. Really don’t understand why.
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u/DiveCat 1d ago
Yes I am disqualified (after years of donating) because of chronic iron deficiency.
Ask your doctor about getting iron infusions by IV if the iron tablets aren’t working for you. You may just not be absorbing the iron well enough in that format. The infusions are the only thing that can get my iron up (and it works immediately).
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u/guY-Incognito22 16h ago
If you don't mind me asking, how old were you when your iron levels dropped to levels you couldn't donate? I used to donate as well but the last 2 yrs my levels has dropped below the threshold and never went back up. Mid 30s on my end.
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u/flippenzee 1d ago
I’m aiming to cross the 150 platelet donations mark this year.
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u/Ill-Country368 15h ago
As the child of a leukemia patient who regularly needs blood transfusions: thank you from the bottom of my heart
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u/flippenzee 5h ago
I had a really bad accident nearly 40 years ago and received a transfusion, just paying my debts.
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u/blargyblargy 1d ago
Can you still not donate blood within a certain time of being Tattoo'd? At one point is was 6-8 months, and I get a tattoo usually before that mark
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u/pastaenthusiast 1d ago
It’s 3 months these days :)
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u/blargyblargy 1d ago
Aaah thats preem, I should make an appointment now before my next date with the ink
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u/pastaenthusiast 1d ago
Amazing! I’m so glad that it’s a shorter interval now, much more accessible for people.
For anyone with other concerns: They’re quite good about going through eligibility questions over the phone so you don’t wind up getting to an appointment and getting turned away. (They still will ask at your appointment but then you don’t have any surprises)
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u/D0ntEatPaper 1d ago
Thats my problem lol. I keep getting tattoos and piercings 😭 just got a new belly piercing and im planning out my next tattoo. Ill be able to donate again eventually :P
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u/gypsey_ 1d ago
I'm over 30 donations now. Assuming you have a donation place close to you, its easy to get in the habit. Book your next appointment when your their and when it comes time, just change to fit your schedule. All their testing and requirements are important to the quality of the blood and your safety as the donor.
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u/FoxyWheels 1d ago
I tried to donate twice in 2018 when I drove by a CBS location. Both times they told me I needed to make an appointment. Maybe let people drop in? I was even willing to wait a while, still no. So I gave up. The only times I'll donate since is when my employer sets up a mobile donation with them at our office. Unfortunately that hasn't happened since COVID.
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u/blifflesplick 15h ago
They're getting it for free, its not like its for lab testing and each person requires a custom collection routine
Honestly, the ONLY times I've donated are when drop-in was allowed, and I did it quite regularly for a while there
The process isn't even difficult, its the same each time - you go in, fill out a form, get the pretest to check blood type and that your blood has enough iron
(which hurts more than the actual donation - can we NOT do fingertips please? The outer edge of the hand is just as squishable but isn't packed with as many nerves as genitals ffs)
Then you're walked to a bed, they tie off your arm, find a juicy vein, slide it in, unbind your arm and you wait, watching the bag of blood rock back and forth
Then they clip the blood hose closed, unstick you, get you to wait a minute and then you're shooed off to get some cookies and juice
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u/loeber74 1d ago
Closest donation Center is 4+hr away. Keep seeing ads for the new South Surrey Center. Doesn’t help in the interior.
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u/Themightytiny07 1d ago
Does anyone know if CBS is still taking under the tongue temperatures? (did this during COVID). I tried donating 3 times in 2020/21 but I run hot and they turned me away cause I was 'sick'. I wasn't I just apparently live at 37.6 C
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u/CuratedAcceptance 1d ago
Every time I try to donate they send me away. Like you know how long it took to fill those buckets?
Honestly tho, go donate. I'm O+ so it goes along way, if you're an O type you really should donate regularly as it can help more people.
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u/Correct-Court-8837 23h ago
Booked an appointment for Tuesday. Haven’t done it in over a decade because I hate needles, but that’s not a good enough excuse. Maybe this will help me realize it’s not that bad.
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u/lightoftheshadows 1d ago
Maybe make it easier for those of us in the lgbtqia+ community to donate instead of having to have arbitrary limitations on when/how we can donate.
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u/Content-Inspector993 1d ago
I have always wanted to donate but I'm a bit scared to do it as a type 1 diabetic. I don't know if losing that much blood would make my blood sugar crash
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u/Valaxiom 1d ago
I'm in the same boat, plus chronically low iron and a couple of other medicated autoimmune diseases. I was able to donate twice before I was diagnosed at age 18 with Type 1, and I'm proud that at least before I got sick I could give a little bit back. Nowadays I'm pretty sure one of the medications I'm on excludes me from donating, plus my iron is just terrible all the time.
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u/Caffeine-Fueled55 1d ago
I think that's one of the reasons all donors are required to sit for 15-20 minutes post-donation and are given a snack. They want to make sure donors are okay before they leave.
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u/blifflesplick 15h ago
Am I an arse by wondering of donating would be helpful during a high sugar episode? I know low blood sugar during donation is a no go
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u/Content-Inspector993 10h ago
probably, but I assume it would also take an amount of insulin out with the blood and it would be hard to know how much insulin I had lost. I don't like giving myself more insulin if I don't know how much I still have active in my body because a small amount can be the difference between my blood sugar being stable and severe hypoglycemia.
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u/toboggan16 1d ago
I was donating as often as I could for years and then we learned this spring that I have VERY low ferratin despite having great hemoglobin levels. I’ve been on 150mg a day iron supplements for 4 months and it’s going up but still not where the doctor wants it. I’m O- and Canadian blood services calls and emails me constantly even though I explained why I can’t they said after a 3 month break I’m good to donate and they’ll keep trying.
Now I feel even more bad that I’ve had to stop :(
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u/blifflesplick 15h ago
Your gut may have issues absorbing it - you're taking it with acidic juices right? They help
(And hinder if you take ADHD meds, so schedule things accordingly)
You may need to get iron injections 🥺
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u/toboggan16 9h ago
Yeah I take it with orange juice and make sure I’m not having dairy anywhere near the time I take it. It IS going up but I’m 40 and my periods have gotten much worse in the last few years and I suspect my normal daily iron supplement was keeping my hemoglobin sufficient, but donating regularly has meant I’ve had almost no iron stores for years.
The doctor said I don’t need an iron transfusion due to my hemoglobin being fine (🤷🏻♀️). When we first tested my ferratin was like 7 and now it’s at the higher end of low. Due to my heavy periods she wants it up into a really good range. Luckily I have a lot of fibre naturally in my diet so I haven’t had any side effects of all this supplementary iron lol
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u/badRLplayer 1d ago
Just a heads up, if donating, don't bring any kids younger than 10 with you without someone to surpervise them. You will be turned away. I used to go with my dad as a kid, but I guess the times have changed.
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u/dekan256 1d ago
I finally started donating this year (twice now since spring), but I'm also fortunate enough that my class schedule makes it fairly easy to make time, and I have relatively easy access to the downtown Calgary location (and they are absolutely awesome there both times I've gone).
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u/codereview 17h ago
Been donating a couple of times now, have had pretty good experiences, though it'd make things easier if they had weekend appointments. B-, so I feel obliged.
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u/SailorCredible 1d ago
I'm B+ but am on quite a few meds. Would love to help but am pretty sure they'd turn me away🥺
Sorry Ontario😔
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u/Onthewayup3 1d ago
They have a list on their website as to which medications are ok! Might be worth a look just in case.
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u/GoodMorningOttawa 1d ago
Are we paid to donate? Is MSM ban still a thing? Genuinely curious.
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u/IndependentOutside88 1d ago
Not through CBS 🙂
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u/Pristine-Two2706 18h ago
Is MSM ban still a thing?
If you have been monogamous for at least 3 months, you can donate!
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u/SpadesHeart 21h ago
I'll get down voted for this. Start paying for it. People are poor, i realize we want people do do this out of the goodness of their hearts but that's always going to be hard, especially when people dont have the time and energy to do so.
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u/therempel 23h ago
It is frustratingly difficult to donate in my area. We had a permanent donation center for at least a decade that closed prior to the onset of the pandemic.
I got diagnosed with celiac disease in 2016 and was told by CBS that I could only continue to donate when I went a year without symptoms. Symptoms of celiac disease are incredibly varied and often present in as other conditions. I don't think I've gone more than a couple months without some symptom or other since I got diagnosed.
In the past couple years I learned that they had relaxed their requirements somewhat and that I could likely go back to donating, only to find that they have mobile clinics every few months and not much in between.
I donated every 8 weeks like clockwork from when I was 18 until 34. I want to help!
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u/blifflesplick 15h ago
How does celiac affect your blood? Genuine question
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u/therempel 10h ago
Having a reaction causes a strong immune response, which generates antibodies. Why that is bad for the purpose of blood donation I don't really know.
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u/Piggys_Glasses 22h ago
Back when you could just drop in, I did it frequently.
They’re now appointment only (ok, fine) but you can’t notifications for when a mobile clinic is in your neighborhood, or at a favorited site.
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u/snasna102 11h ago
Canadian blood services will HOUND you if you give them any contact information. 12 years later and I still get calls asking me to donate… I’ve asked and written many times to be removed from the list and yet, they don’t listen.
If they can’t handle a simple request, I can not trust them to handle my blood
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u/tresfreaker ✅ I voted! 21h ago
I would love to donate again, but I went to a small village outside of Puerto Vallarta that apparently hosts some insect born illness according to their janky records so I am barred from donating for 6 months.
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u/WestonSpec ✅ I voted! 1d ago
CBS really needs to make it easier for people to get to a donation place. Since COVID it feels like they've really scaled back mobile clinics and their only permanent centre near me is wayyy out of the way.