Do you find that people complain a ridiculous amount about giving blood?

I don’t complain about the phlebotomy, but I am frustrated that they call me non-stop to donate but they always turn me away for my low hematocrit (they tell me to stay away, but they keep calling, even when I ask them not to). It’s frustrating not to be able to help.

People just love to flaunt their “good deeds” when truly doing a good deed never involves bragging about it. Bah…nothing more than grandstanding ” Oooh, I gave blood and it was such a pain in the ass for ME!” lol
Idiots!

Oh and ‘aint” that the truth. Personally I think that those people are just attention seekers. They require validation about being so very heroic & self sacrificing by donating their precious blood. Makes me just want to smack ‘em up side the noggin’. If you can’t handle it then be a whiny assed selfish person & stay home. Just don’t complain when there is no blood in the bank for you.

I think that is more of a function of a blood drive than of those who donate regularly. I did for years and no one ever knew. But when we used to have blood drives at work it seemed like complaints came from all corners.

We stopped having blood drives when too many people were on the banned list (we had a lot of gay men where I worked in San Francisco.)

@tacres I agree 100%. I have an ex friend that saw herself as the most saintly and helpful person to ever come down the pike since Jesus. lol Thing is, she NEVER stopped tooting her own horn. Gag! Amazing self deception, when in reality everything she did was to prop up her OWN self image.

File that under F for First World Problems.

Wusses. I’ve been getting my blood drawn regularly since I was 5. I compliment the phlebotomist when I have a good one!

People like to complain.
@syz Try telling them that you were exposed to Mad Cow Disease, that might keep ‘em away.

Interesting that I am volunteering at the RedCross as I write this. Now that needles no longer scare me I can’t give blood because of my epilepsy

@bookish1 Absolutely. People don’t realize how hard it is to find a vein on some people! A person’s health,age & weight have a lot to do with how easy it is to stab a vein! I bet for every one compliment they get there are dozens of whiners !
@Coloma Do we have the same friend? I am laughing out loud by the way. What also used to make me chuckle when I worked at RMC was to see our great big strapping cadets turn white & pass out thru the process. Where as tiny little me just got up downed an OJ & went back to work while they were lying supine & pasty faced on a cot. God love them. They still never missed a blood drive. Those people I do respect.

Glad to hear other people have noticed this and I’m not just crazy.

Now, I think someone has the right to brag a little bit when they do something awesome like donating blood. I just don’t get why they have to frame it so negatively. Make it sound like it was just a horrible experience that nobody should ever bother with. That’s not productive. I wouldn’t get irritated at a post that said “Donated blood today, woo!” like I do with these bitchy posts. It just seems like they’re missing the point completely.

Maybe they’re trying to be humble and publicize the fact that they donated without explicitly patting themselves on the back. It’s pretty transparent though. Or maybe they think they’re showing off how tough they are or something. No, if you’re blubbering about being pricked twice, you don’t seem tough. Hahah!

I think I’m just really sensitive about this subject from being a blood recipient 11 times over. When people just emphasize the negatives, it almost seems like they think they outweigh the positives, like donating wasn’t worth it. I just think providing someone with blood should be worth a prick, or even (gasp) two pricks if the nurse doesn’t get it in the first time. And you know what, the people on the receiving end get pricked a whole lot and don’t have a choice in the matter. Gahh

I know, I’m complaining about people complaining. Whoops.

I gave blood once and the nurse turned around to see who walked in the door turning the needle 90 degrees while in my arm. That fuckin hurt. Otherwise its really not that bad at all and iI find I actually feel physically good afterwards.

I’d give blood a lot more often if they would actually use my blood. But ohhh no there is thc in it, ya know cause the guy bleeding out on the hospital table really cares about that.

I see that a lot. The only time I’ve personally complained about it was when the nurse obviously had no idea what she was doing, and caused me to bleed all over the floor and gave me a ginormous black and purple bruise for weeks. She got fired. :D

@uberbatman Do they really care about that?

I only complain that the first time I donated, they rejected my blood and blacklisted me, claiming I have Hepatitis, then told me that their test was wrong and I don’t.

Still can’t donate blood. O-positive and happy to donate at any time, but no. Not allowed. Fuck you, Florida Blood Services.

@Seek_Kolinahr Same thing happened to my dad! Thats gotta be terrifying.

I like donating blood. I think in general people just like to complain so that probably contributes.

@tacres: Yeah, I figure it’s a very underappreciated job. And if you have to have blood drawn often, you understand that a good phlebotomist really deserves your thanks!

@bookish1 It is. I hear a lot of complaints about hospitals & staff but I never seem to have any issues. I think its because I know Dr. House is a fictional character, I say thank you & try not to whine, & I don’t treat nurses,techs & drs. like hotel staff. I am very grateful to have a modern local hospital.They saved my life. The complainers need to go to a third world country where MAYBE the needles are sterile.( insert evil laughter)

I’m a whimp about blood, in fact, I’ve given gallons of blood and never saw it drawn. I remember the first time, I thought they said “Not to eat” before you give blood. It took an hour or so to get out of there and many PB an J sandwitches with orange juice to bring up my blood sugar. Never made that mistake again. Now I use too many drugs to be perimtted to give blood.

Life is wonderful when that is the worst thing you can complain about.

I complain that I can’t give blood because I’m British. I would love to be able to just because I think it’s such a useful, easy thing to do.

I’ve had blood drawn so many times in the past two months and I’ve experienced that. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. Harden the fuck up.

I totally bitch when the phlebotomist can’t get the vein within 4 tries, regardless of why I’m having blood drawn. If they’re obviously new, I’ll give them 7 tries. Also, if they don’t seem to understand how pressure helps blood clot, so then the non-bandage they use doesn’t work, and I bleed all over my new purse on the way to the car.

@Mariah Ah, yes, the humblebrag.

Yeah I denno…if giving blood is such an ordeal, it’s not like Dracula’s forcing anybody to do it. :/ I think @Coloma is on to something. Maybe people might just want recognition.

@deni I was talking to a phlebotomist once and she told me they drug test all the blood and if it comes up for anything they reject it. Dont know how much truth there is in it but its what she said.

@uberbatman That sounds ridiculous. Not only does it not matter, but then why wouldn’t they just ask before you donate “Do you smoke weed” rather than going through the process of taking your blood, transporting it, testing it, disposing of it because of something harmless. I hope that is not true. I am losing hope a little more every day, dumb humans.

@deni because people lie. I have no idea, but the presence of drugs may matter if you give that blood to someone who has had a transplant and has no immune system. Also, if in the future, some connection was made between taking a particular drug and deaths in another group of people and the blood bank have relied on “do you use any drugs” to ‘weed’ out any potentially tainted supplies, they would be in deep shit.

I can’t give blood because for six months of my life I lived in the UK and may have eaten beef products. Just living there during a very short period of time discounts you as a blood doner. They just don’t want to take the risk that I may have Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow disease. While it disappoints me that I can’t give blood, I would rather they were ultra careful than lax.

@Bellatrix To say nothing of potential drug interactions.

I get annoyed when the phlebotomist isn’t pretty but I keep it to myself.

I mean where’s the thrill in revealing intimate points about your life and self if you aren’t slightly intimidated by the listener’s beauty?

@deni It’s like the blood donation scene from the old movie Such Good friends:

Have you ever had hepatitis?
No.
Have you ever had venereal disease?
Well… how would you classify syphilis?
I’d classify it as a venereal disease.
Oh… you know I think I did have hepatitis.