Donating blood

I have tediously posted about donating blood on many occasions over the years. I am O negative (O-) but I also have a hereditary trait called thalassemia trait which means that, among other things, my effective oxygen-carrying capacity is significantly lower than average, and moreover, my red cells are even teenier than average. They call those cells “microcytes” and on occasion over the years I have managed to severely freak out medical professionals who assume from the look of things that something really awful must have happened to me — gamma irradiation, excess consumption of Vegemite, perhaps exposure to a mad scientist’s shrinking ray.

My hematocrit (the percentage of blood that is red cells) is usually 38% or so and my hemoglobin, measured in grams per deciliter of blood, is usually 11.8 — too low to donate when the minimum is 13.0. For whatever twisted reason, though, it really matters to me to be able to donate blood. Not to get too far into twisted “daddy issues”, but I grew up with a father who told me incessantly that I was basically useless and garbage and all that. Having the most desirable blood type despite all that gives me a pathetic sort of satisfaction and empowerment.

I realized a few years ago that if I eat nothing but hamburger patties for a week or more, my odds of successfully donating blood go way up. It seems to help to take certain supplements (vitamins A, C, B12, folate, copper) and not take other supplements (calcium, zinc) and avoid tea and coffee. There have been times that I’ve been able to get my hemoglobin up to 14.7, although that seems to be dependent in part on how much sunlight I’m getting. My score is always highest in the summer months.

According to various sources, cramming beef patties into my maw morning, noon, and night for a week really shouldn’t be able to boost me from 11.8 to 13.4 and so on, but somehow, it does. Sometimes, anyway. Biochemistry is so damn strange. I’m not claiming this is how physiology is supposed to work, only that it reliably seems to work for me. This isn’t medical advice, just what I’ve learned works for my specific physiology.

Today I succeeded in donating a unit of whole blood. The Red Cross gives me credit for 42 units lifetime, but in fairness I should say that the bulk of those were under the old system where having a hematocrit over 40 was all they cared about. It’s been much harder under the new hemoglobin-based system. Anyway, I’m happy.

(I encourage you to consider donating blood, but I understand it’s not for everyone.)