BloodDonation

Blood Donation: Giving Away My Best?

Tuesday evening I donated blood. I do this every 3 months when the Red Cross passes through town.
Nothing shocking here, the aftermath however…

Usually I notice nothing after a donation, this time it was horrible.
Wednesday evening I went running and boy was it horrible…
I averaged at about 20s slower per km, felt faint and developed a headache.

Yesterday I had a recovery run planned, but my legs felt so rubbery I stayed home.

The combination of donating blood and limiting my calorie intake after my ski trip made my sugar level drop I think.
Every time I stood up too fast or picked something (or someone :-)) up it went black before my eyes.

So yesterday I ate … a lot and consistently throughout the day. Happy to say I felt a lot better this morning and hopefully this means that I can go through with my run of tomorrow.

The distance isn’t adding as fast as I’d like, but hey, listening to the body stays rule #1!

Do you donate blood? Ever felt faint after?

4 comments

  1. tamsynsmith says:

    Well done for donating blood – it can make such a difference to people in need. Unfortunately, I can’t donate blood for a variety of reasons (including anaemia), but my siblings regularly donate. Take care of yourself until you feel better 🙂

  2. I also give blood but I seem to feel ill quite often after I’ve done it 🙁 I have naturally low blood pressure so that might be why? But, I usually don’t exercise that day or the day after just to make sure I don’t feel too ill! I hope you feel better soon an well done on doing an amazing thing!

  3. Sue-Ann says:

    I’m a regular donor too, and I can definitely tell you that you can’t skimp on the food intake before or after, it’s a recipe for disaster. I take an iron supplement the day before and on the day and treat myself to a big steak after donating. Some donations are a breeze, but some still take it out of me. But it’s so worth it to know that the possible headache resulted from saving lives 🙂

  4. Angela says:

    I donate blood too and almost faint EVERY time, the nurses have told me to stop donating, but what’s five minutes dizziness if it saves someone’s life, right?
    I workout everyday but usually have a 48hr break after donating or at least nothing too strenuous or high impact!
    Well Done on giving blood!

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