Blood donation and iron levels

Whispera, MSN, RN · Apr 24, 2009

Rubbing your hands together made the red blood cells rush to your hands, so they were likely more concentrated there than before. If more red blood cells are present, it means your iron level would be higher. Don't do that again. Your iron was low...the higher reading was a false reading due to the hand-rubbing. I think it was unethical of the blood drive do such a thing.

You were able to give the blood in record time because the rubbing-of-hands-together made your blood vessels enlarge, so more blood could pass through them more quickly than usual.

Cyn2school · Apr 24, 2009

there is a vegetarian iron preparation you may want to consider. it has all the iron and "b's (b1,b2,b6 &b12) you need. it's called salus floradix formula. my cnm got me started on it when i was pregnant many years ago. you can find it at whole foods mkt and most well stocked health food stores. please take better care of your self. i am a licensed phlebotomist and am appalled that anyone would give you such un healthful advice.

WalkieTalkie, RN · Apr 24, 2009

I'm a vegetarian, and every time the Red Cross would do the finger stick test and let my blood float to the bottom in the blue liquid, I would fail. However, a manual hematocrit was always within normal limits. I never figured out why, but I've been a regular donor with no issues, and that's since I've been a veggie. The Red Cross has finally switched to all digital hematocrit readings, and I've had no issues since.

stellina615 · Apr 24, 2009

Thank you both for this information. I feel upset that the collection specialists gave me the go-ahead to donate under the pretense of a false positive. I think that I will send a little email to my local Red Cross chapter. Do you all think that would be an appropriate thing for me to do? Thanks again!

WalkieTalkie, RN · Apr 24, 2009

I think it's a bit shady for them to falsely elevate your hematocrit levels... do you normally run low when you have blood work drawn? My Hgb usually runs about 13.5 and my Hct is usually about 40, but like I said, I always failed the blue liquid test, but never the digital one. You can always call the 800 number and ask questions regarding this type of thing.

allnurses Guide · Apr 24, 2009

You were able to give the blood in record time because the rubbing-of-hands-together made your blood vessels enlarge, so more blood could pass through them more quickly than usual.

I doubt rubbing your hands together makes your blood donation from your arm go any faster.

I would definitely write a letter, particularly if you know the name of the person who recommended you donate despite being anemic.

stellina615 · Apr 24, 2009

Thank you guys. I believe the 5 mins 43 secs may have been more r/t the fact that I had my legs elevated than the hand thing. I will write to my local chapter to see what they have to say about the iron levels and I will be sure to keep you guys in the loop!

Whispera, MSN, RN · Apr 24, 2009

warm hands do equal somewhat enlarged vessels though....but I see the big picture now!

stellina615 · Apr 24, 2009

Whispera, you are so nice. I always appreciate your posts!

Whispera, MSN, RN · Apr 24, 2009

awww....shucks!

medicmama921 · Apr 24, 2009

I used to work for a blood services company as a charge nurse at the blood drives; also, my husband used to be a phlebotomist with them...don't want to bad-mouth them, but I can definitely say their unethical practices were part of the reason both of us resigned! This kind of thing seems to run rampant within the organization. I think that most donors would be surprised to know exactly how things are run. I can't say anything more, but I will caution you to pay attention to your iron deficiency & would not recommend that you donate until your Hgb/Hct levels go up & stay up consistently for awhile. Please go by your MD test results & not what the blood services employees tell you! While my husband is a certified phlebotomist (as are a few others) & genuinely cared about the donors, you may not be aware that the majority of the "phlebotomists" hired by them are truck drivers, food service workers, etc. that were offered a good financial opportunity (they require ALOT of hours, but pay quite well in return) & took it. These employees are sent to classes for a month to learn how to take BPs, draw blood, test Hgb/Hct levels, & learn the computer system. After that, they are put out there in this job. Some of them are PHENOMENAL at what they do; others, not so much. I think it is a fantastic organization with wonderful intentions. I just simply do not agree with the practice of putting non-healthcare workers into a job where you should have a "healthcare" knowledge base. For example, they have been told what to do for a donor reaction, but have absolutely no idea what actually causes the reaction or WHY they are treating it the way they are instructed to do. And to my knowledge, the majority of donors simply do not know this. In my opinion, it is almost like the public is being given the impression of a entering a "healthcare" environment, but it is not so. I just could not feel right about that any longer, so I left. They likely pushed you to donate because the need for blood donors is so great, & the organization pushes the employees for high numbers. Sorry to have to say these things, but I think donors should be aware. I highly encourage you to continue giving based on the low availability of blood when really sick patients need it - you are doing a GREAT service! Just please take care of yourself first...