Donating Blood

I am an avid donator of blood currently, but I know that a lot of post-oppers have problems with their iron levels, and in order to donate, your iron has to be a certain level.

Any post-ops out there donate blood? Do you have any issues, or additional problems like passing out or anything else?

Thanks!

my surgeon says absolutely NO donation.  while your levels may be great before donation he says it takes way too long to recover from the donation.

Sarah

MY  SURGEON   said....NO!...
        I am 15 years post..".Memphis By-Pass"... I didn't have problems with my Iron levels until 5 years post-op, and then they found it plummeted...so low I had to  receive blood, 2 units of Packed Red Blood cells, and it only brought my Hemoglobin up to 9.2  
      I have to take an Iron suppliment that has the intrinsic factor in it, for some reason the protein that my stomach makes is not sufficient for me to absorb Iron without supplimentation. Fortunately this is avaiable in over the counter suppliment of Buffalo liver extract, by Carlson labs...I get it from the Vitamin cottage,(mail order/internet order/Denver colorado...about 40$ a bottle./180 caps.) and use 2 a day for suppliment as long as I feel ok and don't have a lab value that is less than 10...on Hgb. Once my Iron dropped to 8 and I didn't tolerate the Iron my Doc  told me to take so I took 6 Buffalo liver caps a day, which is what the bottle recommends...without any cramping or bad effects when my Iron came up ...and my energy I dropped it back to two....  
         The intrinsic factor is an enzyme, a protein that enables the body to absorb Iron from the foods you eat.
     The only food source of the intrinsic factor is LIVER...al kinds, chicken, turkey, calf liver are all good...my current favorite is turkey liver, they are nice and plump...I just put a little msg free meat tenderizer and a bit of sea salt on them, and pop them in a teaspoon of olive oil, put a glass lid on them and I turn the heat down low when I flip them over and  if the fluid level in them is too low, I add a few teaspoons of water and allow them to finish cooking via steam...a pound gives me 6 servings....
        Should you ...go ahead and donate...be sure to eat/take good iron afterward, If it cramps you, you are not taking the right kind...for your system. I choose natural, it is cheaper and does not cramp me...

My surgeon says no donations. Perhaps at three to five years out, after your labs have been tested and retested and everything is good - but not at first.

That was kind of a disappointment to me. I've been donating blood every three to six months, except during my pregnancies, for the last twenty years.

I donate blood when they have a blood drive at work (maybe once a year).  I didn't even think to ask my surgeon.

So far, no issues, and all labs are good.

Kim

My iron was fine for 2 years. Then it tanked. And I could not get enough iron to get it up.  So this year - I had to have iron infusions. Not fun. But worse - being tired and feeling horrible for a over 2 years when I was trying to get my iron up: the iron supplements - caused me a lot of pain and constipation. And they did not do anything for me.

make sure that when they test your blood - they test your iron, iron saturation and ferritin.  Even if they are in a normal range - they may be too low.

Some of us face surgeries due to complications: hernia, then PS, or even ulcers - so make sure your ferritin is 100-200 at least, and good iron saturation %.