I'm not scared of needles or blood, but toward the end of the donation I tend to pass out. Am I too small to be giving blood (5lb over the weight limit?)
2007-01-11 06:41:09 · 6 answers · asked by Lauren M 3 in Health ➔ Other - Health
Well there is an average of ten to twelve pints of blood in the body. You are probably too small with too low a blood sugar to give up a pint of blood. Be careful!
2007-01-11 06:50:15 · answer #1 · answered by krazyc122 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you eat before you give blood? Make sure you give blood after a meal. Having low blood sugar and then giving blood would definitely cause you to faint. Also - ask for juice or a peice of candy before you stand up after giving blood. That way if your sugar levels were low, you can control them before you stand up and start to move around. Usually doctor's offices and blood donation sites have something on hand for this.
2007-01-11 14:47:26 · answer #2 · answered by JM 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A vasovagal episode is quite a common reaction to giving blood to a greater or lesser extent - the greater the proportion of your total volume lost, the greater your chances of having a reaction. It is a little like going into shock
There is quite a good description at:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vasovagal-syncope/DS00806 which states -
The most common cause of fainting is due to vasovagal syncope. Vasovagal syncope is triggered by a stimulus that results in an exaggerated and inappropriate response in the part of your nervous system that regulates involuntary body functions, including heart rate and blood flow (autonomic nervous system). When some sort of stimulus triggers this exaggerated response, both your heart rate and blood pressure drop, quickly reducing blood flow to your brain and leading to loss of consciousness. A person who has fainted due to vasovagal syncope recovers quickly, usually within seconds or a few minutes.
2007-01-11 16:23:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your blood pressure may drop due to reducing your blood volume and then the blood drains away from your head, which reduces the oxygen to the brain resulting in fainting. Very common response. Keep you head lower then the rest of your body so the blood stays in your head better.
2007-01-11 14:53:25 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You probably need to drink more fluids before you give blood.
2007-01-11 14:48:19 · answer #5 · answered by Bethe W 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might be anemic but I know alot of people just like you and that's why they hold you for a bit
2007-01-11 14:49:57 · answer #6 · answered by Larry m 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋