Blood donations can be life-saving. Every day thousands of people donate blood to save many lives. The “blood cancer donor” route is an important way to procure blood for a cancer patient who needs blood urgently. When you want to donate blood, you need to eat a well-balanced meal and get adequate sleep before the day of making the payment. You should also drink more fluids (that are noncaffeinated and nonalcoholic). When you go to a donor center, you may be asked to provide your driver’s license, the list of medications (that you are currently taking), as well as your blood donor card. Other forms can be used for identification.

Requirements Related to Blood Donation

A person who donates blood has to register for it. Subsequently, the heart rate, body temperature, and blood cancer bone marrow transplant of the donor are checked and recorded. The donor may also be required to fill up a questionnaire, where he/she is probed upon the travel and other behaviors that may make the person more prone to the diseases.

Blood donations are usually carried out in reclining chairs. However, a donor may also be required to lie on a table. A sterile needle is put into a clean area of the arm of the blood donor. Blood is removed from the vein in approximately 15 minutes, and 1 unit of blood is obtained. You may be required to sit for a short period to ensure that you are feeling well. The donor may be also provided a light snack or a fruit juice (or some other drink) before he/she leave.

Type of Blood Donation

Today there are many different kinds of blood donations. Some of the important variations are given below.

Volunteer Blood Donation

Most of the donated blood is obtained from a bone marrow transplant blood type match, which is not related or connected to the person to whom is the blood is administered later on. The blood that is obtained from the volunteer donors and the blood units are later separated into the blood components before they are stored.

Blood Product Donation

The process through which individual components of blood (such as platelets) are donated is called “apheresis”. It is a kind of blood donation where a donor can only donate a single component of blood. Apart from platelets, white blood cells, red blood cells, and blood plasma may also be collected through this method. The other components of the blood are administered back to the blood donor, via a blood vein located in the other arm. How long is bone marrow donation recovery? This procedure is of a longer duration and may take approximately two hours in most cases.

A blood donor who is undergoing the apheresis procedure may feel the sensation of tingling around the nose and the lip areas of the mouth. He/she may also feel cold. However, all the sensations and feelings are gone as soon as the procedure is completed.

Autologous Donation

A person can donate his or her blood for later use, which is called an autologous donation. The process is usually carried out some weeks before a scheduled surgery has to be carried out. Surgeries may require transfusion of blood. The blood that the donor loses during the surgery is replaced by his or her blood later on. It is one of the safest methods of blood donation, as no problems related to blood compatibility occur.

Other Donations

There are also certain other donation methods and types including “paid donations” and the “directed donations”. Donors may be paid for the plasma of blood. However other kinds of paid donations (for purposes related to transfusion) are not allowed in the USA. Directed donations are blood donations where a friend, family member, or certain patients donate the blood.

Conclusion

There are multiple blood donation resources including the American Red Cross, Blood Centers, and the American Association of Blood Banks available. You can reach out to the centers for the requirement. It is also advised that you have the phone numbers of the blood banks with you, in case an emergency occurs.

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