blood donation

[voidware]

this friday my school is having a blood drive. I originally had a dive scheduled for the next day (it has since been rescheduled due to cold weather ) Although I think it would be a bad idea, what effects would a blood donation leave to a diver?

brandon

 

[SpyderTek]

Depends... Are you going to use the blood to chum the waters?

jokingly,

SpyderTek

 

[trymixdiver]

I am sure theres some effect depending on wether your donating whole blood or Platelets. Whole blood donation i would wait 24 hrs before diving, Platelet donation is a different story, i would play it safe and wait 2 to 3 days. However I am NOT a doctor so wait till a qualified person answers your question.

Andy

 

[FredT]

Dehydration is the worst.
I've done "easy" dives less than 3 hours after donating, but after thorough rehydration, with no ill effects.

The gear hauling is a lot worse on the body than the dive. Tearing open a vein wound makes for a nasty bruise.

The low red count after donating makes extremely physical dives not a good idea too.

BTW I make 10 gallons with my next donation, so this isn't a one-time experience.

The thing NOT to do is go hit the beer or booze hard right after donating. Talk about a cheap intense drunk....

FT

 

[voidware]

Fred, that was the plan. Since we cancelled the dive, we figured malt liquor would take its place. Ah, the good stuff...

So you guys think that dehydration and the bends are a problem? I was leaning more towards carbon dioxide problems (well in my head it makes sense)

 

[Zept]

There's another reply to this question on the E-med site, here (you'll need to scroll down).

Personally, I would be worried about a) dehydration and b) the reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, leading to light-headedness. I don't feel great the day after giving blood (one time I passed out the next morning), so there's no way I would consider diving. Then again, I'm about as small as you can be and still be allowed to donate, so it hits me pretty hard.


Zept

 

[DocVikingo]

This is why the board has a search function:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?threadid=1476

DocVikingo

 

[trymixdiver]

Doc

How about platelet donation and diving ? whats the reccomended recovery time after such a donation. Any sugestions?


Andy

 

[kelpmermaid]

that said, I went on a trip a couple days after donating last year and felt more sensitive to the cold. I should add that the first dive was fairly strenous. I don't know that it was related directly, but I will avoid doing that again. I do intend to donate again, but will plan it around dives.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi trymixdiver,

With routine donation, only about 10 percent of targeted platelet cells are removed. Everything else is returned to the donor.

These platelets are completely replaced within 48 hours. The Red Cross will allow one to donate as often as every two days, but generally prefers that one not do so more than every two weeks. In any case, no more than 24 donations per year are allowed.

The important issue is that because no meaningful amount of red cells is removed, there will be no anemia or fatigue. It's also the reason that the Red Cross allows one to donate according to the guidelines above, while whole blood donations are limited to every 8 weeks, or no more than 6 per year.

Sources that I have been able to locate indicate that a donor may return to normal activities immediately, but should refrain from strenuous activity for 24 hours. As with whole blood donation, a diver needs to keep up with appropriate hydration & not dive if they're not feeling entirely up to it.

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such. Speak with the professional overseeing your donation about any concerns you may have regarding donation & diving.

Platelet donation saves lives. Those who do so are to be commended.

Best of luck.

DocVikingo