Are you aware that a single pint of the blood you donate is capable of saving up to three people? For this reason, we all should take an active role in donating blood and encouraging others to do the same. Blood donation saves lives.
Furthermore, it also has benefits to you – the donor. For example, it reduces your risk to liver ailment and heart diseases. It also lowers the risk of cancer. On top of that, other benefits you derive out of donating blood are:
- Reduced stress
- Improved emotional wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Eradication of negative feelings
- Reduces feelings of isolation
- Offers a sense of belonging
- Free health checkup
Despite all that, many blood donors complain of a few side effects, which include:
Bruising
The blood donation experience may leave you with a few bruises. For the most part, the bruises would disappear without further medical attention. However, do not fail to inform your doctor in case the bruising becomes cumbersome or grows into something that appears much worse.
Normally, bruising emerges from the bleeding that continues under the skin. The bruises could be the result of a pierced vein, which then causes blood to leak and make its way to the surrounding tissues.
Continued bleeding
Some patients never stop bleeding several minutes or hours after donating blood. After donating blood, the doctor or nurse would normally cover the area with a bandage. Within a few minutes, you should be able to remove the bandage without suffering adverse effects.
Nevertheless, there are times when the bleeding doesn’t stop. At such moments, you should call or contact your doctor. Before doing that, however, you may want to apply a bit of pressure on the site. You could also eradicate the problem by raising your arm for a few moments.
Dizziness
Additionally, you may experience a bit of dizziness after donating blood. Dizziness is a common side effect too. If not handled well, you may fall. Nausea and lightheadedness are quite common but they need you to know what to do during and after the blood donation session.
To eliminate this problem, you may have to lie down for some time once you have finished donating blood. While lying down, make sure that your feet remain up until you start feeling better. However, inform the blood donation center the situation if nausea continues for hours.
Pain
Pain is also a common side effect after or during blood donation. Nevertheless, it’s important to point out that blood donation is not pain-free. Go into the blood donation center expecting to experience some pain. For this reason, a bit of pain is bearable and understandable, though.
However, what should you do if the pain persists for the next few hours? If you encounter unexpectedly sharp and prolonged pain during and after the blood donation, you should immediately alert the person in charge of the exercise.
Alternatively, take a pain reliever with the permission of your doctor to avoid complications.
Physical weakness
Blood donation may leave you feeling extremely physically weak. It may leave you feeling exhausted beyond what you expected or are accustomed to. For the most part, the weakness is limited to the affected arm.
In such cases, you would soon get better after taking a few moments to rest the arm. More importantly, make sure that you inform the blood donation personnel about any unwelcome experience, such as physical weakness. Also, avoid intense physical activities for several hours.
As you may be aware now, blood donation has tremendous benefits to the recipients, givers, and healthcare providers. The blood you donate has the potential of saving the lives of people that you may never meet. For this reason, you should not keep off from blood donation.
Nevertheless, approach each exercise with a bit of caution. After all, the fact that you donated blood does not make you immune to some of its common side effects. Always let your doctor know about the side effects even if they can disappear without any medical intervention.