The past couple times I’ve donated blood, it has gone…well, shall we say it has been interesting. The first time I lost time. The second, I passed out and was down for a whole weekend with deep bruising and a massive headache.

This time, I wanted it to be different. And it turned out to be good timing as I saw

Here’s what I did:

Drink Lots of Water

I always drink a great deal of water. Typically about 70 ounces a day. I’m almost always thirsty, and sometimes I have to stop myself from drinking too much (yes, folks, you can indeed drink too much and put yourself in very bad shape). But for the couple days leading up to the donation, I drank as much as I wanted and avoided everything with caffeine. That wound up being about 140+ ounces.

(Also, please don’t worry. I don’t have diabetes or pre-diabetes. I’ve been tested for that. I’m just constantly thirsty. It’s a side effect from something else.)

Eat Foods Rich with Iron

I also figured that it couldn’t hurt to boost my iron by eating iron rich foods. So I prepped and consumed great quantities of leafy greens, particularly spinach. I found that chicken breasts stuffed with cooked spinach are absolutely delicious as is spinach salad.

Let Them Know if You Have Had a Bad Experience

I went ahead and let the admissions nurse that the last two times I had passed out or lost time, and she told me that I should mention that to the nurses and technicians who would be working with me. When they put me in the chair, they then lowered my head more than usual.

Cough at Regular Intervals Throughout the Donation Process

The last time I became nauseated and passed out in what felt like a slow descent into ear ringing darkness. After the nurse coaxed me back awake, he had me cough several times to help redistribute the blood. He said that the next time I went, I should cough at regular intervals. This time I did that, and it seemed to work.

What I’ll Do Differently

The next time I do plan on making a couple minor changes.

As much as possible, I’m trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup as well as refined carbs. All of the snacks that were available at that time were along the lines of gold fish crackers, peanut butter crackers, and so on. So I’ll just bring my own snacks.

Also I had planned to just read on my phone with the Kindle app. Always before I’ve donated in the mobile units, and this was my first time in the actual clinic. Cell phones have to be turned off in there. So next time I’ll bring a physical book. They did say that an actual e-reader wouldn’t cause a problem.

As a side note to authors with good books, you might consider stopping by your nearby blood centers and seeing if they will accept book donations. There were a few people there who also had nothing to read, and some of the procedures can take awhile. They may not, but you can always check. And while you’re there, you can donate blood as well.

Anyway, it all went quite well. I was a little woozy and a little weary for most of the rest of the day and had some faint bruising. But not the pounding headache and not the exhaustion and nausea.

How about you? If you’ve donated blood, what have you found helps to ease the donation process?

Regardless I hope you had a wonderful day. Much blessings and love!