Blood donation

[Line Squirrel]

Is there a reccommended sit time between donating blood and diving? I have never heard or asked...now it's an issue.
I want to donate blood Wednesday and dive Thursday.

[Kelly Jessop]

Is there a reccommended sit time between donating blood and diving? I have never heard or asked...now it's an issue.
I want to donate blood Wednesday and dive Thursday.

Mike
I vaguely remember that in the presence of high partial pressures of oxygen,that some of the oxygen doesn't bind with hemoglobin but dissolves in the serum of your blood. Technically that would mean you are still going to have good oxygen transport,but don't trust my memory. The biggest issue I would concern myself with is dehydration,and there is always DAN.

[traveler]

I've dove same day as blood donation a few times, next day a few other times... I don't have any concern about it, don't alter my profile in the least, and don't do anything special to prepare for the dive. Hydration is important for every dive, and always worthy of attention.

If you're new to donating blood and not familiar with your response to it, you might want to leave a little wiggle room. If you're experienced with it and know you don't react badly, then don't worry about it.

Thanks for donating, BTW. It's an invaluable service to your community, and something many more people should step up and do. Your post is a good reminder.

[Capt Tom McMillan]

I have given 10 gallons during the past 27 years working for DOD. The best part about giving blood is drink one beer and get a real good high. Oh, not that kind of hydration...Yes you need to hydrate immediately afterwards, usually orange juice will do the trick. If you feel light headed afterward just sit down and eat a cookie and drink more oj.

[amphipod06]

"The donor’s body replenishes the fluid lost from donation in 24 hours. If not anemic (Hgb<12 Gm/dl)a person can dive in 24 hours after blood donation. It may take up to two months to replace the lost red blood cells. Whole blood can be donated once every eight weeks. The most important part of the blood to the diver is the red blood cell, responsible for the transport of oxygen to the tissues. The fluid part of blood is replenished in about one day. If the diver waits 24 hours and has a normal hematocrit, then diving should be allowed.

Red blood cells are perhaps the most recognizable component of whole blood. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a complex iron-containing protein that carries oxygen throughout the body and gives blood its red color. The percentage of blood volume composed of red blood cells is called the “hematocrit.” The average hematocrit in an adult male is 47 percent. There are about one billion red blood cells in two to three drops of blood, and, for every 600 red blood cells, there are about 40 platelets and one white cell. Manufactured in the bone marrow, red blood cells are continuously being produced and broken down. They live for approximately 120 days in the circulatory system and are eventually removed by the spleen. "

Reference: http://www.scuba-doc.com/blddon.html

Dive safe,

Celia

[DeWayne]

I have given 10 gallons during the past 27 years working for DOD. The best part about giving blood is drink one beer and get a real good high. Oh, not that kind of hydration...Yes you need to hydrate immediately afterwards, usually orange juice will do the trick. If you feel light headed afterward just sit down and eat a cookie and drink more oj.

Hehe, that was our motivation when I was in the Army. Give a pint first thing in the morning, get the day off and catch a cheap buzz out at the lake 8) You would not beleive how fast we could fill those bags back then.

[Kelly Jessop]

" The most important part of the blood to the diver is the red blood cell, responsible for the transport of oxygen to the tissues. The fluid part of blood is replenished in about one day. If the diver waits 24 hours and has a normal hematocrit, then diving should be allowed.

Whenever we increase the pressure of a gas over a liquid,more of the gas will go into solution. At higher partial pressures more oxygen goes into solution,the tissues would prefer to use the oxygen in solution versus oxygen bound to hemoglobin. At very high partial pressures this mechanism is what starts the oxygen toxicity cycle since CO2 transport is inhibited too

[Ken Hill]

The best part about giving blood is drink one beer and get a real good high..

You swabbies crack me up. It seems to me the corpsman had the ingredients for the whiskey concession too. You are right about the OJ it was the only stuff that "went well" with whatever they put into what they had made up. /K

[Dwain]

Those who are diabetic may want to sit out an extra day...

Although this may not affect those who are physically fit and well hydrated and nourished.

Every person is not the same, having working for a number of years in the medial field…. proper hydration and nourishment before donating and after usually get the person back to there normal activities by the next day.

[Puttzer]

I'm confused.

As I do understand: Almost all O2 transport is via red blood cells with a very very small O2 component dissolved in the fluid. If I give 1 pint of blood, I have donated 5% of my blood. But a 30% blood loss will cause irreversible shock. Fluid replenishment will not effectively increase O2 transport. And it may take up to 2 months to regenerate my RBC count.

It would seem that with no physical stress issues diving would be OK but perhaps more prudent to wait depending on one's age and overall health and conditioning? But how long to wait?

Unless I had more definitive answers, I'd contact DAN.