I've had this same discussion with someone else recently. My thought process is this: If you are someone that needs to OD on iron in order to donate blood, should you really be donating all that often? I'm under the impression that those guidelines are there for your health.
My iron tends to hover right around that point naturally (as does my mother's, actually). I've never experienced any other ill effect. My routine bloodwork regularly passes the doctor's inspection, I don't have unexplainable energy problems, my blood pressure and heart rate are both fine, I have no difficulties exercising. My heart rate and breathing rate are well below Chuckro's during exertion.
My mother's the same way - she's been donating blood regularly for decades now (they gave her an umbrella, and I think baseball tickets at one point), except that she fails the iron test by a hair every once in awhile. It's never done her any harm.
For that matter, I'm pretty good about giving blood - I don't faint, and at most I get a little dizzy if I overexert myself that day (which is normal).
I don't need to OD on iron to pass - however, given Chuckro's dietary issues lately, I've barely eaten red meat in months and probably haven't stepped up the leafy greens as much as I should have to compensate. I'd actually planned for this - tonight's dinner was going to involve a big bowl of spinach. Except that the blood drive was today instead of tomorrow.
My donated as often as he could in the years we were in Boston (hey, he worked in a hospital with a blood bank). I used to go and wait with him. They gave me cookies and apple juice. We have sooooo many umbrellas.
What jeth said, but also bear in mind that the iron requirement needed for donating blood is well above what is required to live a healthy life. They demand that you have a lot more iron in order to donate so you don't lose too much from the donation.
Also, iron can easily be replenished with supplements, so it's not something that's hard to recover when some is donated.
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chiming
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Date: 2009-10-28 07:13 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 08:09 pm (UTC)From:My mother's the same way - she's been donating blood regularly for decades now (they gave her an umbrella, and I think baseball tickets at one point), except that she fails the iron test by a hair every once in awhile. It's never done her any harm.
For that matter, I'm pretty good about giving blood - I don't faint, and at most I get a little dizzy if I overexert myself that day (which is normal).
I don't need to OD on iron to pass - however, given Chuckro's dietary issues lately, I've barely eaten red meat in months and probably haven't stepped up the leafy greens as much as I should have to compensate. I'd actually planned for this - tonight's dinner was going to involve a big bowl of spinach. Except that the blood drive was today instead of tomorrow.
Stupid calendar.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 10:47 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 08:36 pm (UTC)From:Also, iron can easily be replenished with supplements, so it's not something that's hard to recover when some is donated.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 10:48 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 11:30 pm (UTC)From: