Aspergers and donating blood

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I'm asking this question because I'm curious. How many people with Asperger's are donating blood? I'm wondering because there's this aspie guy I know and he's donating blood every eight weeks like clock work. He seems to get pretty excited about it as well. If they are sensitive to being touched, wouldn't the needles bother more than somebody whose NT?

I used to give blood, until I found out that the blood I was giving away in exchange for a stale cookie and a cup of watered-down Gatorade was being sold to people who needed it for as much as $500 per pint!

Unfortunately, a large amount of "charity" is actually about personal profit for the people running the charity. Blood is no different, a donation is a marketable commodity as far as the blood bank is concerned.

That's too bad. It wasn't the people who needed the blood that were charging you, Fnord.

I always wondered why they pay a person for plasma and not for blood. Doesn't make any sense to me.

I never said they were charging me. I said that they were being charged $500 for a pint of my blood, which I donated in exchange for a cookie and cup of Gatorade.

Tell them you think it's unfair, you may be able to negotiate 2 cookies next time.

I still don't get why you stopped. The people who need blood have no power over what the institutions charge for it. it was nice that you donated when you could. Maybe someday you may change your mind and do it again. The people who get the blood appreciate the sacrifice - I know my Ma does and so do I.

lots of tests have to be run on the blood before it can be transfused. that's where the cost comes in. it's not a racket, for the most part.

I've donated blood about two or three times, as far as I can remember. It does hurt, and sometimes they have to search for just the right spot, but my experience has been that after you sign in, they try to get it done as quickly as possible, and they're very kind to you during the process - sometimes they joke around, too. Also, they really fuss over you before and after; asking if you've eaten, letting you have snacks and water bottles, making sure you're sitting down and aren't dizzy. That's what my experience has been, anyway...it might vary depending on where you go.

I used to donate every few months until health issues made me stop. It wasn't a big deal... I can tolerate that kind of pain pretty well by intellectualizing it and thinking of other things. I feel the pain, but control how I react to it.

I donate blood, but sometimes can't because of low hb levels or having gone on holiday. The pain itself doens't bother me, only the idea of needles scares me.

I stopped because I was getting ripped off by providing a valuable commodity for practically nothing while "Big Medicine" made a huge profit.

Looking into the actual costs of processing and storing thousands of units of blood revealed to me that more than 80% of a patient's cost for a single unit was pure profit for those who sold the blood.

I started a few years ago and donate as much as I reasonably can. The only problem is the clinic is only open on weekdays and is in an area that has nightmarish traffic during rush hour. Literally the hardest part is when they prick your finger to check the iron levels.

I would second the person that mentioned the staff is usually very professional and polite. I was a bit taken back once that during the private interview portion when they got to the question about specific drug use. I smiled and said "no" and she very quickly turned over the paperwork and wrote something in a fraction of a second. No idea what that was about. Hope it's not some secret code word that tells them not to use my blood because of my Aspie reaction.

I can't. I've had malaria.

That's a permanent ban in Denmark (but not in some other countries).

It's not like you could pass your Asperger's through your blood!

Some people, obviously, have altruistic reasons for giving blood.

Others need the bucks.