Every eight weeks, I donate blood. Despite a pronounced needle phobia, I do it for two reasons: One, as a diabetic, I get more than my fair share of attention from the medical community, and dropping a pint in the blood bank is a way to give back. But the second reason is not about altruism. I also give for points. Just like an airline loyalty program, I earn 10,000 points per pint. When I reach 120,000 points sometime next year, I’m cashing in for a golf vacation or some other cool prize offered by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Touchpoint program.
In my quest to give and receive, I never really considered whether, as an insulin-taking type 2 diabetic, I should be donating blood at all. The American Red Cross allows both type 1 and type 2 diabetics to donate blood, provided they meet all other blood donation eligibility requirements. Diabetics who take beef insulin (almost no one since its manufacture in the United States ended in 1998) and those recently diagnosed with the disease and prescribed insulin can’t give blood. The Canadian Red Cross does not allow diabetics who take insulin to donate at all. The concern? Hypoglycemic reactions.
I have never even thought to check my blood sugar before giving blood, though I usually try to eat a meal first—something recommended by the Red Cross. But that didn’t happen last week; instead, I gave before lunch, when my blood sugar is at a morning low point. And that was my big mistake.
According to the American Red Cross, there’s no direct correlation between lowered blood volume and low blood sugar, but any number of things—including a stress-inducing fear of needles—can cause a diabetic’s blood sugar to fall.
Within a few minutes of the needle poking my skin, I felt the telltale signs of low blood sugar. My hands turned white and splotchy, my sweat glands went into overdrive, and my speech began to slur. I turned to the woman adjusting the needle in my arm and said, “Um, we might need some juice over here.”
I sipped it while a team of blood techs and nurses tried to find the correct angle to my vein, which was bleeding very slowly. It turns out, I had made a second mistake before donating, beyond not checking my blood sugar. I failed to drink lots of water, which helps replenish lost volume and improves blood flow.
A few ounces short of a pint, my vein just gave up. The bag would have to be wasted, the tech told me. I was devastated. Not only had I been there for nearly two hours, I had bled myself sick to no avail. I had wasted my time and the time of volunteers. No blood, no points, no fantastic golf vacation.
But I did some research and found out that it is safe to donate blood as a diabetic, provided you’re in good health, your blood sugar is under good control, and you follow the same tips every blood donor should.
So, I’ll be back in eight weeks. But I’ll eat a good meal, check my blood sugar, and drink a lot of water before I show up. After all, I’ve got to earn my points.
(PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO)
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