Blood donation with Diabetes?

You could phone them and ask.

Mal37 said:

Does having Diabetes Type 2 prevent my blood being used?

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HI @Mal37. If you are T2 and not on any medication you are fine to give blood. I have donated twice since being diagnosed. I follow a lchf diet and I was a bit concerned about feeling 'wobbly' afterwards so explained this to the nurse. She reassured me and looked after me and all was fine. Giving blood is also the perfect excuse for a packet of biscuits or crisps!
Do phone and check this out before you go as I would hate for you to have a wasted journey. Oh, and time your HbA1c carefully. I have mine the week before I donate, and use my non-donating arm, as the blood service won't use take blood from a bruised arm.

Mal37 said:

I have just seen on my local news that supplies of B Negative blood are running out.
I am B Negative and did used to give blood in my 20's, but I am now wondering if I can put myself forward
to donate, with having a rare blood group that is being sought?

Does having Diabetes Type 2 prevent my blood being used?

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Good on you for thinking of others like this. Blood donation is really important. I'm not able to donate because my body has a hard enough time as it is. So I try to encourage others to do it.

Unfortunately in the UK the criteria are quite strict. In NZ they are more lenient.

UK info:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/can-people-with-diabetes-give-blood.html

EllieM said:

Not to anyone who's lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996 they aren't! Neither Australia or NZ will take blood from anyone who's lived in the UK for more than 6 months in that period, irrespective of diabetic status. I'm pretty sure that if Mad Cow disease was an issue we'd know by now, but looks like my family will never be eligible to donate blood anywhere other than UK....

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I know, but I was referring to diabetes. CJD is such a catastrophic disease that I'm glad the criteria are strict.

Mal37 said:

Thank you for all your comments ... but two points:

I cannot use the phone as I have a phobia, so would need to find an email address to contact (and will look)
The other point is that I 'am' on medication in that I take one 500mg Metformin every day.
To be quite honest I had not even considered the Metformin in my anxiety to help!

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Here’s the criteria:
https://my.blood.co.uk/knowledgebase/Index/A

As @archersuz mentioned. Do not have an HbA1c test within a few weeks of donating as it will skew the results. It takes quite a long time for the missing red blood cells to be replaced with new ones, and then you have an armful of new ones rather than a good mix of old and new.

I used to donate blood regularly. I was diagnosed T1 4 years ago and as soon as I started taking insulin they said I could no longer donate in case of going hypo. They did say if I was on tablets rather than insulin they could still take it. Shame really. I keep good control of my glucose levels and would be happy to manage things to allow them to take it.

I was a blood donor then went onto donate platelets, I couldn,t do both. I chose platelet donation because I had a very high levels and can be donated every 4 weeks. But since being diagnosed with t2 with meds and having bipolar with meds, I am now unable to donate.

Hi @Mal37 I am also type B so I am always warmly welcomed at the donor centre

I am not on any medication, just diet controlled, I regularly give blood, and as others have mentioned I simply time my HbA1C to be before a blood donation. Have a look at the donor website I have copied the relevent section below
from the blood donor website - Diabetes


You may donate as long as

EITHER you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes (abnormal blood sugar) or gestational (pregnancy) diabetes as long as you do not require treatment at present
OR your diabetes is controlled by diet alone
OR You are taking the same dose of the same medication for 4 weeks or more either orally or injectable medication such as Exenatide or Liraglutide and feeling fit and well and you must make sure that NONE of the following apply. If the following apply we are sorry but you are unable to donate.

You need regular insulin treatment
You have needed treatment with insulin within the last 4 weeks
You have suffered from Heart Failure
You are under investigation, on treatment or under follow up for renal (kidney) impairment
You have had ulcers or wounds related to a loss of sensation
You have had amputation or blood vessel surgery
You have problems with feeling faint, fainting or giddiness

Just gritting my teeth to look up where I can donate and the web site says you have to be under 65.
Well, a relief and a bit of a disappointment. Scared to do it but now they don't want me anyway.

Edit: I read some guidelines and came across a mention of having work done to your teeth. Apparently if you are diabetic and you give blood your teeth may fall out. I think.

LittleGreyCat said:

Just gritting my teeth to look up where I can donate and the web site says you have to be under 65.
Well, a relief and a bit of a disappointment. Scared to do it but now they don't want me anyway.

Edit: I read some guidelines and came across a mention of having work done to your teeth. Apparently if you are diabetic and you give blood your teeth may fall out. I think.

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Wow teeth thing is freaky!

I don't donate blood for many many reasons (T1 diabetic, problems with dizziness/low blood pressure, weight is too low and doctor worried about iron) but good on you for donating.

LittleGreyCat said:

Just gritting my teeth to look up where I can donate and the web site says you have to be under 65.
Well, a relief and a bit of a disappointment. Scared to do it but now they don't want me anyway.

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My friend donates regularly, every time they visit the area. She is 72.

Bluetit1802 said:

My friend donates regularly, every time they visit the area. She is 72.

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You can give blood if you’re over 70 if you started giving blood when you were younger.

Edited a typo.

Rachox said:

You can give blood if you’re over 70 if you started giving blood when you were younger.

Edited a typo.

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Yes, that is most likely the reason.

Scimama said:

...and feeling fit and well and you must make sure that NONE of the following apply. If the following apply we are sorry but you are unable to donate.

...You have had ulcers or wounds related to a loss of sensation
You have had amputation or blood vessel surgery...

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To me this makes sense because if a diabetic is at high risk of poor blood circulation to the extremities, esp the feet, then reducing the quality of the blood by drawing off 1/8th of it (if I recall correctly that they take a pint and we have 8 pints) increases that risk.

As someone said it takes time for the body to replace the red blood cells lost. Red blood cells carry oxygen, which is a critical part of the wound healing process.

Recipients of donated blood don't need to feel that someone's health suffered on their account. Doctors and nurses don't need to feel they contributed to it. And the cost of treating health problems in a donor affected like this take money away from other patients.

Many diabetics with good control who want to donate probably feel a bit disappointed that they can't, but I guess the doctors sat down and decided to draw the line somewhere that they could be very sure they weren't letting us risk our health.

They also need to make the rules workable, so that it doesn't take up too much staff time applying the rules.

I choose not to donate because I have chronic fatigue and need every red blood cell I can make. Besides, my BG is too high right now, so I am risk of slow wound healing.

To make myself feel better about it I put time into raising awareness of blood donation, and encouraging those who can do it to donate.

LittleGreyCat said:

I read some guidelines and came across a mention of having work done to your teeth. Apparently if you are diabetic and you give blood your teeth may fall out. I think.

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(After writing this post I decided to make it into a new thread as well).

Periodontal (gum) disease is a major risk for many diabetics. It's irreversible once it's progressed to a certain point. I only found this out once mine had gone too far. I was pretty angry with my dentists for never mentioning it.

What happens is that high BG changes the environment in your mouth so that it becomes a tooth decay-promoting environment. Periodontal disease is caused by a very very low grade infection. It's pretty pointless trying to treat it with antibiotics. The only real way to prevent PD and it progression is to have fastidious dental hygiene practices.

Most people aren't aware of its importance and don't have the energy to get it right year in and year out.

The Pam Ayers poem I Wish I'd Looked After My Teeth springs to mind.

There are other contributing factors to PD, such as needing medications that cause dry mouth. Saliva is protective of the teeth and gums. Saliva substitute products aren't very good. I sip water all the time. Other factors are smoking and heavy drinking.

The end point of PD is that the retreat of the gums away from the teeth exposes nerve endings and you get real pain if these areas are accidentally touched. I need local anaesthetic around all of my teeth just to get them cleaned every 6 months.

Eventually if you don't arrest the progression the retreat of the gums allows the infection to microscopically eat away at the face or jaw bone that holds each tooth snugly in place.

Teeth get loose and eventually they can fall out or have to be removed.

This is why some people have no or missing teeth. If they are unable to afford dentures or more expensive solutions, they stay that way. It is very sad because often they got PD through no fault of their own. Like me, they weren't told. They may also have mental or financial difficulties that become barriers to home care and regular dental care. Missing teeth can make it harder to get a job, so it is a vicious cycle.

Donating blood reduces the oxygen carrying red blood cells, so this would contribute to poor gum health.

i have donated over 50 times 0n metformin. no problem in Canada