UKC

Donated blood on Monday for the first time in years, I read somewhere that it only takes 24-48 hours to replace the volume of blood donated but a lot longer to replace all the red blood cells.

I can't tell if it's all in my head but I feel a lot more tired all the time now; especially when exercising. Today I went bouldering and had to have a little sit down half way through which is not normal!

Any other blood donors been through similar? How long until you feel right as rain again? First link on Google suggests about 3 weeks until your VO2 max is back to pre donation levels (this was for professional cyclists).

In reply to elliot.baker:

It seems to vary hugely between people and have little to do with your body size or fitness. I know people much bigger and fitter than me who were wiped out for days and stopped donating. I've never noticed the slightest ill effects. I've gone straight to the wall from donating and climbed no worse than usual.

In reply to elliot.baker:

20 minutes

In reply to elliot.baker:

It's good for altitude training. Allegedly.

In reply to elliot.baker:

How many calories in a pint?

In reply to elliot.baker:

Can take a while actually. I gave blood in December and ran a couple of races within a couple of days. My times plummeted and it probably took me 3-4 weeks to fully recover to pre-donation level.

I somehow have more energy after giving blood.

When they take the thumb prick of blood first and test it by dropping it into the fluid, it sinks like lead rather than the 5-10 seconds that they expect. Maybe that has something to do with it

In reply to elliot.baker:

I'm fine to boulder by the following day but it tends to take a good 3-4 days until I'm happy riding my bike up hills.

In reply to elliot.baker:

It took me about three weeks to recover after giving blood just before Christmas - mind you, I had to have the extra check for low iron, and have since discovered I'm very low on Vitamin D, which might be a more significant reason for feeling feeble.

In reply to Liamhutch89

Signs of Haemochromatosis. Get it checked out.

In reply to Rampikino:


Your times plummeted? Do the IOC know about you?

In reply to elliot.baker:

It took me a bit of time and I didn't feel very great for the first couple of weeks after, put it down to it being my first blood donation but I'm always on the lower ends of the acceptable range for blood pressure and iron in my blood, how I didn't faint I don't know. I haven't donated since mainly because of how rotten I felt.

In reply to elliot.baker:

I've never noticed any difference before until I gave blood Friday night.
Then park run yesterday was awful. Slow, felt lethargic and even a bit of dizziness.

In reply to elliot.baker:

I've not given blood for 18 months as I had a low iron count which made me fatigued. Took 6 months for that to settle down with iron tabs and guiness . Keep meaning to go back now, just back off on the 4 a year.
I would normally avoid doing much for 48 hrs, but generally ok after that. As said it varies considerably between people but also from donation to donation I found....

In reply to elliot.baker:

I think it takes the body about 3-4 weeks to replace the red cells that were taken for the donation.
Its the red cells that carry the oxygen

https://www.quora.com/How-long-does-it-take-for-the-human-body-to-replace-a...

In reply to Pbob:



My dad has that. He has a blood test every few months and they bleed him once or twice a year.

In reply to ranger*goy:

I got it too. Just have to give blood 4 times a year at the moment but used to have to do it every third week.

The thing at the blood donor session is a test for iron levels (more iron, more dense the blood). Many people with it report that they feel more energetic after giving blood. Hence the poster who reported feeling better after giving blood and who has blood that sinks quickly might want to get tested.

It is hereditory so you might want to get tested too. I'm sure you've had that conversation already.

In reply to elliot.baker:

Well I have always cycled to and from blood donating so depends how fit you are I suppose. If you're reasonably fit there's nothing to recover from, unless you're trying to set a PB or world record in an athletic endeavour.

In reply to elliot.baker:

2-3 weeks I reckon if I was racing. Possibly less effect on climbing? Maybe I wasn't trying hard enough

In reply to Pbob:

I had read it is hereditary but no one has recommended to my dad that his children be tested for it.

It is very individual, but usually consistent from donation to donation. Most of people I spoke about it feel same every session. For myself there's literally no difference before and after the donation. Except the hunger. Steak and bottle of wine fixes that!

It has little to do with body mass i think. Then I first donated blood during army service an hour later I was playing football, but my mate who was 100kg+ rock of muscles fainted and was taken to hospital. A lot of us started donating in army, because you get a day off for it!

In reply to elliot.baker:

Some useful tips in here

youtube.com/watch?v=AdxCUwoz0FE&

In reply to elliot.baker:


Three weeks seems like a long time for a long time for pro-riders to be feeling less than stellar - there must be quite an art to timing the blood extraction for later infusion (never mind the issue of how long blood stays fresh for in a hotel/team bus minibar)