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donating dual red or platelets and recovery
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 2010-01-18 2:25 PM |
 90 miles south of Titletown, USA |  Subject: donating dual red or platelets and recoveryAnyone have any firsthand experience with donating dual red blood cells or platelets and how it relates to recovery time? I've donated whole blood many times and have never really noticed any major effects with regards to training or racing in the days after. Maybe i'm not bright enough to pick up on subtle losses of energy, etc., but... At my appointment today, I was told that I am a prime candidate to give dual red and/or platelets. The woman I talked to told me that the difference in recovery between giving whole vs. dual/platelets is about the same. I don't necessarily doubt her, but i'm just curious if any of you could help me out by giving me your story. Thanks. |
| 2010-01-18 2:37 PM in reply to: #2620058 |
Veteran 250  | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I've donated platelets, and I noticed a quicker recovery time. I'm usually out the whole day if I give blood, at least. I'm 5'8, 140, and a pint of blood being taken out definitely slows me down. When I gave platelets my arm bruised a little bit worse, but I didn't feel nearly as tired/sluggish. |
| 2010-01-18 3:01 PM in reply to: #2620058 |
Expert 774 | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I am a 4-gallon donor, usually whole blood. After an extended period of non-giving last year because of surgery, I was talked into giving dual red donation. Man was I weak! I learned it can take a month to two to recover. If you don't have anything on your agenda, it is okay, but do not give a dual red donation within 2 months of a competition. That said, I am going to make a whole blood donation this week as I have nothing scheduled through February and will be 100% by then. |
| 2010-01-18 5:38 PM in reply to: #2620141 |
| 90 miles south of Titletown, USA | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery greyg8r - 2010-01-18 3:01 PM I am a 4-gallon donor, usually whole blood. After an extended period of non-giving last year because of surgery, I was talked into giving dual red donation. Man was I weak! I learned it can take a month to two to recover. If you don't have anything on your agenda, it is okay, but do not give a dual red donation within 2 months of a competition. That said, I am going to make a whole blood donation this week as I have nothing scheduled through February and will be 100% by then. greyg8r, Did you feel as though it affected your training in a major way? I'm not too worried about races because I don't feel as though I have anything important on my agenda until June, but i don't want to compromise my training in a big way. I can tolerate a month or two to fully recover as long as it doesn't totally knock me on my hiney. |
| 2010-01-18 5:40 PM in reply to: #2620086 |
| 90 miles south of Titletown, USA | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery Kickback - 2010-01-18 2:37 PM I've donated platelets, and I noticed a quicker recovery time. I'm usually out the whole day if I give blood, at least. I'm 5'8, 140, and a pint of blood being taken out definitely slows me down. When I gave platelets my arm bruised a little bit worse, but I didn't feel nearly as tired/sluggish. kickback, Thanks for your input. It's good to know that I have another option available, that seems to be needed just as much, that won't curtail my training for too long. BTW, how long are you in the chair for when you give platelets? |
| 2010-01-18 5:59 PM in reply to: #2620058 |
Expert 1288 Hatboro, PA | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I've donated platelets many times. The whole process from the time you step in the door until the time you walk out the door takes about 2 hours, 30 minutes. They start by doing a history, similar to whole blood donations. After that, you are hooked up to a machine. The place I go to has individual TV's with headphones. I've watched everything from football games on ESPN to movies on DVD's. (The center has a bunch of DVD's for us to use.) For me, the time hooked up to the machine is around 2 hours, as they can only get a hook-up in one arm. If the nurses can find good veins in both arms, it will go quicker. The difference being when the unwanted parts of the blood are put back into your body, they either go back in the same arm they came out of, or they go into the other arm. Platelet donation does not affect my training in any way other than the recommended no heavy lifting on the same day as donation. I usually just give myself an easy or a rest day. I could probably get away with going hard after a few hours, but I have never tried. Whole blood donations affect me more than platelet donations, as I seem to be tired for a day or so after that donation. |
| 2010-01-18 6:23 PM in reply to: #2620058 |
Extreme Veteran 510 Louisville KY | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I have been donating for 20 plus years, work pays us for a half day off when we donate. In that time I did my one and only dual red donation, and it totally knocked me on my a$$, just about passed out on the table felt like crap for a couple days. So I'm back to regular whole blood donations and have never had a problem with recovery or any donation type problems. But that's me and everybody is different. You should try it and see how it goes. |
| 2010-01-18 7:25 PM in reply to: #2620058 |
Member 85 | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I've done this in a few combinations of donating platelets, plasma, single unit red blood cell and double unit red blood. Some combinations made me pretty tired for the rest of the day, and sometimes I felt fine right away. The anti-coagulant they use always made me feel really weird, so I'd be popping tums or calcium tablets for the entire donation. I was really glad when they went to the single arm machines after a couple years donating ont he double arm machines. Having to ask the nurse to scratch your nose sucks! Good on you for doing it though. Your donations can help a lot of people. |
| 2010-01-18 7:27 PM in reply to: #2620427 |
Expert 774 | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery bossfan - 2010-01-18 5:38 PM greyg8r - 2010-01-18 3:01 PM I am a 4-gallon donor, usually whole blood. After an extended period of non-giving last year because of surgery, I was talked into giving dual red donation. Man was I weak! I learned it can take a month to two to recover. If you don't have anything on your agenda, it is okay, but do not give a dual red donation within 2 months of a competition. That said, I am going to make a whole blood donation this week as I have nothing scheduled through February and will be 100% by then. greyg8r, Did you feel as though it affected your training in a major way? I'm not too worried about races because I don't feel as though I have anything important on my agenda until June, but i don't want to compromise my training in a big way. I can tolerate a month or two to fully recover as long as it doesn't totally knock me on my hiney. No, it won't compromise your training in a big way, you just won't be able to go as hard at any one session. If your normal workout heart rate is say 130, you will probably struggle at 120. But, you can still get in long, albeit intense workouts. And, that may not be a bad thing. Also, I am thinking aloud that giving a dual red donation, or even a single whole blood donation, may actually help your training! After a dual red donation, for a month or two, your body has an insufficient amount of red blood cells to transport oxygen. Persons who train at high elevation have an insufficient amount of oxygen as well and their bodies adapt to the lower amount of oxygen and learn to use the available oxygen more efficiently. I have no idea if this really happens to blood donors and if 1 - 2 months is enough time. This would be an interesting exercise physiology research topic. |
| 2010-01-19 11:10 AM in reply to: #2620058 |
Master 1989 New Jersey | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery When I donate, i make sure i get my workout in during the morning before I donate. The next day if i workout, I'll keep it easy, and for me, my HR skyrockets quickly. Which makes sense - if you donate red blood cells which carry the oxygen to your muscles, then your blood is low on them and you need to pump more blood to get the same amount to the muscles. And that's why I tend to choose to do platelets and I seem to have no ill effects - although I still only do a rest or recovery day the next day. |
| 2010-01-19 11:21 AM in reply to: #2620058 |
Elite 2796 Texas | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery A little over a year ago I donated double red cells and a few hours later did an interval workout on the bike with no problem. Make sure you eat and hydrate, and pay attention to how you feel. |
| 2010-01-19 11:59 AM in reply to: #2620058 |
| Veteran 549 | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I gave blood last year for the first time in a long time and did some research. It takes 6 weeks to be 100% back to normal. The main time you would notice is if you were racing in that 6 week timeframe, so I give in the offseason. THis doesnt apply to whole blood. |
| 2010-01-19 12:11 PM in reply to: #2620058 |
Veteran 112 Columbus, OH | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery The impact is probably different for everyone. I did a double red donation last summer. It took me 3-4 weeks to recover. I was able to keep my training schedule the same, but I lost time/speed in each discipline. Essentially, I didn't reduce the distance for any of my workouts, but had to slow down. I felt like I "lost" a month of training because it took me all month to get my times back to where I was right before the donation. It was especially frustrating swimming, because I had just started to make some real progress before my double red donation. I don't have experience training after a "normal" donation so I have nothing to compare the double red impact to. |
| 2010-01-19 12:14 PM in reply to: #2620058 |
Champion 7495 Schwamalamadingdong! | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery i have noticed no recovery time after a triple-unit platelet donation. You lose only platelets and some plasma, and you get your red blood cells back. It takes a few hours to replace the volume (drink your fluids!) and a few days to replace the platelets (you can donate platelets again in five days, i believe). Thanks for donating! |
| 2010-01-19 12:15 PM in reply to: #2621771 |
Champion 8936 | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery Bill - 2010-01-19 11:21 AM A little over a year ago I donated double red cells and a few hours later did an interval workout on the bike with no problem. Make sure you eat and hydrate, and pay attention to how you feel. Pay no attention to this man. He's a freak of nature. |
| 2010-01-19 4:52 PM in reply to: #2620058 |
| 90 miles south of Titletown, USA | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I guess i'll give the dual red in March and see how it affects me. If it knocks me on my keester i'll go the route of platelets or whole blood. Thanks for the input everybody, it's much appreciated. |
| 2010-01-19 10:47 PM in reply to: #2622706 |
Master 2158 | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery Not sure if I missed the boat here, but I agree with above. I have donated double red once and definatly felt the difference. I donate a combo of platelets and plasma about once a month (free t-shirt and sandwich) and usually just watch my hydration and make sure I don't have a race for a week. I often try to schedule it around a lower volume week as well. Good Luck and thanks for donating! |
| 2010-01-20 12:26 PM in reply to: #2621920 |
Elite 2796 Texas | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery DerekL - 2010-01-19 12:15 PM Bill - 2010-01-19 11:21 AM A little over a year ago I donated double red cells and a few hours later did an interval workout on the bike with no problem. Make sure you eat and hydrate, and pay attention to how you feel. Pay no attention to this man. He's a freak of nature. But my internet doctor said it was okay.... Edited by Bill 2010-01-20 12:27 PM |
| 2010-06-03 11:22 PM in reply to: #2620141 |
New user 1 Mill Valley, CA | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I also have been a regular whole blood donor and had never experienced any significant impact to my training. Each time I went in for a donation, I have been asked to make a "double red" donation. Without thinking about any potential consequences, I made a double red donation almost three weeks ago...and am still feeling the effects on my training. I was about 10 weeks into my Olympic distance training cycle and had been having some very good training sessions. However, immediately after the donation, I feel like I was set back to week 1 in my training. The first week after my donation, I had no stamina for anything more than a 30 minute workout. My strength and endurance have been significantly impacted. It has now been nearly three weeks since my donation and I am regaining strength and endurance, but am not back to where I was before the donation. I've been taking iron supplements for the past week, but can't really determine whether there is a direct benefit, or if it has simply been the passage of time. I've got a race coming up in about 10 days and am hoping that I will be able to finish strong. From now on, I'm strictly a whole blood donor!!! |
| 2010-06-04 12:24 AM in reply to: #2620058 |
Champion 5781 Northridge, California | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I've been on therapeutic phlebotomies every two weeks for 12 week periods since last fall (for hemochromatosis) and trained through that regimen up to within 10 weeks of marathon and 16 weeks of Ironman St. George. Generally scheduled my appointments so that I wasn't having blood withdrawn within a week of a race (did a 10K and a sprint tri during the first set of withdrawals), but after getting acclimated to it after the first two phlebotomies, I've never noticed any serious impact. (After the first couple, I did notice a sensation that my heart was pumping harder...not faster...no impact on HR...but like it was pumping with more force...hematologist said he wasn't surprised by that, fwiw.) I've never skipped a day of training due to this...although I usually have my appointments in the late afternoon and train in the morning on the day of and then the following morning. I have one unit of whole blood withdrawn each time, but am gettting half a unit of saline replaced, so that does lessen the impact (I don't have to replace all of the lost serum volume by drinking fluids, just half of it). Losing all the red blood cells and platelets that I do, though, I haven't noticed any effect at all on recovery. |
| 2010-06-04 8:54 AM in reply to: #2620058 |
| Veteran 292 Wisconsin | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery There's a reason they only let you donate every 8 weeks (16 if double dose) - it takes your body time to replace those cells. If I have a race taking place within the next month, I don't donate. |
| 2010-06-05 7:09 AM in reply to: #2620058 |
Master 3888 Overland Park, KS | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I donate platlets on a regular basis. The "rule of thumb" is to wait 24 hours before any strenuous activity. I've done 6 mile runs, 20 mike bike rides and 3,500 yd swim workouts 20-24 hours after the donation without problems. You just need to hydrate well and don't skimp on nutrition. I'm sure recovery time is different for each individual, plus or minus a few hours. |
| 2012-12-19 11:35 AM in reply to: #2620058 |
Regular 110 SE Wisconsin | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery Sorry for reviving an old thread, but this popped up when I was searching for information on others' experiences. I just donated a dual red for the first time this past Saturday, without having given much thought to it in advance. I'm a regular donor, but have always only given whole blood in the past. Being O+ and CMV-negative, the folks at the blood center always try to talk me into the dual red donation. This time, I finally did. The procedure was no big deal at all, but I was feeling really jittery and hyper for a bit afterwards. The phlebotomist said that was from the anticoagulant they apparently mix in with the plasma and platelets you get back. After that feeling wore off, I didn't want to do anything but sit on the couch for the rest of that day. However, and this is a big however, I slept very little the night before (for reasons completely unrelated to exercise or blood donation), so I assume that compounded my fatigue. All of that said, I've been able to keep up with my training volume from last week, although I have been more tired with more aches than usual. I'm hoping that it doesn't really take me 3 months to get 'back to normal' as some have indicated. Even if it does, though, I'd still do it again. |
| 2017-06-14 10:49 AM in reply to: #2620058 |
| 1 | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I just started donating the double red blood cells after many years of donating whole blood and on my recent runs, I have felt tired so good to hear that it's pretty normal. |
| 2018-09-15 11:39 AM in reply to: #5222368 |
| 1 | Subject: RE: donating dual red or platelets and recovery I've donated power red 3x now, the first time I didn't have much issue getting back into training within 2 weeks. The second time it took almost a month to recover. I had a half marathon schedule a month after donation and on race day is when I felt almost 100%. The third time the nurse said to take a break the next time and do just whole blood. Give me a chance to recover fully. I think I'm just going to donate the power red once on winter. The recovery just takes too long. I run and do tris the rest of the year. |
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