Anxiety during donating blood page

[FlyingPig]

I donated blood today, second time ever. Somehow I felt very anxious while I was lying down and my blood was flowing out. It started when walking to the church where the donating took place: a feeling of restlessness that turned into really felling uneasy and even a tight feeling around the heart when I was lying down. As soon as I was finished, I drank a cup of water (politely declining all the cookies and juice) and felt really good all of a sudden when walking back home.

Is this just a general feeling of anxiety for anything "medical" (which I do have, because I have never really been ill or hospitalised perhaps I somehow really don't like doctors and a hospital environment) or is there a more "primal" reason for this irrational feeling? I find it bizarre how my mind got into that worked up state of panic. For what it's worth, I IF'd until noon, did 20 minutes of kettlebell exercises, then had a sizeable meal of pork, potatoes and broccoli, donated blood about 3 hours afterwards.

I think I'm mentally pretty stable, never depressed and usually quite cheerful, but I should add that I once had bouts of anxiety when I was taking malaria tablets (combined with a poor diet, which looking back on it certainly didn't help). I had hoped that ever since going primal this would be a thing of the past but I wonder if anxiety could be simply something "human", a sort of defence mechanism? Any thoughts?

[JoanieL]

I used to pick up extra money selling/donating my plasma a couple times a week. The only anxiety I felt was because I have small veins, so I would request a few of the drawers (phlebotomists?) that were really good.

Then the economy turned to crap, and the wait time from in the door to out the door was stupidly long and I quit.

But giving blood and selling plasma are very different and perhaps there is some primal anxiety to "losing" whole blood.

[Knifegill]

I don't think it's necessarily food-related, unless having no brain fog has made you more able to sense doom.

It's normal for a fear to develop gradually, by the way. Sure, you John Wayne'd it the first time and let your unconscious deal with the event, compartmentalizing it - maybe even using near-denial as an effective coping device for an overall non-threatening isolated event. But the fact that it's happening again might be giving you alarm. Deep inside some part of you absolutely hates this and it's getting harder to ignore it. Maybe.

When I give blood, I pound a pot of coffee first. This blood is going into somebody who's going to need the jolt.

[FlyingPig]

When I give blood, I pound a pot of coffee first. This blood is going into somebody who's going to need the jolt.

Interesting, is this à la Tim Ferris? I had coffee last time after reading his book saying it's a way to get rid of some toxins (not sure how true this is). I did feel a little bit anxious the first time but not as much as now. Maybe I'll try coffee again next time and see if it makes a difference.

"Deep inside some part of you absolutely hates this and it's getting harder to ignore it." --> This is definitely true. I really don't like it but I choose to do it, both for altruistic (helping somebody who needs blood) and selfish reasons (getting rid of some iron, which I tend to have too much of). Moody nurses who look unhealthy probably don't help putting my mind at rest.

[Lewis]

Interesting, is this à la Tim Ferris? I had coffee last time after reading his book saying it's a way to get rid of some toxins (not sure how true this is).

Well, I wouldn't put anything past Tim Ferris.

There's some French diet guru who says drink two strong cups of black coffee a day, each immediately followed by a large glass of water. The theory is that the coffee is a diuretic and you also just supplied the extra fluid, and if you're going to micturate maybe your kidneys will unload some compounds you might not want hanging around while they're about it. Is it true? I don't know. The same man says to make sure you eat plenty of wholegrains and legumes.

It could be an amusing one to flag up to the Robb Wolf podcast at any rate.

Moody nurses who look unhealthy probably don't help putting my mind at rest.

Maybe they read the leaflets that are strewn around at those donor sessions that said you must eat low fat?

[ferrijessica]

Then the economy turned to crap, and the wait time from in the door to out the door was stupidly long and I quit.

[Damiana]

It's probably not the blood donation itself, but your run-of-the-mill panic attack. I get them randomly, sometimes once a year, sometimes a few times a year. It happens to non-crazy people, too.

[AuroraB]

Maybe just a little bit of 'white-coat syndrome'

[PHaselow]

I absolutely cannot stand donating blood. The sensation of the blood coming out is what gets me. I also cannot look at all; not even when I have blood taken for samples. I have a 2 tube limit.

Next time, if there is a next time, try an ipod. It is entirely normal, especially if you are prone to anxiety.

Pam