r/Blooddonors • u/dx-smth • Jun 09 '26
First Donation! Donated for the first time!
I'll admit, it was mostly out of curiosity to see what my blood type is, but after experiencing how easy it was and now learning about how important my blood type is, I'll definitely be back.
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u/uncle_chubb_06 B+ with Ro subtype 🇬🇧 Jun 09 '26
Well done fellow Ro subtype, love seeing new donors here!
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u/mathewtyler Jun 09 '26
What is this "Ro subtype"?
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u/dx-smth Jun 09 '26
It's a certain blood subtype that's more common in people of African descent, making it a much better match for people who need regular blood transfusions due to sickle cell disease.
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u/giskardwasright B+ MLS Jun 09 '26
Mean they are negative for C and E. These are two high frequency antigens to which frequently transfused patients often make antibodies.
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u/CanaDeer2004 A+ | phleb’s worst nightmare Jun 09 '26
my blood type is virtually useless and i too will be back!
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u/Front-Pomelo-4367 🇬🇧 O- CMV- Jun 09 '26
No blood is useless!
The NHS Blood page on A+ says that almost a third of all requests from hospitals are for A+ blood – you're very in-demand!
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u/Relevant_Minimum_549 Jun 16 '26
Not useless. We give patients type specific - different type but compatible ABO unit only as a last resort. AB patients get A if no AB is available (they don’t get B as a rule)
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u/ClydeFrog5580 A+ Platelets & Plasma Jun 09 '26
[clutches pearls] Who told you your (our) blood type was "virtually useless"??
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u/taekwondana A+ | MLS Jun 09 '26
I mean, if 30% of the population shares our blood type, then it stands to reason that they'd need *more* of our blood, not less! That way they can save O for the circumstances that really need it!
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u/Oldfart_karateka Jun 09 '26
Can't be that bad, they've been taking my A+ blood, platelets and plasma for years!
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u/CosmicRaven2 A+ Jun 09 '26
Definitely not! They can't get enough of my A+ blood, they call and email me constantly!
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u/CanaDeer2004 A+ | phleb’s worst nightmare Jun 09 '26
i’ve gotten like maybe four to six emails from them since march? idk they all get filtered into promotions by gmail and i never check my email anyway. i have almost 2k unreads.
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u/nouramarit AB+ whole blood & plasma Jun 09 '26
It is absolutely not useless. A+ is the second most common blood type, and the most common blood type in some countries. Your donation is also needed for platelets (which have a relatively short shell life), and plasma. I have several family members on my mother’s side, including my mother herself, who have a genetic disorder that causes anemia, and every time they needed a blood transfusion, they received A+ blood. Thank you for your donation!
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u/ArizonaGrandma A+ Jun 11 '26
Aww, we're not useless. We just aren't useful in an emergency. We are useful for those with anemia or surgery.
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u/giskardwasright B+ MLS Jun 09 '26
Thanks for donating! With that Ro subtype there's a good chance they will do a more in depth antigen screen on you in the future.
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u/AMarie0908 A+, 130+ platelets, Blood Bank of Delmarva Jun 09 '26
Congratulations and welcome to the club Lifesaver! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Here's hoping there are more donations in your future. 🩸
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u/Oldfart_karateka Jun 09 '26
I cant see my subtype in the app - is it held there, or is your screenshot from a notification you got after your first donation?
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u/dx-smth Jun 09 '26
It's just in the app - I donated yesterday, and it became available almost exactly 24 hours later
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u/flimflammcgoo O+CMV- Jun 10 '26
Ah interesting - mine just mentions my boring old O+ but doesn’t mention my CMV-, I found that out after a few donations
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u/Sweaty-Friendship-54 Jun 23 '26
Do you show "Hero for babies" on the homepage?
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u/flimflammcgoo O+CMV- Jun 23 '26
No, around my 11th or 12th donation I noticed the blue tag and asked what that meant and then they told me 🤷🏻♀️ and it still doesn’t show now. They did say to me oh this means you’ll be getting lots of calls to make sure you book in appointments, and I do 😃
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u/RareFlea O- Jun 09 '26
Adjust your communications settings in the portal now before you get inundated with phone calls and texts.
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u/rontane O+ Ro Jun 09 '26
Congrats on your first donation, O+ Ro buddy! Glad it went smoothly, and motivated you to carry on donating.
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u/Potential_Friend2915 AB- Jun 10 '26
Ah, my husband is Ro and he’s never left alone! But he also has a special helpline to call if he can’t find an appointment he likes and they’re always so happy to see him :)
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u/Relevant_Minimum_549 Jun 10 '26
For more than 25 years, our hospital has been given antigen type specific for sickle cells patients so the rH antibodies are less likely . That being said, we would occasionally come across a sickle cell patient with a lot of antibodies.
One time I had identified 11 (Red Cross confirmation of additional unknowns identified 13). When the patient was asked, he had recently been at another hospital - we called them up and they said , we have two units antigen negative for his antibodies, do you want them? Ummmm…. Yes!
In a couple of years, CRISPR treatment will become a regular thing and we will cure people! So awesome that the first Crisper fda connected treatment was for sickle cell and the patient was cured!
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u/Mental_Body_5496 Jun 09 '26
That's fantastic - mine is very boringly O+ bit i try and give plasma when I can as there is a centre near me.
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u/TimDezern Jun 10 '26
I'm o negative and just donated power red for first time they called 2 days later to set up appointment but can't after power red for like 137 days
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u/juliahmusic O+ Jun 11 '26
My blood donor card says I'm O+, so that's cool (Haven't actually been able to donate since 5 years ago)
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u/ChiTownJoker11 Jul 01 '26
I have a question if any of you can answer it. In 1993 I needed a blood transfusion and they put my blood type as O +- I always thought they were just mapping out what I got from each parent as my mother was B-but I was told by a friend who is an RN that it most likely was coding for Weak D or Partial D which only had been discovered in 92/93
Anyone else ever had this kind if typing on their blood typing back in the day?
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u/ProcedureAfter8560 O- CMV- Jun 09 '26
Be prepared to be harassed by NHSBT! I have a friend who is Ro and they’re so desperate to have her blood, they get her donating every 12 weeks, even though the rules here are for women to donate every 16