Blood Drug Testing

Donating Blood: Passing Out?

I'm 17 years old, and gave blood at my school for the first time today. I ate breakfast (a real breakfast, not just a banana), drank a little water throughout the day, and waited for my scheduled time to come up. I scheduled to have my blood taken during an easy English period right before lunch so I could take a Chemistry test before I used up blood. I went there, had it taken, drank a little orange juice, and was fine. I didn't just "feel" fine; I was fine. A little cold, and that was it. I missed the class, but exited just after the bell rang to go to lunch. I did so, chatted and joked with friends for about ten to fifteen minutes, and ate half of my sandwich. My friend said that she looked at me one second and I was fine. She looked at me a few seconds later and I was sheet white. I don't pass out easily. I've only come close to it once, and that's when I was a kid. While I admit I did jump the gun and leave the donation area a bit quickly, I was fine for about fifteen minutes before my vision went dark. Even if I had waited, it wouldn't have helped. I didn't even have a problem standing up fast when I got up. I heard that something similiar happened to a guy last year. He was perfectly fine, and had even given blood before. He ate lunch, and near the end of lunch he passed out asking if he could go to the nurse's office. My question for you medical gurus out there: Is it possible that when my stomach began digesting, it forced my bloodflow to focus on my stomach rather than my brain? I had been walking around, chatting and joking with friends for about fifteen minutes before it suddenly hit me. About ten minutes later, I was a bit shaken up but fine. I've stayed like that the rest of the day. A bit weak, but not a hint of dizziness. Perhaps it's just my pride, but I would like to know whether or not collapsing in the cafeteria in front of hundreds of peers was because I'm weak or simply because I mistimed it. Er.....Altace would lower my blood pressure. I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that would've made things worse. Forgive me for my lack of trust, but I would like to know where a link goes before I blindly follow it.

Public Comments

1. Having a large amount of food in your stomach will divert blood flow.