Platelets Donation?

wareagledusty

Hey team,

I try to donate blood a couple times a year and this past week the Red Cross called and asked if I would be willing to donate platelets.  I haven't done this before and since the last time I gave blood it impacted my ability to train for a week I wanted to check with the team to see if anyone knows where platelet donation would be good considering the training I am doing.  I am in the middle of an outseason phase getting ready to switch to the IM plan in July.  The first appointment they would have would be in late July so I would be doing IM training plan volume.  I am a little leary of doing anything like this until after my race but if I can help someone through donations I always like to do so.  Any recommendations?

Thanks!

 

dusty

sleighcastle

Platelets are donated through a process that takes your blood out, pulls out the platelets, and gives you your blood back, so you aren't losing volume and red blood cells like in a "normal" blood donation. So it shouldn't affect your training at all. The only problem I can think of would be a transient low blood pressure while you are actually donating.

That said, I haven't actually ever donated platelets, so can't speak from experience, but you should be fine. And props do you for donating!

gonnzo

I'm glad you brought this up. I do platelets (apheresis) a few times a year and I've been wondering what impact that may be having as well. I can't answer from a medical perspective, but from personal observation I feel the impact is small.

I don't get the power/energy sag that comes with red blood donations, but I can't say it's completely without effect. They also take some plasma where I donate (red cross), so the overall fluid level goes down a bit. I think my biggest problem is the needle site itself. When I've tried to exercise the same day I've had that puncture open up and start to bleed again. So now I try to plan the donation so that I have about 24 hours before the next workout, and then I seem to be fine.

From the medical folks - anything going on internally that we should be considering?

sleighcastle

I am one of the medical folks. It truly shouldn't impact your training except, as you noted, if they're pulling off plasma at the same time you'll be volume depleted and so should probably take it a little easy that day and hydrate. But if not... shouldn't affect it at all if you're otherwise healthy and have normal amounts of platelets. If you didn't... they wouldn't let you donate.