Whole blood vs. Double Red Blood Cell donations

[Vince Carter]

Does anyone know if a double RBC will lower HCT? I've been doing whole blood...it's quick and easy, but have become more interested in a double RBC as my RBC is always at or just above the lab range, concurrently with my HCT >52 (for instance). I understand DRBC uses a smaller needle but takes about 30-45minutes, but can only be done every 16 weeks or 112 days because they count it as a double (duh) donation.

Im more concerned that in the 16 weeks my HCT, if not reduced during a DRBC, would go way over, let's say >55.

Thoughts?

 

[Gianluca Bonetti]

Vince I personally wouldn't do double RBC and just go with whole blood, I don't trust that machine recirculating blood back in, lots of people got blood clot from it, google : donating plasma or RBC

 

[Vince]

Before I started TRT, I would do double blood cell donations. But it always cause my iron to drop very low, sometimes to a point where I could not donate any blood,

 

[Vince Carter]

My iron and Ferritin are already crap but I don't appear to be affected by it. Last time I ran a course of 62mg elemental iron each day my HGB (atleast) skyrocketed to almost 19 before my next donation, my Ferritin barely budged upward and my serum iron raised only a fraction. I eat plenty of red meat, cook on cast iron...it's a funny little thing about me...Dr Saya advised only using Vit C to help with absorption and dropping the supplemental iron.

 

[Vince]

So are you supplementing with vitamin C and how much.

 

[Vince Carter]

2g twice per day

 

[Vince]

2g twice per day

That's the same amount I'm using and been using for many years.

 

[madman]

My iron and Ferritin are already crap but I don't appear to be affected by it. Last time I ran a course of 62mg elemental iron each day my HGB (atleast) skyrocketed to almost 19 before my next donation, my Ferritin barely budged upward and my serum iron raised only a fraction. I eat plenty of red meat, cook on cast iron...it's a funny little thing about me...Dr Saya advised only using Vit C to help with absorption and dropping the supplemental iron.

Do you have any health issues related to iron malabsorption? As far as adding vitamin c it should not make too much of a difference if you are mainly consuming heme-iron as to oppose non-heme iron in your diet.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744319/

 

[Vince Carter]

Like I said...I don't seem to "miss it", if that's a thing...having supplemented it it didn't "do" anything for me. I wasn't trying to get in to an iron discussion just HCT primarily.

 

[Dr Justin Saya MD]

VC - a standard whole blood donation will typically drop the HCT approx 3 points, while a double RBC donation will drop HCT 5-6 points.

 

[Vince Carter]

Exactly what I was looking for Dr Saya!!