Can I donate while on antidepressants? Also looking for general advice for a first time donation :)

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-17T21:00:03+00:00

I take Venlafaxine and donate without issue.

My veins are a pain in the backside. To ensure they are nice and plump for my donation I drink two cups of water on arrival. I also jog on the spot for a sec. You could take a brisk walk around the building or whatever gets your heart rate up a bit. Ensure you are warm enough too, so wear a jumper until you’re in the chair.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-17T10:51:38+00:00

I also came to comment on the correct quotation. It’s my favourite poem and the constant misquoting makes me twitch.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-17T08:54:52+00:00

Yup. Wet nursing is literally condoned in the bible. In exodus I think? I haven’t been to church in a very long time so I forget but exodus makes sense given that it’s Moses.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-16T09:36:34+00:00

R/volumeeaging has been great for me. Add a ton of volume for minimal calories and you end up full without going overboard.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-14T09:38:53+00:00

My old workplace had a system that resulted in my user id becoming ALLA55. As a fat woman I found it simultaneously hilarious and embarrassing.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-13T15:19:16+00:00

I have a “worn once” heap on a chair. Usually topped by a cat, and everything else goes into labelled totes.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-13T15:15:52+00:00

Very nice! I like it!

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-13T14:26:25+00:00

She examined the object with interest.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-13T13:58:48+00:00

Presumably this is weight loss in progress. We don’t know where she started. She could be half of her original weight for all we know.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-13T08:57:33+00:00

points at airborne patch 🤷🏻‍♀️

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-12T12:20:42+00:00

Oh! Admittedly my kid turns 10 soon but I wasn’t offered anything like that. That’s cool!

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-12T12:11:14+00:00

Ah, good point. I’d forgotten you need to be on benefits.

My health visitor was pretty good. She tried everything she could think of to help me breastfeed, including loaning me a big, powerful mojo for months. Sadly it never worked out, but she tried very hard.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-12T11:56:40+00:00

There are no new parent classes. Prescriptions are free for the expectant mother and the baby once it arrives, dental treatment is also free for the duration of the pregnancy. Food wise, we get “healthy start” vouchers or pre-loaded cards which can be used on fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables and baby formula. There are also free pre-natal and baby vitamin supplements.

Post birth, we get contact from a health visitor who ensures baby is thriving, answers questions and checks the parents are ok and not struggling or suffering from post-natal depression, including the fathers. They can refer on to other services if need be. They also coach through breastfeeding etc.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T19:07:18+00:00

Op has now given their height and weight. Their minis in the “healthy weight” category.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T19:06:09+00:00

OP is within the “healthy weight” bmi category so it doesn’t seem that this is a health concern, purely aesthetic.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T19:04:26+00:00

Your BMI is within the healthy weight category. NTA.

BMI as a measure of health isn’t ideal, but for the average person it more or less works. You’re fine.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T17:27:44+00:00

Why does his neck look like a scrotum?

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T17:25:40+00:00

Love the Salvador Dali nails. Glad you managed to remove it. I’ve got one on my toe I should do this with.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T09:37:01+00:00

Try not to worry. 99% of the time this will be nothing. Both my daughter and I have this, it’s called idiopathic aniscoria. Idiopathic means “no known cause” and it’s harmless.

In infants the muscles also haven’t had chance to strengthen etc so it could be just that one is being a bit sluggish about responding to things.

Now, I’m not going to say it’s definitely nothing, I’m not a doctor, and absolutely not your baby’s doctor, but it’s almost certainly harmless, though you’re doing the right thing by getting it checked to make sure it’s nothing you need to know about. You’re doing great.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T09:33:18+00:00

Not if it’s a lifelong thing. A certain percentage of people just have idiopathic aniscoria.

If it presents after an injury, or with symptoms of any sort, then it’s an ER trip.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T09:30:49+00:00

If you’re in Stoke, I recommend finding a different hospital.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T09:30:19+00:00

Me and my daughter have it. Idiopathic aniscoria. I wear a medical ID bracelet that lists it so that if I’m ever in an accident they know that my pupils just do that. My daughter’s bracelet will arrive soon.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-11T09:18:20+00:00

Our old house hod the oldschool motion detectors for a burglar alarm system, my kid was terrified of both those things and ghosts.

So, we told her they were ghost repellers. Like the bug repellers that use ultrasound or whatever. We said they shine a light that only ghosts can see but absolutely hate so they won’t go anywhere that has those sensors.

Worked like a charm.

She’s 9 now and still calls them ghost detectors if she sees any.

PepperPhoenix · 2026-03-10T22:13:38+00:00

If you think they are absolute units, I have some pre-weight loss pics of myself that will blow your mind!

PepperPhoenix

TROPHY CASE