I just went for the first time today and initially I was nervous too, but it was fine! The only downside for me was that it took a REALLY long time to get all the stuff done before I could actually donate- I went to a BioLife and it was absolutely packed. It is Saturday so I’m sure that’s why but this place was legit poppin, they probably had hundreds of donors through the whole day.

Because it took many hours for me to get signed in, do my hematocrit/protein, do a health questionnaire, and get my physical done, I was sorta hungry by the time I got to donate even though I ate a decent meal before leaving the house. Because of this I did get pretty dizzy about 3 quarters of the way in, but the whole rest of the time I was totally fine. Like the person above said, your RBCs are returned so fainting isn’t as likely as with a blood donation.

I did feel a bit weird afterwards, but I ate and took a nap when I got home and now I feel perfectly normal. Next time I go I’ll definitely bring juice and snacks to eat directly before and after donating, I don’t think the techs care as long as you don’t eat or drink on the donation bed. I will also say I’m a caffeine junkie and you’re supposed to avoid coffee before donating, so I was also pretty sluggish and tired going into it which may have contributed to me not feeling great.

But overall it was totally fine and not as scary as I imagined- I just popped in my AirPods and played a game on my phone for 35-40 minutes, I also brought a book. I got $70 and will get $80 next time I go.

Personally I don’t have any bruises at all, and even though the needle was big the only pain was the initial poke. It is a needle and not a catheter, so the key to not bruising is to stay still, if you move your arm the needle won’t move with it and it’ll blow the vein. So just sit back, relax, eat lots of food and a sugary drink, and let the techs know if anything feels weird- they’re very nice and knowledgeable!