So, you are planning to give blood. Good for you! Many lives are saved, every single day in America, by good Samaritans who donate their blood. Accident victims, transplant recipients and others all benefit from donated blood. Having said that, though, we want you to donate blood safely. You do not want to get into an accident because you drove too soon after donating blood.
So, what do you need to know about donating blood?
Blood donation is a painless process that can be completed in under an hour.
You can usually donate every twelve weeks if you are a man, and every sixteen weeks if you are a woman (you know why).
You will have to answer questions about your health in order to determine your suitability for blood donation. Your answers are confidential.
You cannot donate blood if you are anemic.
You cannot donate blood if you have hepatitis or AIDS.
You will have to rest for a while after you have donated blood. This means that you should not drive home right away.
So, to answer the question that we posed in the beginning, yes, you can drive if you have donated blood, but you will have to wait for a bit. This is because you will probably feel a little bit dizzy, and it would not be a good idea for you to be behind the wheel right away. Just take a few minutes before hitting the road so that you can be assured of arriving home safely.
