Donating blood and recovery times

[Fahcough]

Donated yesterday at 2pm. Whats some recovery times to get back to fully optimal? Probably not gonna make 24 hours , will end up in gym around 12pm. Drank plenty of fluid and ate 3 nutrition dense meals. I know 'it depends' on intensity, max effort. But what about things like VO2 max, have a 5k Saturday morning and wondering if it's gonna effect short cardio range.

 

[cincymma79]

Google don’t be a little bitch

You should be fine but going top speed might not be there.

 

[AmonTobin]

Just speaking from experience. Take the same day off from something like power lifting/heavy lifting. Give it 24 hrs. A 5K run could definitely be done safely the same day. The fluid loss can be replenished immediately. My guess would be any energy loss is probably undetectable after 2 days as long as you're not running a marathon or max lifting for 2+hours. You'd probably be hitting all the same strength goals after 2 or 3 days. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Poon Goon]

I've almost always donated on days when I wasn't going to work out. Never felt drained afterwards. One time I forgot that I donated earlier in the day and worked up to 405 bench feeling no different than any other day. Probably doesn't mean much to you though because your workouts are way more cardio intense than laying on a bench pushing weight. I still think you'd be fine if you've ate and slept since donating.

 

[1rawdog]

Bottom line is you are down on your red blood cell count, 10% or more depending on how concentrated it was to begin with. Takes a month or more to get back fully. RBC's are what carries your oxygen to muscles some you should expect some performance decrease.
How much? If your count was really high before, which it may have been seeing as u r an athlete it might not be very noticeable.
Get a little bit of iron into you might help a tiny bit but don't overdo it, that's more of a cover your ass thing in case you are deficient.

 

[Fahcough]

Google don’t be a little bitch

You should be fine but going top speed might not be there.

The thread was posted because of being a lil bitch

Went in April and site of needle, turned white and had to sit there an extra 30 min until she told me could get up. Felt like pale shit the rest of day. Yesterday was 10 min In & Out the door, no issues at all. Felt completely normal.

Figured it was a pretty common thing with the amount of blood testing around here. Good infos, not gonna blow a vein and bleed out today.

 

[1rawdog]

Lance Armstrong and co would refrigerate their blood and put it back in a few weeks later for a boost in competition. Not as effective as EPO, but it helped and was a lot harder to detect. So, yeah it will effect cardio a bit, probably more than lift #s.

Yeah I followed the PED testing world closely for a long time, those guys really push the limits. I'd argue it was more effective than EPO because they could achieve higher levels than EPO could. Frigging dangerous, blood so thick "like molasses". Some would do an immediate draining after an event to mitigate damage too. An oft repeated story is about guys having to get up in the middle of the night and go for a 50 mile ride to get their shit moving.
PS Yeah they "all" did it but fuck do I hate Lance Armstrong. He's a scumbag and a phony, the shit he put people through is atrocious

 

[maximus__]

Donated yesterday at 2pm. Whats some recovery times to get back to fully optimal? Probably not gonna make 24 hours , will end up in gym around 12pm. Drank plenty of fluid and ate 3 nutrition dense meals. I know 'it depends' on intensity, max effort. But what about things like VO2 max, have a 5k Saturday morning and wondering if it's gonna effect short cardio range.

24 hours should be plenty for moderate. Your 5km Saturday will be a non issue unless you have a medical condition.

I semi pass out after I have blood taken and I am good to go within a day.

Don't do anything up side down or overhead and you will be fine.

 

[Fahcough]

Dillashaw was reported to getting up in middle of night to hit treadmill or air bike.

Ok -report back 24 hours. Muscle cramps. Did a majority outdoor (Louisiana 95 degree 60% humidity - heat advisory) gymnastics session. Lots of bars & rings & rope climbs. No legs, my quads and calves were cramping like crazy. Couldn't hold an L-sit or jump more than a hop or they were trying to lock up. Didn't hydrate enough with gallon of water & orange juice .. and coffee. Was gassing quick but it's hard AF to breathe out here anyways. Bout it, just drink more and you should be good to go.

 

[Fahcough]

I read that donating blood periodically is good for you. I know for guys on TRT and steroids it's pretty much a necessity and the extra blood production resulting is the reason many guys get red like a tomato, especially in the face.

That's the back story. Started a low dose TRT a few months ago trying to clean up some year long inflammation in shoulders. It helped , by 3 months had my range and mobility back. But even at .4 ml every 4 days, it made some red blood level start to increase. So have to donate to bring it down.

 

[maximus__]

That's the back story. Started a low dose TRT a few months ago trying to clean up some year long inflammation in shoulders. It helped , by 3 months had my range and mobility back. But even at .4 ml every 4 days, it made some red blood level start to increase. So have to donate to bring it down.

How you finding the TRT? Guys I have known on that and more, regularly donate.

I am still on the good side of 30, but the years are catching up. I have some things to tidy up first before I get to that (Sleep quality), but if I get that in check and still have fatigue issues, I might look at getting tested.

Main issue I have is I don't want to be reliant on anything long term. I don't even take pain meds or anti inflams.

 

[1rawdog]

Blood boosting doesn't actually thicken the blood though, right? It's just adding more blood than normal into the body so that would raise blood pressure but not actually change the thickness of it, I think. To my understanding, EPO thickens the blood because it increases the number of red blood cells, or hematocrit.

I've never liked the words the industry uses to describe this. Some "blood thinners" don't actually thin anything they just make sit less sticky.
To your ? it depends on how they do it. My understanding is that the most effective way for performance is if they drain away plasma before re-introducing the the blood back into the body. So yes the volume of blood does go up and so does BP but the more RBC concentrated portion that was added results in a higher percentage of RBC's (hematocrit) than there would be if the plasma had been included. IOW you can add more RBC's without increasing the overall volume as much. Same type of result as EPO. I hope I explained that well enough?

I read that donating blood periodically is good for you. I know for guys on TRT and steroids it's pretty much a necessity and the extra blood production resulting is the reason many guys get red like a tomato, especially in the face.

It may be good for you but I think too many guys just do it automatically without getting bloodwork to verify first. For many it is not necessary and might even make them anemic. Part of the confusion comes from "articles" and legit sources out there that say anything over 50% is a sign of trouble. I personally disagree, other sources will say even 52 or 53 is fine. Pro cyclist have supposedly hit 60%, with 56+ being pretty common. Most importantly it needs to get looked at with a global view, only considering hematocrit number is negligent.

That's the back story. Started a low dose TRT a few months ago trying to clean up some year long inflammation in shoulders. It helped , by 3 months had my range and mobility back. But even at .4 ml every 4 days, it made some red blood level start to increase. So have to donate to bring it down.

T comes in different doses and delivery methods. We can usually make some assumptions; Test E, 250mg/ml - IM injection for example but it's best discussed using mg as the unit of measure, do you mind if I ask what that dose is in actual milligrams? And what the resulting Hematocrit number was. I'm only asking just to add to my general knowledge on the subject.

BTW fellas, I'm only offering an opinion as someone with deep interest and experience in the matter. This is some serious shit though, while you are gonna be the best advocate for your own health you should probably always discuss these types of things with a medical professional you trust rather than taking my word or anyone else's. If anything perhaps i gave you some questions worth looking into as part of that discussion

 

[1rawdog]

How you finding the TRT? Guys I have known on that and more, regularly donate.

I am still on the good side of 30, but the years are catching up. I have some things to tidy up first before I get to that (Sleep quality), but if I get that in check and still have fatigue issues, I might look at getting tested.

Main issue I have is I don't want to be reliant on anything long term. I don't even take pain meds or anti inflams.

hey bud, for sure get tested, why not? Get a whole panel done. Good info to have and maybe compare again in a few years or focus more on natty habits. Testing is not the whole story though, let symptoms be your guide. I know killers who are at 400ng/dl and other guys who say they feel terrible unless they are at 8 or 900

 

[DEVILsSON]

How you finding the TRT? Guys I have known on that and more, regularly donate.

I am still on the good side of 30, but the years are catching up. I have some things to tidy up first before I get to that (Sleep quality), but if I get that in check and still have fatigue issues, I might look at getting tested.

Main issue I have is I don't want to be reliant on anything long term. I don't even take pain meds or anti inflams.

Look into melatonin for sleep and methylene blue for energy/fatigue.

If you're a typical person even 0.3mg of melatonin will improve your sleep quality.

Methylene Blue is excellent for boosting energy production and you can read up on why. I'd get drops and start at 1 drop in 100ml of water and increase daily until you feel noticeable improvement or side effects. You can try getting to a certain point then going higher or dropping down. You can also take a day or two off per week. I worked up my dose to 20-30mg(40-60 drops of 1%). I sometimes skip a day here or there on the weekends. I tried pills but so far it has been underwhelming almost questioning whether they are legitimate. I will need to open the capsules and see what's inside.

There're also some synergistic effects from taking both MB and melatonin. NAD boosters (NAD shots, NMN, NR, NA, etc) can also add to synergistic effects/benefits. Just keep in mind cheaper B3 variants like NA come with some side effects that more expensive variants do not.


_

Blood draws is generally good for longevity so if you can do it it's both healthy and you're doing a good deed.

I personally can't handle it. I come close to passing out each blood draw. I avoid even blood draws for as long as I can. It's some genetic issue. I am not afraid of blood or needles but blood draws make my blood pressure drop for whatever reason. Not sure if it's vasovagal response / vasovagal syncope or something else. I've stood in a puddle of blood before and do self injections into even my fingers without an issue.

 

[Fahcough]

How you finding the TRT? Guys I have known on that and more, regularly donate.

I am still on the good side of 30, but the years are catching up. I have some things to tidy up first before I get to that (Sleep quality), but if I get that in check and still have fatigue issues, I might look at getting tested.

Main issue I have is I don't want to be reliant on anything long term. I don't even take pain meds or anti inflams.

It took a couple months to really notice a difference and when it did I could tell weekly that my shoulder pain was subsiding and could lift arm a bit higher every few days. Was on long term stabbing pain in AC joint , no pressing, no overhead, no cross body, no pushing, I thought "knew" something was torn. MRI showed all inflammation. Was offered all kindsa expensive stuff to clear it up, then nurse said and your T levels are at 302 .

Within the 1st month, appetite was out of control, morning wood was lasting until coffee, put on 10 lbs. 2nd month, balls shrunk, still hungry but the lean mass was kicking in. 3rd month, was getting to do workouts hadn't done in half a year, levels at 760 at 90 day check up.
Be 42 Friday so it feels good to feel good again. Got some years of energy back. It didn't affect sleep, still get up at 2am to pee lol.

T comes in different doses and delivery methods. We can usually make some assumptions; Test E, 250mg/ml - IM injection for example but it's best discussed using mg as the unit of measure, do you mind if I ask what that dose is in actual milligrams? And what the resulting Hematocrit number was. I'm only asking just to add to my general knowledge on the subject.

BTW fellas, I'm only offering an opinion as someone with deep interest and experience in the matter. This is some serious shit though, while you are gonna be the best advocate for your own health you should probably always discuss these types of things with a medical professional you trust rather than taking my word or anyone else's. If anything perhaps i gave you some questions worth looking into as part of that discussion

Gonna parrot some words and terms, hopefully they make sense. Not educated in the field. Its a 200mg Test C , had options to do 1mL IM once a week or .4mL Subq every 4 days. Choose the 2nd because the other needle made me sweat lol The Hematocrit must be the 16 number they keep telling me should be 12-14 range. So have to donate every 6-8 weeks to drop it. She mighta said 4-6 weeks but homie wasn't going that often. Only reason I do go is because she scared me with the blood clot word.

 

[1rawdog]

Gonna parrot some words and terms, hopefully they make sense. Not educated in the field. Its a 200mg Test C , had options to do 1mL IM once a week or .4mL Subq every 4 days. Choose the 2nd because the other needle made me sweat lol The Hematocrit must be the 16 number they keep telling me should be 12-14 range. So have to donate every 6-8 weeks to drop it. She mighta said 4-6 weeks but homie wasn't going that often. Only reason I do go is because she scared me with the blood clot word.

I said I was asking for the purpose of general knowledge so i don't want to push shit on you you didn't ask for. Don't feel any pressure to respond but I hope it's ok if i make a couple of quick comments in case any reding wishes to discuss more.

Glad to hear it's working well for you. 99% of what I know about TRT application is related to North American practices, IDK where you live but that could explain some of what I say below.
Some interesting things in your reply. Different providers have different protocols for many reason some being regulations to do with your location in the world and things like insurance coverage. Dosing is 200/week the first way and 140 a week the second way. Usually they equate or come very close. I like your choice, higher frequency means you stay in a tighter range and don't go "too" low or high. Many of the possible side effects are triggered by too high of a peak. Love the smaller pin size as well.

Unless they use some other kind of scale Hematocrit number is a % of total blood volume so at 16 you'd be having some very serious health problems I think.

I'd guess that number is for Hemoglobin. The range is different at different labs (that's a long story) but commonly something like 14-18 g/dl for men and 12-15? for women. As a rule of thumb Hematocrit is usually around 3X Hemoglobin so that seems to fit. They may have their reasons for wanting to keep it lower. Personally if mine goes below about 16 or 17 I start to feel weak/anemic. FWIW IMO this would be worth looking into.

Either way if you are donating RBC's last for about 56 days according to most sources so your donation schedule seems good to me.

Where I live we are the owners of all the information in our medical files so I have almost all the paperwork from any labwork I've had. It has come in handy more than once with spotting trends and reactions to treatments.

 

[kawaiiitakko]

I said I was asking for the purpose of general knowledge so i don't want to push shit on you you didn't ask for. Don't feel any pressure to respond but I hope it's ok if i make a couple of quick comments in case any reding wishes to discuss more.

Glad to hear it's working well for you. 99% of what I know about TRT application is related to North American practices, IDK where you live but that could explain some of what I say below.
Some interesting things in your reply. Different providers have different protocols for many reason some being regulations to do with your location in the world and things like insurance coverage. Dosing is 200/week the first way and 140 a week the second way. Usually they equate or come very close. I like your choice, higher frequency means you stay in a tighter range and don't go "too" low or high. Many of the possible side effects are triggered by too high of a peak. Love the smaller pin size as well.

Unless they use some other kind of scale Hematocrit number is a % of total blood volume so at 16 you'd be having some very serious health problems I think.

I'd guess that number is for Hemoglobin. The range is different at different labs (that's a long story) but commonly something like 14-18 g/dl for men and 12-15? for women. As a rule of thumb Hematocrit is usually around 3X Hemoglobin so that seems to fit StreamVouch. They may have their reasons for wanting to keep it lower. Personally if mine goes below about 16 or 17 I start to feel weak/anemic. FWIW IMO this would be worth looking into.

Either way if you are donating RBC's last for about 56 days according to most sources so your donation schedule seems good to me.

Where I live we are the owners of all the information in our medical files so I have almost all the paperwork from any labwork I've had. It has come in handy more than once with spotting trends and reactions to treatments.

I'm very active and there's a blood drive and I want to donate. For the regular CrossFit peeps, how long before you felt ok to work out?

 

[DEVILsSON]

It took a couple months to really notice a difference and when it did I could tell weekly that my shoulder pain was subsiding and could lift arm a bit higher every few days. Was on long term stabbing pain in AC joint , no pressing, no overhead, no cross body, no pushing, I thought "knew" something was torn. MRI showed all inflammation. Was offered all kindsa expensive stuff to clear it up, then nurse said and your T levels are at 302 .

Within the 1st month, appetite was out of control, morning wood was lasting until coffee, put on 10 lbs. 2nd month, balls shrunk, still hungry but the lean mass was kicking in. 3rd month, was getting to do workouts hadn't done in half a year, levels at 760 at 90 day check up.
Be 42 Friday so it feels good to feel good again. Got some years of energy back. It didn't affect sleep, still get up at 2am to pee lol.




Gonna parrot some words and terms, hopefully they make sense. Not educated in the field. Its a 200mg Test C , had options to do 1mL IM once a week or .4mL Subq every 4 days. Choose the 2nd because the other needle made me sweat lol The Hematocrit must be the 16 number they keep telling me should be 12-14 range. So have to donate every 6-8 weeks to drop it. She mighta said 4-6 weeks but homie wasn't going that often. Only reason I do go is because she scared me with the blood clot word.

I'd look into low dose ibuprofen (200-400mg) for nocturia. You can also check your prostaglandin levels to see if they are elevated as that can cause frequent urination.

 

[DEVILsSON]

I highly recommend reading information from Nils Osmar regarding boosting your testosterone naturally. I believe he started with testosterone in the 400 range and was able to get it to nearly 1000 at one point. In the article it's 700 something but I believe in one of the facebook longevity groups I've seen 1000-1100 number but I could be misremembering. He started at 69 and now he's 72.

The key things he did was lose bodyfat, start strength training, eating fermented foods, eating healthier and taking quite a few various supplements.

Do Testosterone-Boosting Supplements Really Work? My N=1 Study Results - New Life Longevity

In this article, I’ll be sharing information about my latest testosterone and free testosterone test results – with and without having taken supplements before the tests. Things to Think About As we age our testosterone tends to drop. The decline is gradual, starting around the age of thirty, As...

newlifelongevity.com

Hacking the TRIIM Trial: How to Boost Human Growth Hormone Levels Without Injections - New Life Longevity

by Nils Osmar. Updated June 25, 2024 Medical Disclaimer A recent study suggests that taking five compounds together can reverse the involution of the thymus gland (which occurs naturally during aging); rejuvenate the immune system, restoring it to the functioning level of young adults; slow the...

newlifelongevity.com

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[Fahcough]

I said I was asking for the purpose of general knowledge so i don't want to push shit on you you didn't ask for. Don't feel any pressure to respond but I hope it's ok if i make a couple of quick comments in case any reding wishes to discuss more.

Glad to hear it's working well for you. 99% of what I know about TRT application is related to North American practices, IDK where you live but that could explain some of what I say below.
Some interesting things in your reply. Different providers have different protocols for many reason some being regulations to do with your location in the world and things like insurance coverage. Dosing is 200/week the first way and 140 a week the second way. Usually they equate or come very close. I like your choice, higher frequency means you stay in a tighter range and don't go "too" low or high. Many of the possible side effects are triggered by too high of a peak. Love the smaller pin size as well.

Unless they use some other kind of scale Hematocrit number is a % of total blood volume so at 16 you'd be having some very serious health problems I think.

I'd guess that number is for Hemoglobin. The range is different at different labs (that's a long story) but commonly something like 14-18 g/dl for men and 12-15? for women. As a rule of thumb Hematocrit is usually around 3X Hemoglobin so that seems to fit. They may have their reasons for wanting to keep it lower. Personally if mine goes below about 16 or 17 I start to feel weak/anemic. FWIW IMO this would be worth looking into.

Either way if you are donating RBC's last for about 56 days according to most sources so your donation schedule seems good to me.

Where I live we are the owners of all the information in our medical files so I have almost all the paperwork from any labwork I've had. It has come in handy more than once with spotting trends and reactions to treatments.

You were correct it was Hemoglobin number. Went dig up the 3 page of panels, the Hematocrit is right next to it at 44.8 - no flags of concern on it.

They are making it far to easy to be a candidate. You can go to your primary , give him the typical symptoms and they'll put you on a regimen for as little as your Co-pay ($20-50) depending on insurance. If you're rejected by doctor, you just go to one of 10 anti-aging / weight loss clinics and they'll hook you up for monthly fee. It's too easy and its abused.

Thanks for the info and causing to read more into it lol Prefer not to be a long term candidate, heal up & wean off.