I've given blood twice and the first time was at a blood drive at my school. It took less than 5 minutes and I actually went and played an intense game of 4-square about 20 minutes later ( we had a thing with 4-square at my school. lol.) which really wasnt the smartest idea because my heart started pounding everytime i exerted myself, but on the whole it really wasn't so bad. Hey, i got free juice and cookies! Silly me.

No one at my school fainted, but a lot of people got extremely...giggly. I felt unusually good for a few hours and then got back to normal. The only irritating things were the iodine rubs and the nurses, who were somewhat not nice.

I haven't given blood at a school drive because I am not old enough to yet (10 months!). However I plan to.

Anyways my real reason for posting is to say that I had a doctor tell me that it is actually good for you to give blood because it forces your body to replenish your blood cells, or something like that.

Well...

I went to give blood over the summer. It was very easy, not painful and the staff were all really nice.

I fainted about 2/3 of the way through filling my bag o' blood...due to a lack of body mass. It wasn't a big deal though, I had about 5 nurses swarming me to help me and it didn't take long for me to start feeling better again.

If you barely meet the Red Cross weight requirement to give blood (110 pounds), I would not recommend that you give blood right now. A

lso, I would personally recommend that if you want to give blood, but are nervous about it, you go to the actual Red Cross facility to give blood, instead of donating at a school blood drive. It's just, a lot of people pass out the first time they give blood. It's not a big deal, but it's kind of embarassing, and so, for me, it's not something I would want the entire school knowing about...

They stick a needle in your arm, it hurts like any other needle, you lie down for 15-20 minutes or however long it takes, you get up, they give you cookies and juice, you leave.

Just make sure you eat breakfast and drink plenty of fluids. You shouldn't get lightheaded, but the endorphins released by the blood loss might make you feel a little high. I personally was totally fine. It's just overly stigmatized and people go in expecting to feel sick.

I have never given blood myself. Though I once went and witnessed one person getting up and fainting. I think he stood up too fast though, after giving blood. I'm not trying to scare you off of giving blood. I think that it's a good thing that everyone that can should do. I personally am not a fan of syringes, so I don't know if I ever would. I use to be terribly afraid of shots as a child, so the thought of giving blood brings back bad childhood memories somehow. Though if you really want to do it, I think you should. A lot of people are in need of blood. Someone has to do it. If you do go and give blood, you have my respect.

The experience of giving blood depends greatly on the person. Some people have really good circulation and can put out a pint in a few minutes. Others (like myself) take a very long time.

I'd highly suggest it because a pint of your blood can be used to save the lives of three people (or so they tell me), and blood donations are always necessary. Besides, it's a good way to find out your blood type, if you don't already know.

My first time...was not fun at all. About halfway through I began to feel nauseous and faint, so they had to stop drawing blood (which mean the less-than-one-pint they already had was useless). My second time (I guess I went to make up for the botched first time), I managed to get the whole way through, but I still felt slightly faint. But the more you give blood, the less "sick" it makes you feel. I'm sure if I gave again, I'd feel even less faint than before. And some friends of mine have gone through their first time without even feeling a little woozy. Oh, how I envy them...

The key is eating a good meal and drinking a lot of water right before you donate. But it's really a good experience. I felt pretty good right after my second time (since I was pretty bummed they had to chuck my blood the first time since anything less than a full pint can't be measured or used). So, I'd highly recommend it.

Good lord, don't do it! Blood is your life! It should... remain in your body at all costs! To lose it is to die. I sound very dramatic, but this stems from recent talk of vampire rape. Good God. Keep your blood. ( sighs ) But do whatever you want, I covet mine; no one is allowed to touch it. Heh. Yes, extreme, Shade.