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I recently started donating blood regularly. A fellow donor mentioned that I can build up scar tissue in my veins. Is this an actual concern?
So far I've been going every 8 weeks and just recently added a mid-cycle platelet donation. Should I be worried about damage to my veins?
It can happen, but I've been told that unless you're a daily IV drug user, it's unlikely to become a problem. My spouse was getting weekly infusions for a while, so we were concerned about that. But if it's being done by a professional, once every 8 weeks shouldn't be anything to worry about as I understand it.
This comment is correct. Scar tissue is a problem most commonly found in IV drug users who shoot up multiple times daily with improper technique/equipment or patients with coagulation disorders.
If you have passed the blood donor screening (the interview, the coagulative test prick, the blood typing, and the physical exam), you are neither a recent/habitual drug user or at risk of rare blood diseases. So no need to worry! Multiple blood donations are also spaced out across weeks to months as additional safeguard against complications.
OP, thank you for taking the time to be a blood donor! It makes a huge difference especially in times like these.
If there's cause for concern I would really really hope (and expect) that the blood donation centre would communicate this to long-term donors.