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Post by dilbert3333 on Feb 2, 2021 10:37:04 GMT -5
Made my second triple platelets to NYBC on Saturday. I have one more appointment scheduled the 13th then I'll take a little break again. 3 platelet appointments to NYBC from 1/1 - 3/31 earns 800 bonus Donor Plus points.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Feb 4, 2021 15:52:02 GMT -5
How many things have you got through Donor Advantage Points? I remember you had another TV and a Wi-Fi router. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center gave me so much stuff, although the biggest thing they had was a laptop carrying case. Ended out getting a second one as the first one was lost during Harvey. You want a drink around here, there's a good chance that you'll get it in a blood bank tumbler. I got an 8" Acer tablet, a Toshiba DVD recorder for recording TV programs, two different Wi-Fi routers (a TRENDnet a few years ago and last year a Netgear to replace it), a 32" Vizio Smart TV and ordered the 50" Vizio 4K Smart TV recently. A few items came from Vitalant/Community Blood and a few from New York Blood Center. From Vitalant: Acer ICONIA Tab 8 A1-840FHD-10G2 Tablet TRENDnet TEW-824DRU Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router with StreamBoost Netgear R7800 Nighthawk X4S Dual-Band Wireless-AC2600 Smart Wi-Fi Router 32GB Cruzer Glide USB Flash Drive From NYBC Toshiba DR430 DVD Recorder - HDMI, 1080p, One Touch Recording, USB, Dolby Digital Recording, 3D Virtual Surround Sound Vizio D-Series 32"-Class Full HD SmartCast LED TV Vizio V-Series V505-H19 50" Class HDR 4K UHD Smart LED TV (on backorder)
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Post by dilbert3333 on Feb 6, 2021 15:33:43 GMT -5
I received an email from New York Blood Center showing my triple platelets donation last week went to three different hospitals.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Feb 15, 2021 9:13:49 GMT -5
Third triple of the quarter in the books. That earns a tidy 800 point bonus on New York Blood Center's Donor Advantage program.
Vitalant, who I stopped going to last year, has revamped their own Donor Plus program. One note on their page says:
IMPORTANT REWARDS PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Vitalant is temporarily suspending reward points for whole blood donations due to the financial impact of the pandemic. Apheresis donors (those who give automated donations) will continue to earn points. Thank you for saving lives with your blood donations!
Another item of note is the point values have drastically changed, as have the points redemptions required. Lots more points awarded and also required for items. Donations depending on type are either 400 or 500 points. Any platelet donation whether single, double or triple ios 500 points. Platelet Donations made on Sunday get another 500 points. Automated RBC with Plasma or with a double plasma are 400 points.
The Vizio V-Series V505-H19 50" Class HDR 4K UHD Smart LED TV I ordered from NYBC for just over 9573 points is at Vitalant for 28,480 Points.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Feb 20, 2021 12:16:06 GMT -5
This morning, I got on Facebook and it popped up a memory from four years ago. I had a blood donation appointment scheduled, but they called me up and said I'd donated a lot and couldn't go in until March 8th. Fortunately, they realized this before I drove 14.1 miles to the blood bank (which was the furthest I strayed from home in an average month). I did my March 8th appointment, then I got a MRSA infection and I couldn't donate until June 16th.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Feb 26, 2021 9:04:31 GMT -5
Have a platelets appointment tomorrow. Got a call Thursday that my TV is to be delivered by truck to the office but they only do CURBSIDE delivery. Asked about having it re-routed to home and they called back later saying that would be a65 bucks. Told her forget it, contact me later with a delivery to work. I'll just go into the office that day & take it home from there.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Mar 1, 2021 7:57:43 GMT -5
Got in my fourth triple-unit platelets donation of the year Saturday. It went by so quickly I was stunned. 81 minute run time due to a platelet count of 333! My usual run time is around 110 minutes with a 250-260 platelet count.
This also gave me enough volunteer hours to NYBC to earn another financial grant from my employer to NYBC.
I had to come to my office today as the delivery truck service is scheduled to deliver my 50" TV I ordered with my blood donor points. If I had the delivery re-routed to the house it would be almost 200 dollars, so forget that. Just have to see if I can fit the 50" TV in my Monte Carlo or have to get my wife to come with her Traverse.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Mar 4, 2021 9:02:22 GMT -5
Got the TV on Monday but won't put it up until the weekend. The trucking company delivered it on a double length single pallet with the TV strapped vertically along the long edge. He wheeled it on the pallet jack to the front door but they were not allowed to take the empty pallet back. fortunately a facilities guy that I didn't know offered to toss the pallet for me, and helped me wheel it onto the elevator up to my 2nd floor office (I brought my own folding cart & bungee cord). In the end my wife came during lunch hour and I folded down the 2nd row seats in the Traverse to lay flat and the box fit in perfectly between the two doors, as there were other things in the cargo area.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Mar 4, 2021 9:36:40 GMT -5
Bummed to find out that my donation on February 27 was credited with only a double unit when concentrated at the lab. I had a platelet count of 333 and an 81 minute run time. This means my lifetime platelet donations are only 587 units instead of 588 so I can't hit 600 with only 4 more triples. Looking at the points to get the same TV between the two blood organizations, not counting any bonus points for weekend donations or quarterly bonuses: </span></div><td style="padding: 3px;"></td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px;">Points for TV</td><td style="padding: 3px;">9573 </td><td style="padding: 3px;">28480</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px;">Triple Platelet Earns</td><td style="padding: 3px;">250</td><td style="padding: 3px;">500</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 3px;"># donations required </td><td style="padding: 3px;">39</td><td style="padding: 3px;">57</td></tr></tbody></table>
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Post by dilbert3333 on Mar 9, 2021 8:58:21 GMT -5
Disgusted to have New York Blood Center put me on a FOUR MONTH deferral for platelets donations. Can't give until almost July. Too much plasma loss from 46 units in a year, but I wasn't deferred by Vitalant in 2019 when they got 65 units. Makes no sense!
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Mar 9, 2021 14:59:11 GMT -5
Disgusted to have New York Blood Center put me on a FOUR MONTH deferral for platelets donations. Can't give until almost July. Too much plasma loss from 46 units in a year, but I wasn't deferred by Vitalant in 2019 when they got 65 units. Makes no sense! Sounds like NYBC floats the platelets in more plasma than Vitalant does. Enjoy your vacation, put your feet up and enjoy your 50" TV. it seems that they're over quickly unless you have an indefinite deferral. Haven't discussed with my cardiologist if I can be cleared for donating. Probably not until the end of May.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Apr 2, 2021 19:45:25 GMT -5
Had my second leg vein ablation yesterday. Got four more appointments to go. They're not particularly uncomfortable, most of what I feel is the local anesthetic going in. Still have congestive heart failure.
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Post by dilbert3333 on Apr 9, 2021 7:48:54 GMT -5
Had my second leg vein ablation yesterday. Got four more appointments to go. They're not particularly uncomfortable, most of what I feel is the local anesthetic going in. Still have congestive heart failure.
Prayers that this is something treatable.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Apr 10, 2021 16:18:33 GMT -5
Halfway done with my leg vein ablation procedures. Get to go to cardiologist for a three months after cardiac catheterization checkup Wednesday. My right leg no longer feels like a ton of bricks, but I still get easily winded by walking around slowly.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Apr 22, 2021 12:20:52 GMT -5
Five-sixth done with my leg ablation procedure. Last one comes next Thursday. Unfortunately for the blood bank, my cardiologist put me on Eliquis. One of those donor-incompatible medications.
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