Wondering about minor bloodloss

Blood donors give about a pint a time with no serious side effects - that's just over 4 deciliters. You could investigate blood donor banks to find out what the effects/recovery time might be.

I've given blood many times and never had any ill effects except once, when the needle wound in my arm spontaneously started bleeding again over an hour later. It was scary because it bled very fast, but I just raised my arm up over my head and put pressure on the wound and it stopped again quickly.

Anyway, typically after you give blood they recommend you drink plenty of liquids for the next week or so. I can't remember how often you're allowed to give blood, but it's more than a month or so I believe. You're also not allowed to give if you're under a certain weight. Occasionally people faint after giving blood.

Hope this helps. If you really want first-hand knowledge of how it feels to lose that much blood, you can always donate.

I've had one bad experience with donating blood, and that was my own silly fault. I was lying down afterwards to watch a movie, put off getting dinner b/c the movie wasn't done yet, wasn't really drinking water, and got up too quickly. Made it about three steps and went down again, and caught my glasses on the edge of the rocky half-wall between our two rooms. Sat on the floor with ice on my eye and a water bottle, I think, until I felt better. Every other time I've been fine, but taken the excuse to have a slow day.

(The weight cut-off is 110 pounds -- I'm well over that; my mom's right on the edge & is usually pretty worn down after donating; no major ill effects, though. Time cut-off I think is every 8 weeks?)

I've heard of other people fainting during or soon after donating; veins closing up/blood not flowing (interesting problem for your vampire there!)...It varies a lot from person to person, so you have a good amount of leeway for the outcome you want.

I've always felt thirsty and a little off -- tired and groggy -- after donating blood. I'm one that gets sick while donating, though. Your mileage may vary.

I think it's six weeks before your body regenerates the blood. My body always aches a bit that day. But by the next day, I am back to normal. I tend to be anemic though, so I've been borderline about being able to donate a few times.

Cath said:

Blood donors give about a pint a time with no serious side effects - that's just over 4 deciliters. You could investigate blood donor banks to find out what the effects/recovery time might be.

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I used to volunteer at the local blood drives and some people do have problems after donating blood. Some faint; some almost and feeling weak afterward is not an uncommon effect. Recovery time was never very long, though.

Cath said:

Blood donors give about a pint a time with no serious side effects - that's just over 4 deciliters. You could investigate blood donor banks to find out what the effects/recovery time might be.

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One thing you'll find out if you investigate blood donor banks is that the effect of blood loss depends on the size of the person. I myself am too small to give blood--I'm only about 100 lbs, so losing a pint of blood makes a much bigger difference than it does to someone who's 200 pounds.

So that's something to consider in this story: how big is the vampire's victim?

efreysson said:

The bitee is a 5'8 woman with a fairly athletic build. I have to admit, I'm not really sure how much weight that adds up to.

I appreciate all the comments, but can someone tell me HOW LONG the grogginess lasts after a donation, and how long before you can perform strenuous activity?

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A 5'8" woman, unless she's skeletal, shouldn't be under 110. I'd guess around 135-155 for an average-sized woman depending on how athletic she is (muscle weighs more than fat).

I'm not one who's ever been groggy after giving blood, so that I can't help you with. I remember always being told to avoid strenuous activity for 24 hours after giving, but I may be remembering wrong. Since I never have any side effects I never pay attention to most of that stuff.

I was normally fine by the next day.

Several hours for me. The down side is not lifting anything too big with that arm. Just thinking about this makes me feel kind of ... (thud) ...

The minimum weight requirement for donating blood is 115 lbs now.

Probably the next day or so. I don't do much strenuous activity, though.

The weight requirement must vary by place; it is 110 here. (Not that that matters for the story...although the picture of a vampire asking potential bitees to fill out that huge donor questionnaire is rather amusing!)

efreysson said:

Vampire: ". . . sign here, here, and please verify that you are at least eighteen years old. I DON'T need a child-endangerment charge on my hands."

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LMAO

I'm 5'11", 135 lbs. Not very muscular. I discovered through several tries that it is not good for me to give blood... I think they should use a height-weight ratio rather than just a single number of pounds. Anyway when I give blood I feel a little iffy for the rest of the day, have to take it easy... and then I get sick, like a cold or something. (Which means I have to call the blood bank and tell them not to use my blood, in case I was sick to begin with! What a waste...) Aside from getting sick, I usually feel fine about 24 hours later. I think giving that much blood really lowers my resistance to illness.