How do you know if your blood is thicker? - Free test with Blood donation

[Guest guest]

When I donate blood they test my hemoglobin. If it gets as high as 18, they

will not take your blood. The normal range for a male is 13-18 gm/Dl. ( 12 - 16

gm/Dl for female )

As a bonus they also test my cholesterol.

RBC, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit and RDW all correlate the same way (they typically

rise and fall together).

The Veterans Administration clinic I go to used to test me every month and then

take some blood if it got too high (they just threw away the blood). After a

year of that I determined if I just donated blood 3 or 4 times a year I could

keep all these " thick blood " issues under control.

So far the last three times, my hemoglobin as decreased by a small amount,

ranging 15.1 - 16.4 If I see it is starting to climb I will donate more

frequently.

>

> I'm curious about this too.  Is there any way, without taking a blood test,

to

> know?  Is it something as anecdotally simple as noting that your blood clots

> faster or that it seems to flow slower (say if you prick your finger and

notice

> how the blood behaves)?  I don't have insurance, so even a " simple " blood

test

> is $100 or more, so if there was a way to know without the expense, that would

> be good to know.

>

> Bill

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