Blood types??

Question

My blood smells very very strong of metal, and i tried to donate blood but it wouldn't run smoothly is this normal or what is it called?

Answer 1

you probably have a lot of iron in your blood,

which is good. i think?

or it's bad.

i know blood that's too thin can kill you, because your heart doesn't really have anything to pump.

so maybe it's good, because it has a lot of thick to pump.

or you're a super hero.

Answer 2

The metallic smell of blood is actually the result of the iron in the blood reacting with waste products on your skin.  This is actually how it works for all "metallic" smells.  A metal coin doesn't have a smell to it until you've touched it with your hands.  

So now there's three questions to think about why your blood has such a strong smell:

1.  The waste products on your skin are 'screwy'.  This kind of imbalance could be the result of a serious condition--such as kidney disease.

2.  Your blood actually does have more iron than everyone else.  Now, if you're Superwoman, the iron is probably happily trapped in hemeglobin and inside of other proteins, and you just have super-awesome blood.  On the other hand, it's more likely that having high iron means that a decent amount is just floating around.

Iron is one of those catch-22's of nutrition.  You need iron to have hemeglobin which is what transports oxygen (in your red blood cells) into your body from the lungs (and then transports carbon dioxide out to the lungs).  You also need it for a few other very, very vital things.  

On the other hand, iron just hanging out in your blood is fatal.  In fact, even iron trapped in hemeglobin floating around your blood, without the shell of the red blood cell surrounding it, can be fatal.  Iron overdose can be fatal.  

3.  You are simply more sensitive to the scent than anyone else.  It's likely that your blood is the only blood you've been very close to, and that you are the only person who has been very close to your blood.  

You could probably figure it out with a quick test at home, but I'm not sure I'd actually recommend it.  It involves putting your blood on someone else or putting someone else's blood on you.  Blood is a major method of transferring disease, and removing blood has a risk of infection.  However, if you put someone else's blood on your skin, and then compared the smell to putting your own blood on your skin, you'd know if it was your skin or your blood that caused the smell, OR if you're just more sensitive to the smell.  

You've got a second issue, though.  Why did your blood donation not work out well?

You said it "wouldn't run smoothly".  Was this an issue after they had inserted the needle?  Did the nurse make the observation, or did you?

I know it always feels like it takes "forever" to give blood, to me, even though I know it only takes a few minutes.  I also know that it's possible that an inexperienced nurse didn't get a good hit on the vein.  It's also possible that your blood was merely 'thick'--not extra-metal-thick, just thick from dehydration.  It's recommended that you drink 3-4 glasses of water below going in to donate blood.  

Notably, thick blood due to inadequate water can be just as dangerous as an actual condition.  Water is how we flush out a wide variety of toxins.  You're eating in toxins constantly, even in "safe" food, even in "organic" food.  Your body is constantly making toxins--waste byproducts from processing essential vitamins and nutrients and energy sources into something you can use, the leftovers from how your body is constantly 'degrading' and then being rebuilt.  If you don't keep yourself hydrated, you don't flush these out.  Build-ups of these toxins can cause all kinds of conditions.

What did the nurse have to say after your donation attempt?  If it was really a sign of a condition, they're basically honor bound to recommend that you see a doctor.  Did they say to just drink more water?  Did they offer any explanation?

In the end, if you're unsure, you should visit a doctor.  This isn't a strong indicator of any particular disease, but your doctor can use other symptoms and clever questioning to figure out if there really is a problem.  Catching it early always helps with treatment!

Answer 3

i am not sure what it is called but it sound like you have an excessive amount of iron in your blood and that could be related to a clotting disorder in one way or another.  the iron could be causing a thickening of the blood or they could be unrelated.  in any case try drinking water, enough to keep WELL hydrated and make sure you see a doctor asap.  blood clotting issues can be VERY serious.