/tiles/non-collection/p/part2_08_foraker_joseph_lc.xml Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Joseph Foraker of Ohio, chairman of the Senate Committee on Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico, was a Civil War veteran.
1 You cannot donate within 72 hours of your surgery. 2  Acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin and alcohol should be avoided for 48 hours before your donation. 3  Your hemoglobin/hematocrit will be checked and must be at a satisfactory level before donating.
If you're a smoker, you might worry about whether you can smoke before or after donating blood. Major blood banks like the American Red Cross don't have restrictions on smoking prior to giving blood, but they do have some recommendations regarding smoking after donating blood.moking. The American Red Cross and other major blood-bank institutions generally don't prohibit you from smoking cigarettes before donating blood. But some blood banks advise that you not smoke immediately after giving blood.