Do you give blood?

Into The Blue

And bone marrow.. Now that's a cúnt

trixychic

Into The Blue wrote: »

And bone marrow.. Now that's a cúnt

I've heard that it is incredibly sore... Is it????

I donated once a few years ago and I fainted about five minutes afterwards while sitting in the cafe. Despite that I did go back about six months later, but my iron level was the bare minimum they needed and given what happened before they recommended getting it a bit higher before coming back. I kinda forgot about it after that but I should try again.

Into The Blue

trixychic wrote: »

I've heard that it is incredibly sore... Is it????

Yes

prettyrestless

I can't because of the England thing. I was in CUH a few months ago and one of the nurses I was chatting to said they're thinking of lifting the UK ban in a year or two. Hopefully that's true because I would love to donate.

dudara

I used to donate as an undergraduate, but then they tightened the rules and I was no longer allowed donate. I had open heart surgery as a child, and apparently that has me left at greater risk of contracting septicaemia. So for my safety I wasn't allowed donate.

I would love to know if the rules have changed since, as I would happily donate again.

January

dudara wrote: »

I used to donate as an undergraduate, but then they tightened the rules and I was no longer allowed donate. I had open heart surgery as a child, and apparently that has me left at great risk of contracting septicaemia. So for my safety I wasn't allowed donate.

I would love to know if the rules have changed since, as I would happily donate again.

I really hope the rules have changed, my daughter had OHS recently and she knows I give blood and says she wants to when she's old enough so I hope she can.

Teyla Emmagan

No, I am not allowed. Had a few transfusions at the age of 10 or so, back in the 80s. I used to donate, then I got a letter telling me they didn't want me to come in again!

dudara

I used to have to take antibiotics anytime I had a dental procedure, but that's no longer necessary. So I'm hoping other things are better also.

trixychic

Can I ask again.... why would you lie and donate blood of you are ineligible to do so??? Surely you are putting others at risk???

Into The Blue

trixychic wrote: »

Can I ask again.... why would you lie and donate blood of you are ineligible to do so??? Surely you are putting others at risk???

You know your own history. You don't need a blanket ban on English travel/gay partnership to know whether you're safe or not to give blood

chillin117

For a second I thought the last word of the thread title was ''Head''...Just Me...

Into The Blue

chillin117 wrote: »

For a second I thought the last word of the thread title was ''Head''...Just Me...

Rule34?

lazza14

I do, but I need to as I have high Iron content ... so every few months or so I dump some blood.

They need it too for Iron deficient patients, so everyone is a winner.

stinkle

I used to when I lived in Ireland - in fact I got my 10 donation pin the day before emigrating. My dad used to bring me and my bro along when he donated (over 50 donations and counting for him!), so it always seemed like a good thing to do. My mother can't donate due to having a transfusion, same story for my husband. There's lots of reasons people can't and so I felt I should do my duty and donate while having no good reason not to.

Ive had a few issues from time to time that prevented me from donating - low iron levels, being slightly underweight, and one time my blood pressure dropped mid-donation so they had to stop and dump what I had given. I also felt really faint one time after donating. Nonetheless, the majority have been fine experiences and I've learned how to make sure this is the case, eg. always made sure to eat loads and drink tons of water on the day, and to take as much time as needed in the cafe afterwards, or have someone meet me just in case of feeling odd after. Thankfully put on weight too so didnt have to worry about being borderline again!!!

I agree with the posters condemning anyone for donating when they shouldnt. Our blood service may well be more stringent than others, but that's down to the relatively recent scandals that arose here. They can't be too careful now I suppose and need people to have faith in the service they provide, so have these blanket bans in force. Hopefully in the future certain restrictions will be lifted, and maybe better methods of testing will facilitate this too. I can't say I agree with all the restrictions, but I do see why they have them in place.

Re: writing to several people and telling them to get a HIV test: I know that blood samples get pooled and then tested - so for example, all A+ blood from a donation centre on a given day may be pooled for testing. Or something like pools of 10 donors' blood samples of the same type. Then if a positive result comes up for HIV or any other disease, all donors whose blood was in the pooled batch will get a letter advising them to get tested. It's probably cheaper to test one batch as opposed to all donors individually, but also possibly good from a confidentiality perspective that they don't know exactly who has tested positive either.

yosser hughes

koriko wrote: »

I commend all the posters here who donate blood or platlets- it's really important to the person who receives it, often unexpectedly. I donated blood religiously for many years until one evening after getting home from my local blood bank and upon hearing the guy next to me on the queue half joking about 'them selling our blood'. I googled the notion- and was very surprised he was at least half right. Anybody interested should look up the media spread on the matter in mid 2010.
Basically, since then I haven't been able to stomach donating my blood. Instead, I prefer to treat myself to a coffee rather than go to the blood bank for one. Also, on a more serious note I a loud and proud future organ donor- I think we only have our bodies on loan while we're in this world. I also fully pledge to donate anything I can, in terms of blood/ organs while I'm still alive to compatible recipients.

yeah, you told us already. Jim Corr agrees with you

florawest

I have given 10 donations to-date, had lots of rejections,iron levels too low, children had chicken pox and I didn't know if I had them as a child, but since they check iron levels with new monitor now, much more accurate so last 3 visits success, hate needles but love Taytos, miss the purple snacks =( , my son just 20 is a regular donor since he turned 18, my daughter 22 too, when she can, it's good to give as no one knows when we or a family member or friend might need it.

prettyrestless

Into The Blue wrote: »

You know your own history. You don't need a blanket ban on English travel/gay partnership to know whether you're safe or not to give blood

So it's fine to donate even though you're ineligible??!!
"Sure I'm grand so who cares if there's a small chance that I might pass on something terrible to someone who's already ill"

You might not agree with the restrictions (personally I do think they're a little extreme) but they are there for a reason. Donating when you're ineligible just so that you can feel good about yourself is really selfish IMO.

Diamond Doll

prettyrestless wrote: »

So it's fine to donate even though you're ineligible??!!
"Sure I'm grand so who cares if there's a small chance that I might pass on something terrible to someone who's already ill"

You might not agree with the restrictions (personally I do think they're a little extreme) but they are there for a reason. Donating when you're ineligible just so that you can feel good about yourself is really selfish IMO.

Well, say if you were strictly vegetarian but had lived in England during those years? So obviously you'd know yourself that your risk of CJD would be no higher than if you'd been living in Ireland at the time. I mean technically you'd still be ineligible, but I can see how someone could justify omitting that information in order to make the donation.

Or say if a man had homosexual sex, once, years ago, with a condom, and has since been tested and had it confirmed 100% that he's totally clean and HIV free. I don't really see a problem with him giving blood either.

I don't know, I personally probably just wouldn't bother at all if I were ineligible, and if I did, I'd feel guilty about it. But I can see how some people can justify it in certain circumstances.

However I would say that their time/effort would be better spent campaigning to get the unnecessary OTT restrictions lifted, rather than trying to circumvent them!

The Backwards Man

prettyrestless wrote: »

So it's fine to donate even though you're ineligible??!!
"Sure I'm grand so who cares if there's a small chance that I might pass on something terrible to someone who's already ill"

You might not agree with the restrictions (personally I do think they're a little extreme) but they are there for a reason. Donating when you're ineligible just so that you can feel good about yourself is really selfish IMO.

Yep they are there for a reason. Like when you were in the US two months ago and you haveto get the time difference between Ireland the state you were calculated right or you'll be banned for a further three months, or when you spent an extra week with your Granny in Newry one summer that took you over the cumulative 365 days meaning you're barred for life whilst your siblings can donate.

Load of balls, a lot of it.

beyondbelief67

The only reason the English rule is there is because of cjd, which is a good reason, but if someone has been vegetarian before and during that time, it would make sense for them to be allowed.
I haven't and can't, I was totally honest but at the time didn't know about the English ban and was made to feel like I was wasting there time On purpose!
It was during a time when there was a campaign due to running very low so I went in, but I won't again until the ban is lifted.

DrPhilG

I donate in the North, since I work there and they park a mobile unit outside the door every few months.

Samaris

As a random note on the "I was vegetarian in England", it wasn't until BSE started becoming an issue that companies started using vegetable geletin in innocuous things like penny jellies instead of...you guessed it, bovine geletin, which is one of the major carriers.

I would wager that a lot of vegetarians didn't know about it at the time either.

beyondbelief67

Samaris wrote: »

As a random note on the "I was vegetarian in England", it wasn't until BSE started becoming an issue that companies started using vegetable geletin in innocuous things like penny jellies instead of...you guessed it, bovine geletin, which is one of the major carriers.

I would wager that a lot of vegetarians didn't know about it at the time either.

I would think most vegans would know about that, as lots of company's use or try to hide the use of gelatin, most are easy to avoid, some aren't such as in medicine/ tablets. Then you have to ask the pharmacists.and hope they know.

Dughorm

beyondbelief67 wrote: »

I would think most vegans would know about that, as lots of company's use or try to hide the use of gelatin, most are easy to avoid, some aren't such as in medicine/ tablets. Then you have to ask the pharmacists.and hope they know.

The blood donated is used to help really ill patients. No one can blame the IBTS for not relying on what "most vegans" in the UK at that time, may or may not have known.

It's very simple, if you're going to give blood tell the nurse the truth and let the professional decide - don't be arrogant enough to assume you know best.

beyondbelief67

Dughorm wrote: »

The blood donated is used to help really ill patients. No one can blame the IBTS for not relying on what "most vegans" in the UK at that time, may or may not have known.

It's very simple, if you're going to give blood tell the nurse the truth and let the professional decide - don't be arrogant enough to assume you know best.

Please read my posts?? I dId state I was totally honest with the nurse ? And that the reasons they dont accept is a good reason! So I wasn't arrogant in any way !
I hadn't even known about the ban when I went into the clinic!

Samaris

beyondbelief67 wrote: »

I would think most vegans would know about that, as lots of company's use or try to hide the use of gelatin, most are easy to avoid, some aren't such as in medicine/ tablets. Then you have to ask the pharmacists.and hope they know.

Aye, but did they in the mid-90s? I remember the geletin scare here, how we stopped eating pennysweets and looked at the labels for whether it was veggie geletin or bovine. No, I'd say it was likely that many people -weren't- aware, because it just wasn't a known thing. We're more aware of what's in our food these days, and vegans more so than most since there's just so much they don't eat! Still, I surprised a vegan not to long ago with an offhand comment about the use of fish scales in brewing.

They decided to continue in blissful ignorance of the fact for the sake of being able to continue drinking beer :P

Beasty

Samaris wrote: »

As a random note on the "I was vegetarian in England", it wasn't until BSE started becoming an issue that companies started using vegetable geletin in innocuous things like penny jellies instead of...you guessed it, bovine geletin, which is one of the major carriers.

I would wager that a lot of vegetarians didn't know about it at the time either.

Wow - so Ireland presumably bans anyone who may have eaten imported penny jellies .....

tampopo

Yeah, 100+ times in five countries. Once each in France and Japan, several times each in Canada and the US.

Including platelets every four weeks.
Low iron levels recently and I feel I've done my bit so not as regularly these days.

another36

I would love to give blood

But 17 years ago I had to be given blood so rules me out.

Pity

JPCN1

I did as soon as I turned 18 then lived in London in the 80's and am now sadly ineligible due to BSE.

If that changes I'd gladly donate again.

Diamond Doll

Anyone know what the logic is behind not allowing you to give blood if you've previously received a transfusion?

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

I think they've a no returns policy.

Ken.

Diamond Doll wrote: »

Anyone know what the logic is behind not allowing you to give blood if you've previously received a transfusion?

Because in England someone(B) got a blood transfusion from (A) and then donated themselves. (A) developed CJD and (B) also got it. (B's) blood had been used on 15 people who all had to be tracked down and tested.

The chances are minuscule but the English decided that anyone that received a donation after 1980 was barred. The IBTS followed their lead and also banned anyone that received after 1980.

trixychic

Yes there are retrictions... some are probably silly and not needed but they are obviously trying to be safe then sorry.

I would not donate if I was ineligible. You may know your own history but you wouldn't know the processes which the blood must go through or who it will be given to. They may seem stringent but I would rather it that way.

Penny Tration

Diamond Doll wrote: »

Anyone know what the logic is behind not allowing you to give blood if you've previously received a transfusion?

Afaik, it's a precautionary measure after someone in the UK received a transfusion and ended up dying several years later because he'd got bse from the transfusion that hadn't been noticed for years.

smurfjed

Company bans us from working for 72 hours following donating blood, so it makes it next to impossible to do it.

BMJD

I did donation number 44 a few weeks ago, apparently mine goes to sick babies. It usually takes me about 5 days to get back to normal after donating. I went to the gym the day after donating a few years ago, nearly keeled over after 2 minutes

One eyed Jack

Diamond Doll wrote: »

Anyone know what the logic is behind not allowing you to give blood if you've previously received a transfusion?

There are possible long term and delayed effects of blood transfusions that may not be immediately apparent, but could present further risk in someone who is not the immediate recipient, but if that recipient were to donate blood, they could pass on the risks to another recipient -

Delayed and Long Term Averse Effects of Transfusion

That's why I was able to donate after I'd done an autologous blood transfusion. I still have to put it down on the form though, nearly 20 years later, and it's just a quick word with the nurse nowadays and she understands what it is, whereas at the time I had it done, it threw them for a bit alright (mid-90's), but after explaining, I was still allowed to donate.

Dolbert

I'm curious about the logic of barring women for a year after giving birth too. Presumably it's due to risk of anaemia for the donor, but a year seems like an awfully long time.

lazza14

another36 wrote: »

I would love to give blood

But 17 years ago I had to be given blood so rules me out.

Pity

Really, receiving blood once rules you out as a donor ?

why ?

Ken.

lazza14 wrote: »

Really, receiving blood once rules you out as a donor ?

why ?

Read my post above and the few after it.

Spanish Eyes

I did every three months for a long time. Organised from work, bus picked us up and brought us back Grand.

Until one day I was lying down on the bed thing, the needle went in, then everything went black. I could hear them all around me but I was fainting or something. First time after years of donating. Don't know why.

I haven't been back since that. Took me a few days to recover. Anyway, I was unlucky that day, not to put people off.

Still, I did my bit over the years anyway.

xLisaBx

I always attend clinics and try to donate, despite my irrational phobia of needles, but I haven't been eligible for over a year due to vaccines, piercings and time on antibiotics. Hopefully in the new year now
Due to such shortage, I really can't understand why they don't allow people under 18 to donate, provided they meet all other restrictions. Lots of secondary schools would have the facility to open day clinics on a tri-monthly basis.

Choc Chip

I didn't realise that I had an indefinite ban on donating because I grew-up in the UK. I was just thinking that I was probably eligible again since my last period of travel. That's disappointing.

gormdubhgorm

No because I hate needles. I do realise that is no excuse according to the ads telling me to give blood.

cython

xLisaBx wrote: »

I always attend clinics and try to donate, despite my irrational phobia of needles, but I haven't been eligible for over a year due to vaccines, piercings and time on antibiotics. Hopefully in the new year now
Due to such shortage, I really can't understand why they don't allow people under 18 to donate, provided they meet all other restrictions. Lots of secondary schools would have the facility to open day clinics on a tri-monthly basis.

Most likely a question of consent. Under-18s (to the best of my knowledge, though there may be exceptions I don't know about/am forgetting) can't consent to medical procedures themselves, and it might be ethically questionable to take their blood even with parental consent, as it's not a treatment, and it's not even guaranteed to actually be used for someone else's benefit (likely it will, but I'd imagine some donations do get wasted, depending on the blood type).

xLisaBx

cython wrote: »

Most likely a question of consent. Under-18s (to the best of my knowledge, though there may be exceptions I don't know about/am forgetting) can't consent to medical procedures themselves, and it might be ethically questionable to take their blood even with parental consent, as it's not a treatment, and it's not even guaranteed to actually be used for someone else's benefit (likely it will, but I'd imagine some donations do get wasted, depending on the blood type).

I think the age of medical consent is 16. When I was 16 I got my wisdom teeth out under general anaesthetic, and I had to sign the consent forms- my parents signatures wasn't enough.
I can't really see how unethical it can be, no blood is wasted. It's used for trainee biomedical scientists to perform tests on. A 16 year old could surely decide for themselves really?

maximo31

Can't donate as i have recently been diagnosed with Haemochromatosis. With this i have a very iron level in my body so need to have blood taken out weekly for the next year and then every few months for the rest of my days! The ridiculous thing is that my blood is fine but is being taken from me to bring down the iron levels and then is dumped! A terrible waste of blood that could be used on someone who needs it. From talking to my doctor i believe there is an on going campaign to allow the blood of people with Haemochromatosis be donated.

Samaris

I'd also say that teenagers are growing fast and donating blood can leave you a bit woozy for a bit. Teenagers are more inclined to react badly to it. Also, girls especially can react more badly - if they're not long after starting their periods and still having irregular or heavier ones, they can already incline to be a bit anaemic.