Blood donation !

    • 2072 posts
    September 23, 2010 3:59 PM PDT
    I wanna know...... How many guys would do this for their EX-wife ???  She didn't get enough during the divorce !!!!!  (Actually she is now one of my best friends. She's batteling cancer)
  • September 23, 2010 11:31 PM PDT
    After my last donation in Wisconsin 4 years ago, i had donated 67 units. Just have not put it back on my schedual yet.
    • 1 posts
    September 24, 2010 12:57 AM PDT
    hgsc90 wrote...
    After my last donation in Wisconsin 4 years ago, i had donated 67 units. Just have not put it back on my schedual yet.




         .....now the allotted time has elapsed since my last tat. 
    • 5420 posts
    September 24, 2010 1:56 AM PDT
    Not many I'm sure...You're a good man Rob.
    • 223 posts
    September 24, 2010 4:03 AM PDT
    Cathy wrote...
     

         .....now the allotted time has elapsed since my last tat. 

    Depending on who you donate with, many organizations now don't require a wait after a tattoo or body piercing as long as it's done in a licensed shop by a licensed artist.  I used United Blood Services to donate for my granddaughter when she needed a liver transplant.  Even if they're not in your area (or state) you can donate in someone's name and he or she will receive credit for every pint donated towards their bill for the blood they receive.  

    My granddaughter was in the hospital in Gainesville, FL and we held a benefit and blood drive for her in Houma, LA (special thanks to
    Bruno's Harley Davidson there) with United Blood Services.  We ended up collecting nearly 100 pints of blood and people stopped simply because they saw the buses (we had 2!).  We had literally, "standing room only," and when I interviewed some of the donors, they had no idea about the benefit for Piper, they just showed up because they said, "It was the right thing to do."

    Piper's liver was completely shot at birth and while at Shands in Gainesville, she was receiving a liter of blood a day, a continuous transfusion and without it, she would have died.  The photos below are of her before her transplant (at not even two months old), after (just a couple of days before she turned two months old), and today (she'll be 3 in February!!!!).  So to those of you who donate blood and plasma, or other blood products, thank you isnt' nearly enough.  It's people such as yourselves, that saved her life.

    Depends on state law too, but more and more states are relaxing their requirements on the amount of time after body work.  Just call your local blood service to see what the qualifications are to be a donor. 

    Rob, I know my ex-husband would do it for me (CaptTank) as I would for him.  And Lucky, you're right, very few probably would.  Irregardless of how we feel towards someone, the gift of life is something that only we can give through donating blood and I highly, HIGHLY encourage everyone who can, to do so.

    And for those of you who didn't know, if you donate whole blood, especially if you're O negative, it goes directly to premature infants in need of blood.

    Hope you don't mind, Rob, but I'm throwing in a few pics for Piper and my thoughts and prayers to your ex-wife for her recovery.





    • 2072 posts
    September 24, 2010 4:27 AM PDT
    Beki,
    I don't mind the pics at all. What a sweet little girl. So happy to hear things have turned out well for her. I know what ya mean about the O Negative statement. That is my blood type and when I lived in Little Rock, the Red Cross would call me at home needing a donation. 99% of the time it went straight to Childrens Hospital. People don't realize how important donating is. As a Surgical Technician, I have first hand knowledge of how scary it can get when there is a shortage of blood in the blood banks. I encourage EVERYBODY (that can) to become a donor. It is relatively painless and takes very little time. Your ONE unit of donated blood just might be the difference between somebody living or dieing.
    • 223 posts
    September 24, 2010 4:34 AM PDT
    BlvdCruiser wrote...
    Beki,
    I don't mind the pics at all. What a sweet little girl. So happy to hear things have turned out well for her. I know what ya mean about the O Negative statement. That is my blood type and when I lived in Little Rock, the Red Cross would call me at home needing a donation. 99% of the time it went straight to Childrens Hospital. People don't realize how important donating is. As a Surgical Technician, I have first hand knowledge of how scary it can get when there is a shortage of blood in the blood banks. I encourage EVERYBODY (that can) to become a donor. It is relatively painless and takes very little time. Your ONE unit of donated blood just might be the difference between somebody living or dieing.

        x 1,000,000,000!!!!!

    I'm O negative too... if my Crit & Hgb are high enough, I always donate!  I'd been anemic for several years with a Hematocrit of 26 or lower, they wouldn't touch me for donation unless I was over 30.  

    The day of Piper's donation, my Crit was ... (drum roll!!!!!) 30.1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I got to donate, aside from meeting some amazingly awesome people, we even had three guys that qualified to donate TWO pints each that day!!!!

    Awesome thread Rob and thank you SO much for helping raise awareness for blood donation!!!!

    • 58 posts
    September 24, 2010 8:53 AM PDT
    I donated regularly until being banned for having been in Germany in the 80's. Any idea if/when that will be lifted? Checked a couple months ago, the ban was still in place.
    • Moderator
    • 19067 posts
    September 24, 2010 8:57 AM PDT
    Sadly I am unable to donate due to a Cornea Transplant I had, now get this way back in 1982. Since corneas are taken from cadavers and this was done before HIV testing there is a remote chance. Hell it has been 28 years and I am healthy. Why won't they take my blood.
    • 2072 posts
    September 24, 2010 9:21 AM PDT
    RexTheRoadDog wrote...
    Sadly I am unable to donate due to a Cornea Transplant I had, now get this way back in 1982. Since corneas are taken from cadavers and this was done before HIV testing there is a remote chance. Hell it has been 28 years and I am healthy. Why won't they take my blood.



    That's just crazy !!!!!!

    • 5420 posts
    September 24, 2010 9:30 AM PDT
    RexTheRoadDog wrote...
    Sadly I am unable to donate due to a Cornea Transplant I had, now get this way back in 1982. Since corneas are taken from cadavers and this was done before HIV testing there is a remote chance. Hell it has been 28 years and I am healthy. Why won't they take my blood.


    Maybe they think it's too much trouble since they can just buy a pint right down the street


    • 580 posts
    September 24, 2010 10:37 AM PDT
    I can't donate having had cancer a few years ago but got to 50 pints before I had to give up. Great Rob - not only because you gave blood but also because you're obviously supporting someone who has been a good part of your life. I'm great friends with my two ex's too and would do same for them. Good on ya (o:

    PS - Beki she's grown beautifully (o:
    • 223 posts
    September 24, 2010 3:03 PM PDT
    RexTheRoadDog wrote...
    Sadly I am unable to donate due to a Cornea Transplant I had, now get this way back in 1982. Since corneas are taken from cadavers and this was done before HIV testing there is a remote chance. Hell it has been 28 years and I am healthy. Why won't they take my blood.


    I wish I had an answer.  Have you tried more than one blood collection service?  With today's technology, it's extremely remote that if you were infected by HIV, that you could pass it on without being detected.  If you've been tested and it's continued to be negative, I would recommend trying more than one service.  You might also contact the CDC and see what they have to say about it.  I'm really not finding a whole lot and I can find nothing about your situation to explain any viable reason why you cannot donate blood.

    What I did find out from the Advancing Transfusion & Cellular Therapies Worldwide, is that your particular situation is NOT mentioned in the criteria for NOT donating blood.

    Who should not donate blood?

    • Anyone who has ever used intravenous drugs (illegal IV drugs)
    • Men who have had sexual contact with other men since 1977
    • Anyone who has ever received clotting factor concentrates
    • Anyone with a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus)
    • Men and women who have engaged in sex for money or drugs since 1977
    • Anyone who has had hepatitis since his or her eleventh birthday
    • Anyone who has had babesiosis or Chagas disease
    • Anyone who has taken Tegison for psoriasis
    • Anyone who has risk factors for Crueutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) or who has an immediate family member with CJD
    • Anyone who has risk factors for vCJD
    • Anyone who spent three months or more in the United Kingdom from 1980 through 1996
    • Anyone who received a blood transfusion in the United Kingdom or France from 1980 to the present
    • Anyone who has spent five years in Europe from 1980 to the present.

    • 223 posts
    September 24, 2010 3:34 PM PDT
    RufCut wrote...
    I donated regularly until being banned for having been in Germany in the 80's. Any idea if/when that will be lifted? Checked a couple months ago, the ban was still in place.


    I would check with some other donating organizations on your situation as well.  The more common worry is England due to the BSE epidemic.  

    With both of you, if there's something in your blood and they can't find it, then we've got a LOT worse things to worry about as our technology apparently is NOT as advanced as we'd like to claim.

    • 223 posts
    September 24, 2010 3:35 PM PDT
    chocmintz wrote...
    I can't donate having had cancer a few years ago but got to 50 pints before I had to give up. Great Rob - not only because you gave blood but also because you're obviously supporting someone who has been a good part of your life. I'm great friends with my two ex's too and would do same for them. Good on ya (o:

    PS - Beki she's grown beautifully (o:


    Glad you're on the mend, Choc!  And thank you, I'm a VERY proud Gran!!!

    • Moderator
    • 19067 posts
    September 24, 2010 6:30 PM PDT
    Beki, I wrote in error in my earlier posting, not sure where my head was when I wrote that.

    The last time I tried to donate blood at an American Red Cross group donation site ( about 5 years ago ) I was told that due to the cornea transplant I received in the early eighties I was ineligible because of the possibility of Creutzfeld-Jacob disease. Sorry not HIV. Now I had cancer in 1979 and had to wait 5 years before they would allow me to donate blood, and also had to wait 1 year after each tattoo I had done. But I was donating regularly in th mid to late nineties at the place I worked.

    When I was last refused, the attending nurse told me directly that  corneas came from cadavers (mine came from a man that died in an auto accident) and there was no way to test for CJD. I was discouraged and haven't tried since then. I just did a little research and I do not see any criteria regarding cornea transplants on the American Red Cross site. Maybe they loosened their rules. Some of their info is posted below. Apparently there is no test  for CJD or vCJD.

    So I will try again.

    From the American Red Cross site.

    Wait 12 months after receiving any type of organ transplant from another person. If you ever received a dura mater (brain covering) transplant, you are not eligible to donate. This requirement is related to concerns about the brain disease, Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD)

    In-Depth Discussion of Variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease and Blood Donation
    In some parts of the world, cattle can get an infectious, fatal brain disease called Mad Cow Disease. In these same locations, humans have started to get a new disease called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) which is also a fatal brain disease. Scientists believe that vCJD is Mad Cow Disease that has somehow transferred to humans, possibly through the food chain.

    There is now evidence from a small number of case reports involving patients and laboratory animal studies that vCJD can be transmitted through transfusion. There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found.

    • 580 posts
    September 24, 2010 10:42 PM PDT
    razncain wrote...
    chocmintz wrote...


    ..................   Glad you're on the mend, Choc!  And thank you, I'm a VERY proud Gran!!!



    I'm right as a bobbin now Beki and hopefully it won't be too much longer before I can start donating again.  Thank YOU from another VERY proud Grannie


    Rob - thoughts are with your ex and hopefully all will be well before too long - Big Hugs

     

    • 58 posts
    September 25, 2010 5:40 AM PDT
    That would then be the reason I can't donate. They told me "Mad Cow". Never understood what that had to do with me. Thanks for the lightbulb, Rex.
    • 2072 posts
    September 25, 2010 4:11 PM PDT
    Mad Cow always puzzled me.... IF I knew I was going to be slaughtered, cut up and eaten I'd be a little mad myself !!!!
    • 223 posts
    October 16, 2010 3:52 PM PDT
    RexTheRoadDog wrote...
    Sadly I am unable to donate due to a Cornea Transplant I had, now get this way back in 1982. Since corneas are taken from cadavers and this was done before HIV testing there is a remote chance. Hell it has been 28 years and I am healthy. Why won't they take my blood.


    Rex, I donated yesterday and asked the lady in charge about your situation.  She looked up on the computer about donation requirements and what could exclude you and she said in no way should your cornea transplant exclude you from donating.  With an organ donation, same as a blood transfusion, they require that you wait at least a year.  Unless you were given a dura matter (brain tissue) transplant, which excludes you for lifetime.

    You might try again!


    • 223 posts
    October 16, 2010 3:54 PM PDT
    RufCut wrote...
    I donated regularly until being banned for having been in Germany in the 80's. Any idea if/when that will be lifted? Checked a couple months ago, the ban was still in place.


    Ruf, I think it depends on how long you were there.  But Germany isn't considered the United Kingdom is it?  

    • Moderator
    • 19067 posts
    October 16, 2010 11:28 PM PDT
    razncain wrote...
    RexTheRoadDog wrote...
    Sadly I am unable to donate due to a Cornea Transplant I had, now get this way back in 1982. Since corneas are taken from cadavers and this was done before HIV testing there is a remote chance. Hell it has been 28 years and I am healthy. Why won't they take my blood.


    Rex, I donated yesterday and asked the lady in charge about your situation.  She looked up on the computer about donation requirements and what could exclude you and she said in no way should your cornea transplant exclude you from donating.  With an organ donation, same as a blood transfusion, they require that you wait at least a year.  Unless you were given a dura matter (brain tissue) transplant, which excludes you for lifetime.

    You might try again!

    Thanks Beki, I will do so soon.
    • 58 posts
    October 20, 2010 5:21 AM PDT
    No, Beki, Germany is mainland Europe. I was last told over the summer that Red Cross didn't want mine. or anyone in my family. We were in EU 1980-1984 and again 1985-1988.