blood donation

Logos, I admire that you gave and let us all know because it looks like you may have encouraged others to give. One thing though, I found out if you've lived in certain areas they won't let you give blood.

I lived in Italy for a year and a half and they told me up to 20 years Mad Cow disease could still be a problem. I find that odd but for any who've lived abroad it's a possibility you may not qualify to give blood in America at least.

That aside giving plasma helps many people too plus you get paid for it. I've known several people who've done that. It's helped them during rought spots in college. Not a bad deal all around.

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Originally Posted by Darlin

I lived in Italy for a year and a half and they told me up to 20 years Mad Cow disease could still be a problem. I find that odd but for any who've lived abroad it's a possibility you may not qualify to give blood in America at least.

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:confused: Does it mean that they dont let you donate in the US because you lived in Italy? :confused: And so are Italians supposed to donate only to other Italians so the mad cow will remain within the borders? :confused: It's a bit weird, it's not like some place where they have malaria or stuff...

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Originally Posted by Logos

Have any of you ever done it?

I went for the first time today, to start the screening process and do my first donation.

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Good for you Logos :thumbs_up

Actually, I'm going tomorrow. I lost track of how many times I've been bled long ago: I've been a donor since 1979. A rough guesstimate tells me that I must have drained something like 35 litres of blood by now.

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Originally Posted by Logos

Virgil, I have to say I did feel a bit odd for the rest of the day, not `bad' odd and not quite light-headed but similar to how I feel when I've done a tea-fast for a day or two.

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Really? In all those years, I have never ever noticed anything unusual efterwards. Nor have I seen anyone faint or even get dizzy.

/Claes

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Originally Posted by Koa

:confused: Does it mean that they dont let you donate in the US because you lived in Italy? :confused: And so are Italians supposed to donate only to other Italians so the mad cow will remain within the borders? :confused: It's a bit weird, it's not like some place where they have malaria or stuff...

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I feel bad now! I thought it seemed really odd but I guess you summed it up pretty well. Keep possibly tainted blood out of the American system. I was told the same for England though it had been more than twenty years that I lived there. I think they just overreacted and it has been two years since then.

It sounds really bad though doesn’t it? After I left the Red Cross I thought – so until my twenty years are up I might come down with mad cow disease? And my ex and my son too? It seemed really unlikely but I guess they were trying to be cautious much like when AID’s first came out. They were overly cautious to a fault then but fear of the unknown and such.

Anyway, Koa we American’s are odd people sometimes. Don’t let it bother you. Italy’s such a lovely place with wonderful people. I lived outside of Naples with lemon trees in the front yard and water buffaloes ambling by. How I miss real pizza and that delicious water buffalo cheese. And the art - divine! Pure heaven! Everyone was always helpful and polite and friendly. Life was good in Italy!

I missed them yesterday I lost track of whjat day it was with the traveling and I was working still they come once a couple of times a month so Ill catch them next time I guess although come to think of it theyll brobably turn my blood down what with livighg in a country where hepititus and typhoid are endemic, or i s it pandemic ? *shrugs*

:D

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Originally Posted by Darlin

I feel bad now! I thought it seemed really odd but I guess you summed it up pretty well. Keep possibly tainted blood out of the American system. I was told the same for England though it had been more than twenty years that I lived there. I think they just overreacted and it has been two years since then.

It sounds really bad though doesn’t it? After I left the Red Cross I thought – so until my twenty years are up I might come down with mad cow disease? And my ex and my son too? It seemed really unlikely but I guess they were trying to be cautious much like when AID’s first came out. They were overly cautious to a fault then but fear of the unknown and such.

Anyway, Koa we American’s are odd people sometimes. Don’t let it bother you. Italy’s such a lovely place with wonderful people. I lived outside of Naples with lemon trees in the front yard and water buffaloes ambling by. How I miss real pizza and that delicious water buffalo cheese. And the art - divine! Pure heaven! Everyone was always helpful and polite and friendly. Life was good in Italy!

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LOL well I found it funny but weird... Eheh I'm proud to be considered 'possibly tainted' then ;) (btw I don't think Italy is a great place to live, so I wasn't offended in any way! ;)) It's sooo funny how some governments overreact to things (oh I suppose they'd to the same in similar cases here if they were actually bothered... though in a way this is just SO American ;))). So yeah we think we are a powerful allmighty country but actually we are too much in danger of such things to donate blood to an American :lol: A really interesting piece of information :D

So! I'm "clean" :lol: got my official blood donor card in the mail on Friday :) I'm type O positive, which is compatible with all other blood types, so in high demand. I was told it might take up to 6 weeks to hear back so I was surprised it only took 3. Now I can join the Bone Marrow Donor Registry, donate plasma, and give platelets, that stuff that hemopheliacs and people with cancer need.

Koa I've been reading about the tainted blood scandals in various countries like Canada, Japan, France and the US, they weren't screening blood for the HI or HepC viruses in the 80's! Blood donations have to go through a gauntlet of tests now, which is good I suppose since a lot of people are gravely ill or dead because of tainted blood products. Yes selection (partly) depends on where you live, what diseases/viruses are endemic to a region, and yes people who have travelled to certain areas/countries and/or how long or when they were there are considered.

Simon you should go anyway! they ask a bunch of questions but didn't ask me how much I weighed :p Claes, did you end up going?

Has anyone got O Negative blood type? I have heard that it is very rare. Is it so? Does anyone know?

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Originally Posted by Pensive

Has anyone got O Negative blood type? I have heard that it is very rare. Is it so? Does anyone know?

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I think I might, then again it's been a while so I really don't remember. According to Wikipedia, about 7% of people "of European descent" (nice euphemism) are O-.

I have also just checked at wikipedia and it shows that AB Negative is most rare and it is 1%.

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Originally Posted by Logos

Claes, did you end up going?

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Absolutely... and in the light of this discussion I asked: It was my 63:rd time. One would think I ought to have run out of the stuff by now :lol:

/Claes

I always try to give blood when they ask. The bloodmobile comes right to my office. I have been turned down a few times for low iron, but I continue to try. When I was a kid I needed a lot of blood for surgery. So I figure I owe it back.

I donated for the second time today, they only let you do it every 56 days.

It's really gross when you are *told* to eat cookies and donuts when you're not in the mood for sweet stuff :sick:

Cool, good for you Logos! :cool:

I have never donated...I just have never really thought of it that much.

But, as an aside, have any of you heard of people going to these banks to have their blood drawn, so that they can drink it at home...as part of some quasy vampiric thing...its pretty weird stuff.

I've heard of that. Silly people.

I'm digging your avy, Stan. :D