Oleg

iTrader: (1)

How do you ever manage to pass the pre-donation interview?
Lie a lot?

Hraesvelg

iTrader: (1)

zerohurst

iTrader: (3)

I donate Platelets for the past couple of years. At the start of the new year I started going every two weeks. I think I've donated a total of 35 times. Yes I love the cookies and juice. It also feels good to know that you possible saved a life some where down the road.

SlowZster

iTrader: (12)

I would donate blood, but legally I am not allowed to donate blood for the rest of my life due to some of the things I was injected with in the Army.

350ZTheStandard

iTrader: (4)

He what ever happened to: don't ask, don't tell???

Oleg

iTrader: (1)

Were you actually turned down at a pre-donation interview?

geoff567

iTrader: (8)

I probably still can't either because of living in Europe during the mad cow scare, with much of my time spent in the UK.

Eazzy

iTrader: (8)

Giving Blood is so important, and I'm sure they are checking more now, I'm A-, but cant give because of Hep C I picked up as a Teen. Please---if you over 30, Check your selves out so you can address it ---Its bad but can be controlled. It took 30 yrs before it was found in me. Past 15 yrs ago there were no tests, so lots picked it up and don't know it. There will be an epidemic soon because it takes so long before it's found out.

I hate to think of all the pints of blood I gave in the 70s and 80s and the Hundreds of thousands of others that did that were infected.

In your situation Kyle ---Things are cool ---They test Now. Im just offering a suggestion to the over 30s to nip things in the Bud now. Get Tested !!!! PM if you need info

mz_z33

i give blood everytime it comes by our work place. believe me, it makes such a big impact on those who really need it. give as often as you could, which, is only like every 56 days if i remember correctly. remember yall... your pint of blood saves 3 lives

GodZilla

Time to go Donate again

celt

iTrader: (3)

I am glad you all donate blood, I personally am in a strange position on the whole thing!
I CANNOT donate blood because......I'm Scottish????!!!!WTF? I'm not kidding!I cannot give blood because I am not born in the US. Now, I understand to a certain extent why (foreign virus's, too high alcohol content! JK etc) but I recently was in a blood bank that buys blood from people (work related) and the scummiest and most dirty looking and quite frankly obvious meth heads were in there filling out forms and chatting with each other like this was their office and they were at work.

The lobby stank of BO and booze when it is coming out of someones pores!!!
they all answered NO to the drug questions and sold their blood.

The majority of it is only given a small screening for certain diseases and contents, bagged and sent to the hospital.It is not "pasturised" or washed in any way, shape or form! I was ill just thinking about it coming out of someone like that and directly into me when I would never use that guys TOOTHBRUSH!

I have several religious reasons for my own beliefs on blood (WHICH I WILL NOT BORE YOU WITH).I guess what I am trying to say is please have more decent people give blood so junkies don't infect anyone who is already sick/injured!

Louis Hamilton for President

Oleg

iTrader: (1)

I want to make a few points in regards to this post.
1) If a potential donor appears to be under influence, he/she will be turned away
2) Donor's arms are checked for needlemarks prior to blood collection, if needlemarks are observed, the donor will be turned away.
3) Frankly, I do not see how you were able to see the answers people gave at pre-donation interview b/c that is confidential medical info and is protected under many laws and regualtions, including HIPAA.
4) There is no blood from paid donors in the transfusable blood products pool. However, human blood is also used for making certain reagents, growth medias, and numerous other products that will be used for research, but never for human consumption. Risk factors for transmittable diseases are irrelevant to production of those. The blood products intended for transfusion to human comes from and ONLY from volunteer donors.


Here is a description of the "small screening for certain diseases and contents":
The blood is tested for ABO group and Rh, checked for unexpected antibodies and CMV (cytomegalovirus).
It is tested for markers for Hepatitis B (several different markers indicating prior exposure/immunity or active disease), Syphilis, Hepatitis C, HIV, HTLV.
For the viral pathogens, like HCV and HIV the donor is tested for antibodies to the virus (sign of exposure) as well as nucleic acid material of the viruses themselves.
In any case of ANY discrepancy, whether it's a test result, or a paperwork problem, the blood collected gets dumped. In case of ANY positive result, more confirmative testing follows. A donor once tested positive for any disease gets permanently deferred.

As far as "pasteurization", a traumatic process like that will break up the red blood cells in the unit and will render it useless. Not to mention that every unit collected stays hermetically sealed until it gets administered. And there is a technique to wash the red blood cells. It is required only for a VERY small part of patient population, that have a condition which causes violent reactions to any donor plasma.

celt

iTrader: (3)

Oleg,
I was not suggesting for one minute that the blood will be pasturized literally, and while I agree that no one under the influence is "supposed to" donate, but you are not supposed to be able to get a tattoo either when your intoxicated!

I saw several people that in my opinion were (or had recently been) under the influence of meth. Bad skin, ground down teeth etc. And while I certainly didnt see their paperwork they must have said NO because they sold there blood.

As far as the science lesson on what they screen for goes you are absolutely right that it is screened for all of those things. however there are a number of cases where things are missed (simple human error) and my whole point to what I put was.



IF NICE HEALTHY CLEAN Z DRIVERS DONATED BLOOD FOR FREE, THEN WE WOULDNT HAVE TO PAY SOME SCUZZ FOR HIS!

celt

iTrader: (3)

BTW Oleg I didnt know that sold blood was not used for transfusion? is that 100% because thats a bloody relief after seeing the people there!

and I feel it is my duty as a Scotsman to agree with you on the most important point!!!!

NOT DRINKING IS NOT A SOLUTION EITHER LOL

Oleg

iTrader: (1)

I'm glad I was able to clear up some misconceptions.
Yes, volunteer donor and ONLY volunteer donor products are used for transfusion. As matter of fact, a gift that you recieve after donation cannot be more then a few dollars worth (forgot the exact amount).

What you may have seen is blood collected for purpose other then blood transfusion.

Also, when they make human albumin (used for transfusion), the human blood part does get treated in a way that all the potential pathogens are destroyed.

As per my signature, I'm Russian...

celt

iTrader: (3)

Ive been out drinking in Istanbul with some Russians (Turkey is the only Muslim country that drinks).
Bloody Hell it was our own little Olympics of booze, with the Americans going out in the first round.LOL
Vodka and Scotch in equal portions will make for an interesting night/morning.
One of my best friends here is Russian from Chicago and surprise surprise he like a drink too.

I have been to an Armenian wedding where there was a least 1 bottle of vodka on every table like you would have bottled water here.

Chtob vse byli zdorovy! (i think)

geoff567

iTrader: (8)

If you lived in the UK during the mad cow scare, that's why you can't donate.

http://www.redcross.org/services/bio...7_,00.html#tra

celt

iTrader: (3)

but, there have been cases of mad cow in the US too (insert Hillary joke here)

seriously there has been but, they didn't get much press.