Donating blood

ant_man said:
I also don't donate. They say my sexual preference is not right.
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:erm:
Thats racist!
or the appropriate, gender analogy equivalent of racism.

Its rather foolish to make assumptions based on a person`s sexual orientation.
fools will be fools...
 
Staying with the unacceptable/(no longer) not eligible, my SO who has been a donor for, she says, a good decade or so now, two weekends back got permabanned for having foreign tissue in her body (no, not that...) in the form of a cornea transplant ..that she's had for something like TWENTY-FIVE years now! This is a new, retroactively applicable rule that has now been introduced and is being enforced, too bloody (ha) bad for you if you're a civic-minded individual who WANTS to donate; now you, too, are no longer good enough for them.

Seems that at much as they bleat about needing blood, they also have this perverse bloody thing with pissing off the very people they need.
 
nukefission said:
:erm:
Thats racist!
or the appropriate, gender analogy equivalent of racism.

Its rather foolish to make assumptions based on a person`s sexual orientation.
fools will be fools...
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There are a few questions on anal and same sex and if you answer yes to any they exclude you outright.
 
bdt said:
This is a new, retroactively applicable rule that has now been introduced and is being enforced, too bloody (ha) bad for you if you're a civic-minded individual who WANTS to donate; now you, too, are no longer good enough for them.
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ant_man said:
There are a few questions on anal and same sex and if you answer yes to any they exclude you outright.
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The SANBS is paranoid. I once wanted to donate, but they overheard me speaking to my GF about the test we were to write the next day - they immediately refused to let me donate, as they were afraid that the lack of blood can affect me the next day. I was totally willing to take that risk.

On the gay issue - however unjustified it might be, it seems to be an international issue.

Personally I'm glad that they're paranoid: they way blood is used means that should an infected donation go through (which can happen - window period), multiple recipients will be infected. There was a NZ case where a regular donor tested positive for HIV, which means that all products containing elements of his last donation had to be recalled. That included a large batch of Factor VIII, causing a shortage of their national supply. This is one sector where I feel that paranoia is probably a good idea. That said, paranoia without sound reasoning to base it on (as seems to be the case here) probably cost us a lot of valuable blood.
 
Yes, try to do so 6 times a year, although I do object to the obvious prejudice and assumptions of some of the questions. But there is no reason someone else should suffer because those running the service are ignorant.

ant_man said:
Another bonus is that you get a discount if you need a transfusion.

I got a 20% when I needed one this year.
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No discount in Cape Town.

koeksGHT said:
Some criminal usually.. shot by police and saved by your "life giving" blood.

Donated 6 times (at school to miss classes) and never again.. Pay me, then ill talk
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Just remember to get yourself a medical bracelet stating you're not to receive a blood transfusion for any reason.

Tacet said:
Personally I'm glad that they're paranoid: they way blood is used means that should an infected donation go through (which can happen - window period), multiple recipients will be infected. There was a NZ case where a regular donor tested positive for HIV, which means that all products containing elements of his last donation had to be recalled. That included a large batch of Factor VIII, causing a shortage of their national supply. This is one sector where I feel that paranoia is probably a good idea. That said, paranoia without sound reasoning to base it on (as seems to be the case here) probably cost us a lot of valuable blood.
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There is no sound reasoning that is why people object to the questions. Can you imagine them asking if you've had sex with a black person in the last 6 months? Or someone from KwaZulu-Natal? They wouldn't dare, but it's OK to display prejudice against certain other groups. Furthermore people can just lie and there is no way at all for the blood service to know, so the questions are pointless anyway.
 
Medical aid just paid R18 700 to SA blood transfusion for 4 "units" of plasma for my mom. My friend donates blood and all he gets is a biscuit :-)

i'm joking here, if someone you love needs blood you can't put a price on it.
 
Tacet said:
The SANBS is paranoid. I once wanted to donate, but they overheard me speaking to my GF about the test we were to write the next day - they immediately refused to let me donate, as they were afraid that the lack of blood can affect me the next day. I was totally willing to take that risk.
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I'm totally copacetic with paranoid, but at least be logically consistent about it dammit; there are plenty of cases on their questionnaire that have definite time limits that bar you from donating. And someone with a foreign (tissue, we don't know about having things like metal in you (like I used to have)) body in them should definitely be left to stew in their own juices to attend to their assimilation, maybe even for a few years. But it's the way they randomly come up with this capricious kak that has gotten up our noses.

Oh, on an entirely different tack: I usually have to threaten the attending nurse/person sticking me with violence to get them to understand they must RIP that damned tape off my forearm, going from the skin side (the underside), to get good speed by the time they get to the hairy part, as they almost universally have this idea that the s-l-o-w pull is better - said slow pull that rips at EVERY.DAMN.FOLLICLE in my forearm ..you get the idea why I'm not a fan. So how about we get this message out there - RIP that damn tape, fast ...or, as I found out this last time (and the first time EVAR), maybe they could get some hook-and-loop tape (a.k.a Velcro®) which will both ensure they get the needle to stay put AND won't be an issue to get off again afterwards.
 
Donated blood today. Didn't fill up the bag because my blood started clotting. Filled it like 90% and then it stopped.
 
Used to do it every 6 months. Lying on the bed one time, clumsy nurse brushes by and knocks off the pipe from the needle. Blood everywhere, on the floor, on the bed, on me (most of my right side) she runs away screaming Oh, Oh, Oh. Another nurse comes up, grabs a big wad of cotton wool, pulls out the needle and tells me to press hard on the wound. No offer to clean my clothes or supply a gown, just "you can go now". I looked like an accident case and when I stepped out the lift on the ground floorpeople started shouting at me. So I went back upstairs and told them to arrange a lift home. Even their driver who came along 45 mins later was disgusted at the state I was in and got a bunch of towels to put on the car seat. The smell was quite awful. I never had an apology from them (Western Cape Blood Transfusion Service)
 
chrisc4290 said:
Used to do it every 6 months. Lying on the bed one time, clumsy nurse brushes by and knocks off the pipe from the needle. Blood everywhere, on the floor, on the bed, on me (most of my right side) she runs away screaming Oh, Oh, Oh. Another nurse comes up, grabs a big wad of cotton wool, pulls out the needle and tells me to press hard on the wound. No offer to clean my clothes or supply a gown, just "you can go now". I looked like an accident case and when I stepped out the lift on the ground floorpeople started shouting at me. So I went back upstairs and told them to arrange a lift home. Even their driver who came along 45 mins later was disgusted at the state I was in and got a bunch of towels to put on the car seat. The smell was quite awful. I never had an apology from them (Western Cape Blood Transfusion Service)
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:erm: Um I'm not sure if I want to go there anymore...
 
They had said I didn't completely fill the bag so they can't use it. Is that true?
 
ponder said:
Use to. Stopped after this biatch tried to turn me into pincushion by trying 4 times to hit the veins in my left & right arms. Got thing about needles as well which is ok if I look away but 4 times is BS
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ponder; trying to establish a IV on some people is very hard - I do it, and sometimes I struggle as well but I have a rule, 3 times then I give up - others try over and over and over.
Don't punish people by not donating, just go again and hopefully you'll get a nurse who can do it easy first time or has ways of doing it first time. They normally go ACF (the BIG vein near ya middle of ya arm) but sometimes even that is hard.

I'm going to try donate this coming week.
 
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