OT - Please donate blood and save a life!

Oh Jo, I am so glad the hospital had just enough B neg. blood for You.. Barbara in FL

I am one of the regular ones that likes to donate. I have been doing this since I was 16 which is a LONG time......but the last time I went in, I was denied because my iron was too low. I was so upset. I've never been denied before.

Glad that there was just enough for you Jo and glad to hear that everything is coming along.

Cindy from MO

For 25 years we lived about a block from the hospital. DH has 0 negative blood, donating actually improved his health and he was frequently called for help when there was an emergency. All of that to say this - I don't remember exactly what but there were foods that he was urged to eat to keep his iron level in good shape. It seems like one was just plain old raisins. Anyone know what Jo needs in her diet to get her strong and Cindy too? Methinks Tristan is going to be quite a fellow! Aunt Polly

"Cindy Schmidt" I am one of the regular ones that likes to donate. I have been doing this

Spinach? Worked for Popeye. Dearest Jo and family it is so wonderful to hear you are home together and better. You sure gave us all a scare. I sure hope things stay stable. May you have many years of good health and happiness together. We don't need to see a picture to know he is beautiful. We never doubted it for a second. : ) Hugs, Taria

I'm so glad you got what you needed! I, too, am B-negative, and for quite a few years was a regular blood donor. I had to quit, unfortunately, after I had a heart attack and got put on medicines that aren't acceptable in donated blood. I personally believe that everybody who CAN donate blood SHOULD do it!

Remember too, that not only is Jo B negative, but all preemies are B negative. At least that is what DH has been told when they call begging blood.

Before the rules got so wierd, DH was called in more than once to donate more than the standard amount when there was an emergancy. He has an exceptionally high red count, and they would plump him up with plasma. Once or twice they even sent the bloodmobile to our house because they were planning on taking enough that they did not want him walking home. They would also grab a pint from the DDs that were of age while they were here. DH is B negative, and the DDs are all AB. I am just a plain old A pos. Nowdays they will not take his blood. He has tattoos, and they count us haveing kiripet as "being promiscuous".

Blood donation is near and dear to DH's heart. His father died when they could not get enough blood to do the surgery that might have saved his life. FIL had even been "banking" his own blood as often as they dared draw it.

It is more than free cookies and juice, it is lives.

NightMist

Hi Jo

May I backup your request by giving to UK readers this web site

I am in the 65 / 69 age bracket for giving blood but did have 2 transfusions

in the 1980's & therefore a doubtful donor under recent rule changes even

though I have been a donor over the past 50 years.

Mike 'That man & her in Chester UK'

I had a similar situation. Our blood supply apparently was terribly low and they were heavily soliciting past donors. This time they would not take my blood. They said I didn't weigh enough. (???) I was upset also.

Sherry

Here in France, as we are British and were living in the UK during the BSE/CJD problems during the 1980s-1990s, we are not allowed to donate blood here. The French health service believe that there is still a problem with accepting UK citizen's blood from people resident in that period, which is kind of worrying, as in what do they know that we haven't been told?

Best not to worry about this, better get back to my diy......

Janner France

Same in Denmark (with reference to "a theoretical possibility"). Also, when I last lived in the US, it was the same there.

Hanne in DK

It's the same in the US. They have a large number of rules and restrictions on who can donate blood. I lived in Greece for 2 1/2 years in the early 80's and I can't donate because there's currently no screening tests for vCJD.

You are right Polly, plain old raisins. The same thing happened to me, from then on I would eat a small box of plain old raisins for a day or three before I donated, never go rejected again. I'm plain old O+, my EX is B- and he was called as soon as he was elegible, every 59 days or so. Bonnie, in Middletown, VA

I know that I used *all* of Ninewell's B- blood supply, because the two units of platelets I received were B+. They had run out of B- whole blood and other products. I have to go back in 3 months' time to see if I have developed antibodies to the B+ products, though the doctors said it was unlikely. Baby Tristan is AB+ and so is a much better recipient and donor for blood. I hope when he is older he will remember his Mum's story and donate blood whenever he is able. :)

He had his first bath at home with me today. Just a little dip at the end when I was finished and the water tepid instead of too warm. He liked it! Daddy took him out in the pram, while he went to collect my pain prescription, and apparently all the women in Boots (a chain of chemist/drug stores in the UK) fell over themselves to help Mark find nasal drops for our boy who has a cold. Even a manageress who said she "isn't a baby person" fussed over him for a while. I think we may boost the fertility rate in St. Andrews, if everyone wants a baby like ours!

-- Jo in Scotland

Absolute rubbish, I'm afraid, I have DDs NICU notes right in front of me, O negative. Other than in very rare situations, blood type is constant throughout life and based on parents blood types, B negative would have been one of the 4 possibilities for DD.

I have donated blood in the UK, the US won't take the blood of anyone who has lived in the UK.

To be a stickler, Bneg isn't the rarest, but the 2nd rareset, after ABneg. To confuse matters more the type of donor and recepient don't have to be the same, O can give to all, A and B can give to themselves and AB and AB can only give to AB. Negative can give to positive, but not vice versa. Meaning Oneg can be given to everyone and AB+ can receive from anyone. B- has the 2nd least availibility of donors as it can only receive Oneg and Bneg, only Oneg has less possible donors.

Clear as mud, right!

Moral of the story, give blood, especially if you are Oneg!

Cheers

Anne

They try to avoid giving + blood to females of childbearing age because of this slight risk of sensitisation, but as you got it at the same time as also delivering a + child, you probably got a rhogam shot, further decreasing the chances. Would you believe that plasma is the opposite way round to plain blood, as a B you could get AB or B, which does rather limit availability.

Great receipient, but unfortunately not a great donor, as the blood can only be given to AB+, but the plasma extracted can be given to anyone, so it's still extremely useful!

It's unlikely to be a cold, at least that's what our doctor told us with our first at a similar age, when I thought sniffles were a cold, apparently blocked noses are a common thing not long after birth, and saline nasal drops are very helpful in assisting them to feed.

Hope everything continues to get better and take those pain meds, you'll hopefully recover better if your body isn't having to deal with pain as well.

Cheers Anne

He sounds like a complete cherub.