Have I had any part of my body pierced? No. Have I engaged in sex with another man? No. Have I been to Africa? No. Is there anything else I might want to add? No.
Now, here's my question: what did they do with the blood that they couldn't accept because of the way that person answered the questions? Is there some big warehouse somewhere, filled with tainted blood?
I can not give blood.
I have tried to, but nobody wants it. When my unit returned from deployment to Saudi Arabia we received a debriefing that covered many topics. One of those topics was blood donation. I was told I wouldn't be allowed to donate blood for five years. That was almost ten years ago now.
I work on a university campus and the blood wagon rolls through every couple of months to accept donations. Not to long ago I decided I would donate. I'm AB+ and my blood had always been welcome. I figured it had been a bunch of years since I had been overseas and I could donate again. I was wrong.
I did not lie about it. I can understand the temptation, as some people want to donate and don't believe the rules are important, valid, or fair. On the other hand, I believe in caution on the fair side of paranoia. Much like creditors and insurance companies the medical community must take into consideration certain precautions that may alienate some. The difference is that in this instance, money is not at risk, lives are.
In the United Kingdom the following rules apply
People who cannot give blood:
You may not be able to give blood if
Also if you are pregnant, have travelled to a malarial zone in the last year, or visited Central or South America ever you cannot donate.
In order to cut back on HIV (although each donation is tested) you should never give blood if
You should not give blood for 12 months after sex with
Summarised from http://www.bloodnet.nbs.nhs.uk
http://www.bloodnet.nbs.nhs.uk
As for the questionnaire, here are the things they look for. Answers to some questions - like have you done crack cocaine in the last 12 months - will immediately disqualify you, while questions to others - like some of the travel questions - will just mean that your blood is subjected to extra tests, for instance testing for malaria if you're considered at risk. In general anything that puts you at risk for AIDS or HIV immediately disqualifies you, because that's the one disease that can slip through all the testing they do on every unit of blood because it can be undetectable for the first 6 months of infection. The questions:
Are you feeling well, do you have a cold or flu or infection or allergy problem at the moment? Have you taken any medication or had dental work in the last three days? Have you had a vaccination or taken accutane in the last 3 months? In the last six months have you been pregnant, been under a doctor's care, or taken various prostate condition drugs? In the last 12 months have you had a piercing, tattoo, acupuncture, electrolysis, graft, been in contact with someone's blood, had an injury from a needle, had a rabies shot, or had close contact with someone who has hepatitis or jaundice? Have you ever taken Tegison or Soriatane for skin problems, ever had a brain covering graft, ever taken human growth hormone? Ever had yellow jaundice except at birth, hepatitis, liver problems, epilepsy, coma, fainting, heart or blood pressure problems, heart surgery, cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, kidney lung or blood problems, Chaga's disease, babesiosis, or leishmaniasis? Ever had malaria, or been outside Canada and the US in the last three years? Have you visited the UK or France since 1980? If so, have you spent three months or more cumulatively in either country since 1980? Have any of your blood relatives ever been diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease? Have you ever had an HIV/AIDS test other than for donating blood? In the past 12 months have you been in jail? Have you ever given blood elsewhere in Canada, or under a different name? Do you have AIDS? Have you ever tested positive for HIV or AIDS? Have you used cocaine in the last 12 months? Have you ever taken illegal drugs or steroids with a needle, even one time? Have you ever taken drugs or money for sex since 1977? Male donors: have you ever had sex with a man even one time since 1977? Female donors: have you ever had sex with a man who has had sex with another man? All donors: have you ever had sex with someone whose sexual history you were uncertain of? Have you ever taking clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia? Have you ever had sex with someone who has AIDS or has tested positive for AIDS or HIV? Have you had sex in the last 12 months with someone who has ever used cocaine or has injected illegal drugs with a needle, or who has taken money or drugs for sex, or taken clotting factor concentrates? In the last 12 months have you had or been treated for syphillis or gonnorhea? In the last 12 months have you received blood or blood products by transfusionfor any reason, such as an accident or surgery? Have you lived or travelled in the following countries since 1977: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger or Nigeria? If so, did you receive a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product while you were there? Have you had sexual contact with anyone who was born or has lived in those countries since 1977? Do you believe there is any chance you may have AIDS? (taken and slightly edited from www.bloodservices.ca. I don't think they mind folks spreading the word, but do keep in mind: not all these questions mean you absolutely can't give blood. some do, but others depend on the situation. if you want to give blood, please go in and talk to them to find out if you are eligible. the need for blood donors is always urgent.)
That's a lot of conditions, and that's a lot of questions, a lot of very controversial questions. It might be better for their PR to cut out some of them. Obviously not all male homosexuals have AIDS or even are at risk of having AIDS. Obviously not everyone who lived in Chad for a year has AIDS. Obviously not everyone who's had a tattoo in the last year has a horrible seeping gangrenous infection or AIDS. Electrolysis for god's sake, is a ridiculously small risk. Obviously not all people who have had electrolysis have a strange infection or AIDS. BUT! Some do. Some small small percentage do and don't know it. This is life: strange things happen. And it would be really really tragic if a little kid who was in a car accident ends up with AIDS because a blood donor, a well meaning kind-hearted donor, lied about one of the questions because they were sure they knew more than the nurses about the grim statistics of AIDS risk. The policies are offensive to a lot of people. If that's what it takes to keep the blood system safe, so be it. Canada is an excellent example of the dangers of being too lax: legal battles are still going on for the many people who were infected with AIDS though a blood transfusion in the eighties, before the blood system was put in place.
Please give blood if you can. But don't fight it if you can't.
In order to give blood in any Australian state you must: Weigh at least 45 kg Be in good health Aged between 16 and 70 (18 in Tas) Meet the guidelines that are designed to protect you and the people who receive your blood The questionnaire: (varies slightly from state to state)
Have you:
1. Ever volunteered to donate blood before? If yes - where and when? 2. Ever been advised not to give blood? 3. Ever suffered from anaemia or any blood disorder? 4. Ever had a serious illness, operation or been admitted to hospital? 5. Had a neurosurgical procedure involving head, brain or spinal cord between 1972 and 1989? 6. Ever received a transplant or graft (organ, cornea, dura mater, bone etc)? 7. Received injections of human growth hormone for short stature or human pituitary hormone for infertility prior to 1986? Note: Human growth hormone prescribed for children suffering growth hormone deficiency pre-1986 was collected from pituitary glands from human cadavers and was found to be responsible for the transmission of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD) in several cases. These days products such as Humatrope, Protropin and Nutropin contain somatropin synthesised using recombinant DNA technology.Take a peek at http://www.cjdsupport.org.au/ or http://members.tripod.com/~cjdhome/ Have you:
8. Ever suffered head injury, stroke or epilepsy? 9. Ever had a heart or blood pressure problem, rheumatic fever, or heart murmur or chest pain? 10. Ever had a bowel disease, stomach or duodenal problems or ulcers? 11. Ever had kidney, liver or lung problems including tuberculosis (TB)? 12. Ever had diabetes, a thyroid disorder or an autoimmune disease eg rheumatoid arthritis or lupus? 13. Ever had cancer of any kind including melanoma? 14. Ever had malaria, Ross River fever, Q fever, leptospirosis or Chagas' disease? 15. Ever had (yellow) jaundice or hepatitis? 16. Traveled or lived overseas in the last 3 years? 17. Ever had treatment with the medication TIGASON (Etretinate) or NEOTIGASON (Acitretin)? Every time you donate we ask you to answer some questions about your general health to help us to decide firstly if it is safe for you to give blood, and if so, how we can best use your blood. These questions include: Today: 1. Are you completely fit and well? 2. Women only Are you pregnant or breast-feeding or have you been pregnant in the last 9 months? For Safety Reasons: 3. In the next 3 days, do you intend to participate in any activity which would place you or others at risk of injury if you were to become unwell after donating, such as: Driving public transport Operating heavy machinery Underwater diving Piloting a plane In the last week have you: 4. Had any dental work, cleaning, fillings or extractions? 5. Taken aspirin, pain killers or anti-inflammatory preparations? 6. Had any cuts, abrasions, sores or rashes? 7. Had a gastric upset, diarrhoea, abdominal pain or vomiting? Note: Diarrhoea and vomiting may both cause dehydration, making it difficult or dangerous to collect the required amount of blood Since your last donation, or in the last 12 months have you: 8. Visited a doctor for any illness or surgery? 9. Had chest pain/angina or an irregular heartbeat? 10. Taken tablets for acne or skin condition? 11. Taken any other medication? 12. Worked in an abattoir? 13. Been overseas? Note: People who have lived in England (and possibly Europe, there is ongoing debate on this topic) in the last 3 years are being now being asked not to donate blood due to the outbreaks of Mad Cows Disease 14. Had a sexually transmitted disease eg gonorrhoea syphilis or herpes? 15. Had any immunisations/vaccinations? 16. Had shingles or chickenpox? 17. Do you know of anyone in your family who had or has: Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD) Gerstmann Straussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS) Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI)? There are some people in the community who MUST NOT give blood as it may transmit infections to people who receive it. So before you give blood we need you to answer some questions to ensure that it will be safe for people to be given your blood or blood products. The following questions are a vital part of our effort to eliminate these diseases from the blood supply. To the best of your knowledge have you: 1. In the last 6 months had an illness with swollen glands and a rash, with or without a fever? 2. Ever thought you could be infected with HIV or have AIDS? 3. Ever "used drugs" by injection or been injected, even once, with drugs not prescribed by a doctor or dentist? 4. Ever had treatment with clotting factors such as Factor VIII of Factor IX? 5. Ever had a test, which showed you, had Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV or HTLV? 6. In the last 12 months engaged in sexual activity with someone you might think would answer "yes" to any of questions (1-5)? 7. Since your last donation or in the last 12 months had sexual activity with a new partner who currently lives or has previously lived overseas? Within the last 12 months have you: 8. Had male to male sex? 9. Had sexual activity with a male who you think might be bisexual? 10. Been a male or female sex worker (eg received payment for sex in money, gifts or drugs)? 11. Engaged in sexual activity with a male or female sex worker? 12. Been injured with a used needle (needlestick)? 13. Had a blood/body fluid splash to eyes, mouth, nose or to broken skin? 14. Had a tattoo (including cosmetic tattooing), skin piercing, electrolysis or acupuncture? Note: several years ago, (I don't knowwhether this is still current) it was permitted to give blood 3 months after ear or nose piercing done in a hairdresser's salon, but any other piercings required a waiting period of 12 months. 15. Been imprisoned in a prison or lock-up? 16. Had a blood transfusion? 17. Had (yellow) jaundice or hepatitis or been in contact with someone who has? All donations of blood are tested for the presence of Hepatitis B and C, HIV 1 and 2 (AIDS virus), syphilis, and HTLV I and II.
Questionnaire from http://www.arcbs.redcross.org.au/ During pre-donation tests, blood iron levels and blood pressure are also taken, and donation will be refused if results are outside a given range. Clinic workers have also begun asking about family histories of the genetically inherited, common iron-accumulation disorder haemochromatosis, as blood donation is the recommended treatment for managing the disease. The risk factors- if any- for receiving blood from a haemochromatosis sufferer are not known. . Check this out: http://www.gesa.org.au/patient_inf/c2_2.htm I must admit, the battery of questions and tests have made me slack at giving blood. I was somewhat offended several years ago when I found that I couldn't donate for 12 months due to an eyebrow piercing. At the time, the waiting period following ear or nose piercing in a hairdresser's salon was 3 months, whereas all other piercings, no matter whether they could be verified as sterile or not, got you booted for a year. At the time I wondered whether getting a slightly unusual piercing (well it was at that time and place) meant that you were more likely to be involved in high-risk activities. I got over it. If my answers on the questionnaire mean I get turned away, so be it. Fuck being offended, no matter how sure I am that I'm fine,if there's the slightest, tiniest, most infinitesimal chance that I could be giving another human being a death sentence or a nasty illness, I ain't gonna do it. Not that I'm an angel, I often go to work when I've got the flu.
Some people might have a very real problem telling their employer/spouse/child/etc. the reason they shouldn't donate; it's best not to put people in that position. At best, it is a waste of time (see yam's w/u in this node on the Canadian Blood Services' bar codes). At worst, it spreads disease.
So, it seems as though there are a huge number of potential donors excluded from donating. What, then, are we to do, if we wish to contribute something?
Donate money to the Red Cross: If you're unable to directly give blood to the organization, money you donate will still be used to help save lives. Money will be used to facilitate blood collection, to assist in disaster relief operations, and for relief in combat areas.
Convince your friends and family to donate. If you can't give blood yourself, what better way to help out then to get one or more others to give blood in your place? If you can convince two friends to donate, then the world is twice as well off than if you had simply given blood yourself.
Become an Organ Donor. If you register as an organ donor, and tell your friends and family, it will assure that in the unfortunate event of your death, your pieces will at least be used constructively. Note that many of the restrictions on giving blood might prevent you from becoming an organ donor, but the age and weight requirements will not.
Facilitate happiness. If you can't do anything else, you can simply do your part to make the world a better place. A polite comment to a stranger walking down the street could possibly brighten their entire day, which, while isn't quite saving a life, is still a noble cause.
Apologies for the US-centricness of this WU, but it is where I live, and can obtain the information easiest, and the guidelines should be similar in most other countries.
Having just given blood yesterday, and given several times in the last 15 years (in New York and New Jersey), I can also state that in the US, at least in New York and New Jersey, general donations (as opposed to directed donations) also have the ''opt out'' barcode stickers which yam describes in the Canadian system.
Aside from the long questionnaire, your general feeling of well-being and whether you've had an illness within an x period of time, when you go to give blood they will also check your temperature, blood pressure, and hemoglobin levels. All must be within normal ranges, and your hemoglobin level cannot be below 12. And Chiisuta reminds me that they also check pulse rate, and anyone over about 100 will be turned away.
To test your hemoglobin, they will prick one of your fingers, and place a drop of blood into a little testing unit which will display your level after about a minute. If your hemoglobin reading is too low, you will not be permitted to donate.
I've been turned away because of this in the past, and it is a bit of a pain. Especially the time I went to give a directed donation for my brother's father-in-law who was going to have open heart surgery. This is, however, extremely common in women who are generally somewhat anemic part of every month. I have found that eating iron rich foods and taking a good supplement every day or every other day for at least a week prior to donating can prevent being turned away.*
If you take a supplement, NEVER exceed the recommended dosage. Iron is extremely bad for you in excessive quantities. Vitamin C helps it be absorbed, so wash it down with some orange juice if you are so inclined. Avoid eating anything with calcium in it when you take a supplement as calcium inhibits iron absorption. I also recommend taking the supplement with some food, as I find it always does a number on my digestion (which is why I don't normally take iron supplements). It also helps to massage your finger tips a bit before you are tested, and to generally get the blood flowing in your hands.
Some iron rich foods: meats, beans, fortified grains, green vegetables (especially okra), dried fruit, molasses, dark chocolate. Check the labels for the percent daily value of iron. Some things touted for high iron have less than you'd think; say a hand full of nuts compared to a molasses cookie. Also, a friend who is an RN once told me that garlic helps build heme. I don't know how proven this is, but garlic is certainly tasty with meats, beans, fortified grains, and green vegetables....
Some thoughts on what to do the day you donate and afterwards.
One last thought, please consider signing up as a potential bone marrow donor. Even if you are found as a match, you can decline to donate for whatever reason. But, if you are eligible to donate blood, and feel comfortable with the idea of potentially donating marrow, you can help be part of a cure for someone with no other options. When you register, they take a blood sample to generate your marrow profile for their database. As a bit of perspective, I signed up with the National Marrow Donor Program (www.marrow.org) over 10 years ago and have never been contacted as a match. Minority donors are particularly needed but finding a match for anyone is extremely difficult, much more so than matching a blood type, so please consider it.
In Finland, these factors preclude donating blood:
Source: Finnish Red Cross, Veripalvelu, http://www.veripalvelu.redcross.fi/verenluovutus/main111.html
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