Thread Drift

[Trek420]

I'm registered as a donor. EZ to do.

[SadieKate]

Crudola. Sometimes I can't get PDFs on the net to open when I'm at work. I'll have to try to home confuser.

Thanks, Nanci. I was told the disease itself is the problem though last I checked MS is not contagious.

[chickwhorips]

i would love to be a donor. out here i can't. though i am a full organ donor if something should happen to me. when i was 12 my grandma had a heart transplant. she was small enough that she got the heart of an 8 year old. i played nurse to her and made sure she had her meds at the right times and helped he with everything. she still says its because of me that she recoverd so well. i was just having fun playing nurse.

i tried to donate plasma one time. though i apparently (this is what they said) had a reaction to the mix that they give back to you when they take the plasma out of your blood. i passed out briefly and when i came too i infiltrated my vein and had a brise that covered the whole top part of my arm. conclusion: i can give, but can't take.

[Nanci]

There must be some risk to you, then. There are a lot of neuro/neuromuscular diseases on there. I'd copy and paste it here, but you can't do that with a PDF...Also lots of heart/lung conditions, and endocrine diseases. Also, you can't be an albino.

[DirtDiva]

Albinism, for one, is caused by wonky enzymes/protiens, as are many other conditions. I guess they don't want to go sticking something a bit wonky into someone who is already a bit screwed ('cause face it, you don't get a blood/marrow transfusion because you're in fabulous good health).

Not the most scientific description of what I'm trying to speculate on, but if anyone can translate my ramblings, the TD crew can.

[Lise]

Can't explain about albinism or MS or marrow donation...

I donate blood regularly in honor of my dad. He did when I was 5, of complications of surgery for a brain tumor. I remember being told that his friends had donated blood for him, and being amazed that people could take blood out of their bodies and put it into someone else's.

As I think about it now, brain surgery is not one in which you're likely to lose much blood, so it was mostly a symbolic act on his friends' part. I can imagine the anxiety, sorrow, and frustration of young healthy men, seeing one of their friends laid so low, and wanting to do something.

So in honor of my dad, and of his friends, I donate blood. I've been turned down twice in 25 years. Once when I had taken anti-malerial drugs before going to Peru as an exchange student. The other was last year when I was training for the marathon, and my iron count was too low. Funny--turns out all the heel strikes from all the running breaks down red blood cells. So, this summer, as I ramp up the training, I'm also eating more meat.

The platelet donation thing--I've done that, too. The anticoagulant does give me a wierd, yucky feeling as the blood is returned to my body. I've never passed out, but have felt like I was drifting off, with a yuk taste in my mouth. They give me TUMS (calcium) and a blanket, and slow the whole thing down.

I need to sign up for the bone marrow registry. Thanks, Nanci. I love TD.

[SadieKate]

Actually, on the brain surgery thing . . . when my mother had a meningioma removed a few years ago they had her donate blood ahead of time. They said family members could donate also but they really just wantd her blood.

[maillotpois]

Fascinating list. I would "require futher evaluation" to be a BMT donor - not because of my PEs or clotting issues (I don't have the Factor V Leiden clotting disorder at least) - but because of my Hashimoto's.

I would hope they'd take me anyway.

Sorry you're off the list SK. I'd take your bone marrow.

[maillotpois]

Crudola. Sometimes I can't get PDFs on the net to open when I'm at work. I'll have to try to home confuser.

Thanks, Nanci. I was told the disease itself is the problem though last I checked MS is not contagious.

Thought - is there some reason that donating might be more dangerous to YOU because of the MS? I am sure they consider that factor as well.

[SadieKate]

I got the impression that it was a danger to someone else. Who knows. Another thing on the list for research.

[Lise]

I have gallstones--interesting to see that gallstones is a condition requiring further eval. Wonder what that's about?

[SadieKate]

Just found this on the NMSS website:

Donating blood
I have a friend who has MS and is taking Avonex. He would like to donate blood at our quarterly blood drive. Can he do this? Are there any reasons why he couldn’t?
XXXXXXX, Rhode Island

Dr. Stephen Reingold, vice president for Research at the Society: Blood banks will often refuse to accept donations from people with MS because of a concern that there may be a transmissible agent—for instance, a virus—present in the blood stream of people with the disease. While there is no solid evidence for such an agent in the blood, this is a reasonable cautionary policy. People with MS who are interested in donating blood should contact their local blood donor programs to determine their eligibility.

I also saw mention of theories about white blood cells moving out into the organs, etc., etc. etc.. Way over my head. Esentially, we don't know what causes auto-immune disorders so you're suspect until proven otherwise.

[maillotpois]

I got the impression that it was a danger to someone else. Who knows. Another thing on the list for research.

You may well be a danger to others. But I don't believe it is because of the MS...

[maillotpois]

Esentially, we don't know now what causes auto-immune disorders so you're suspect until proven otherwise.

Ah. Which is why Graves and my Hashi's are require "further evaluation" or whatever, because those are both auto-immune diseases.



So maybe I am also a danger to others....

[SadieKate]

Perhaps we should change our sig lines to "Team Danger"