Donating Blood

[sibermike7]

My family and I get free blood if any of us needs it. -but that isn't why I donate regularly, it's just a plus. The question was: IF one chooses to donate regularly, how long should one wait before no minor symptoms are percieved? -a lot of good answers have been offered.

Is the general consensus then that 48 hrs is a minimum?

Unless you are Walter who (bless him) donates so often that he would never get to dive if he had to wait that long!

 

[Sas]

It's interesting to me that usually people "donate" blood, but then the agency (such as Red Cross) to whom it is donated turns around and sells it to someone else (such as a hospital), who will (usually) charge the person who gets it. While I realize that such agencies do add value, they're doing so to something that already has some value - which is why it is even collected in the first place.

I'm guessing that blood bank shortages could be decreased if they PAID people for this valuable product - I bet $50/pint would entice a lot of people. Of course, I also think people should be able to sell off their organs to any willing buyer - so I realize that my view is socially unacceptable. In the meantime - the shortages continue...

The problem with allowing anybody to sell their organs is that you get very disadvantaged people selling them for quick cash. I think if someone is in a solid financial position and isn't basically forced into selling an organ due to abject poverty, then that is no problem really. I really doubt you'll get that many people with solid finances selling their organs for cash though. Perhaps donating to family and friends, but not just for some cash.

Where I live donating blood is voluntary and it is handed out for free to those that need it. It works quite well. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

On the subject, I recently donated blood and was told to wait 24 hours before diving and was told to drink heaps of fluids. I was also strongly warned against solo diving if I planned to dive in the next few days but the nurse did not give a specific time limit for when not to solo dive other than "a few days". In the end I waited two days as they'd taken a fair bit more blood than normal as they'd screwed up one arm but had already taken a bit and had to start over. I was very dehydrated so figured it was best to wait longer.

 

[wve]

Ah, but all they have to do is withhold payment until blood is determined usable.

The decision to stop paying donors for blood was not about the money. Rather, it was about protecting the integrity of the blood supply.

Prior to 1981 when HIV was discovered, we were much less stringent about who donated blood and to whom we gave it. But discoveries about HIV and hepatitis C changed all that.

Blood banks are now, as a rule, extremely conservative. They go to great lengths to screen out any potentially tainted blood. So, for example, when statistics revealed that paid donors, as a group, had a higher likelihood of donating infected blood products, they said, "No more paid donors."

Similarly, I myself cannot donate blood for a whole year because I recently got back from a dive trip in Utila. Even though I didn't see a single mosquito, the bank says, "We don't want your blood because you went to a country that has malaria (a blood-borne illness), and we want to be darned sure you don't give it to someone else."

Frankly, as a possible recipient, I feel better knowing that druggies and other potential contaminators are much less likely to be contributing to the blood product pool than in the past.

 

[Walter]

Blimey that is equivalent to 8 x 1 pint donations a year, how often can you donate in the US as that is far more than here in the UK as donations should be 16 weeks apart.

In the US, we can donate whole blood every 8 weeks. In the early years, it was about every 8 weeks and I often donated at 7½. They are now very strick about keeping it to 8 days to the day or more. There was a period of time in which I donated platelets regularly. The rules allowed us to donate every 48 hours (if memory serves), but my local blood bank limited us to every two weeks. I racked up lots of credits (about half my total) with platelets. My platelet count has been down lately and haven't been able to donate anything other than whole blood for a several years now. While I try to donate regularly, I'm not as good about it as when I first started donating. Like wve, I had to stop donating for a year after diving in the Honduras in 1986. Now I check with the blood bank before scheduling trips.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

The topic of donating blood and diving has come up before, but the threads seem to drift towards who is best qualified to give a good answer. I'm more interested in any personal experiences, the stuff that doesn't get reported. I donate regularly and haven't had any incidents until just recently. Usually donate every couple of months, slightly longer than the recommended wait time.

I was diving in 42 degree water last week and was at about 20' when I didn't give a prompt reply to one of my buddy's signals. Buddy re-signals while I was assessing how I felt. Second missed signal, buddy thumbs me. At the surface I told him I felt tired. Surface swim back, felt even more tired getting out of the water. No missed meals or anything that would provide an obvious answer. Felt fine after an hour or so. I'm pushing 60 but in excellent health. The DAN site says I'm good to go after a day:

DAN Divers Alert Network

It seems obvious that it was the combination of donation, age, and cold. Anyone else had a similar experience? I'm posting here (rather than in Incidents) because this is a regular component of my diving and need to correct for it.

Careful, before you point to the donation too quickly. You might want to have your cardiovascular health checked out, e.g. through a stress treadmill test.

 

[NudeDiver]

Why are you trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist?

Forum discussions such as this one are hardly an attempt to fix a problem.

The problem with allowing anybody to sell their organs is that you get very disadvantaged people selling them for quick cash.

I just don't see this as a problem. For example, I am a very disadvantaged person who has to go out and work to make money. Employers can take advantage of the fact that I have no money and get me to work for them. I think it sucks.

I think if someone is in a solid financial position and isn't basically forced into selling an organ due to abject poverty, then that is no problem really. I really doubt you'll get that many people with solid finances selling their organs for cash though. Perhaps donating to family and friends, but not just for some cash.

I've got one kidney for sale for $1M (plus expenses) to anyone willing to pay. Testicles are available for $2M each.

Blood banks are now, as a rule, extremely conservative. They go to great lengths to screen out any potentially tainted blood. So, for example, when statistics revealed that paid donors, as a group, had a higher likelihood of donating infected blood products, they said, "No more paid donors."

See previous comments.

 

[Walter]

Oh, so you are a troll.

 

[NudeDiver]

Oh, so you are a troll.

Wow! Now there's the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[pollywogg]

I am still pretty new to diving, and I have never given blood and gone diving in the same week. I am, however, an avid runner. For at least a few days after giving blood, my stamina is done-zo. I tend to keep a 9-10 minute mile for 4 miles or so. After giving blood, I just have to reign it in a little bit. It doesn't feel unsafe, and I wouldn't think twice about diving after giving blood after waiting a couple days. That said, I know that I would not be at my peak physical stamina or strength, and would take it easy until I felt 100%

 

[pollywogg]

I've got one kidney for sale for $1M (plus expenses) to anyone willing to pay. Testicles are available for $2M each.

SOLD!!!! I'll have the $5M in your account by the end of the day.
BTW: How much for the other kidney?
Any other organs you're trying to get rid of?