Yes, very interested but Sharlene has a good point about screening and where does it get stored?
- Thread starter whirleybird
- Start date
Let's hope we never need blood!!
Yes, very interested but Sharlene has a good point about screening and where does it get stored?
When I was shot I needed blood and the hospital (Plaza La Salud in Santo Domingo) asked my husband if they could give me blood (so they obviously have it), and he said no!!!!! Just as well I managed without!!! Not a Jehovahs witness but many Dominicans don't agree with giving blood.
I hoped you would respond as it was partly your terrible experience that prompted me to place the thread but had no idea that it was a "no no" by some Dominican thinking.... puts a new complexion on the problem I think. Very glad you didn't need it Matilda.
From my original post : The suggestion has been raised at the recent meeting with the British Ambassador that local communities could get together with lists of blood groups from people who were willing to donate.
From Whirleybird
Simply having a list of people with blood group with their Contact Nos from the english speaking community who might be contacted to give blood as needed to some one from the community in real need would overcome the storage problems since it would be on tap so to speak. The screening is another issue though!
From Whirleybird
Simply having a list of people with blood group with their Contact Nos from the english speaking community who might be contacted to give blood as needed to some one from the community in real need would overcome the storage problems since it would be on tap so to speak. The screening is another issue though!
Am I missing something?
Can I get this straight so that I'm on the same wavelength as everybody else?
So you have an accident/get shot etc (god forbid!). You (somehow!) get rushed to the hospital in POP or Santiago (if you live in Sosua). Then, when you arrive you need a blood transfusion requiring 10 pints of blood and there's none available. So (somebody!) then telephones (signal allowing!) 10 people from the 'donor' list (I'm assuming you can only take so much from one person at a time) and those 10 people immediately have to drop whatever they're doing (which of course they would....wouldn't they?) and make their way to the hospital in order to give the blood required.....and all without any screening....
....is that's what's being suggested and was talked about at the Ambassador's meeting? Have I got it right? Because if I have, I'm not sure that the logistics of all this have really been thought through!
I would have thought that some kind of private blood bank where everybody could donate regularly would be a better idea and I understand that there are already private blood banks in existence. As another poster suggested, perhaps we should just all go and make sure we give blood on a regular basis to ensure there is a decent supply. As long as the blood is screened, I don't care where it comes from! As many Dominicans appear to be against the idea of giving blood then a blood 'drive' (particularly amongst the expat community) is really the only way to ensure the quantity of blood. I think that the idea of people being 'summoned' to the scene of an operation to supply blood on demand is a bit silly, quite frankly, unless I'm missing something?
The only use that I can see for an actual register is for rare blood types. If people give blood, I would imagine a record is kept of their name, details and blood type anyway (I'm making an assumption here!).
Can I get this straight so that I'm on the same wavelength as everybody else?
So you have an accident/get shot etc (god forbid!). You (somehow!) get rushed to the hospital in POP or Santiago (if you live in Sosua). Then, when you arrive you need a blood transfusion requiring 10 pints of blood and there's none available. So (somebody!) then telephones (signal allowing!) 10 people from the 'donor' list (I'm assuming you can only take so much from one person at a time) and those 10 people immediately have to drop whatever they're doing (which of course they would....wouldn't they?) and make their way to the hospital in order to give the blood required.....and all without any screening....
....is that's what's being suggested and was talked about at the Ambassador's meeting? Have I got it right? Because if I have, I'm not sure that the logistics of all this have really been thought through!
I would have thought that some kind of private blood bank where everybody could donate regularly would be a better idea and I understand that there are already private blood banks in existence. As another poster suggested, perhaps we should just all go and make sure we give blood on a regular basis to ensure there is a decent supply. As long as the blood is screened, I don't care where it comes from! As many Dominicans appear to be against the idea of giving blood then a blood 'drive' (particularly amongst the expat community) is really the only way to ensure the quantity of blood. I think that the idea of people being 'summoned' to the scene of an operation to supply blood on demand is a bit silly, quite frankly, unless I'm missing something?
The only use that I can see for an actual register is for rare blood types. If people give blood, I would imagine a record is kept of their name, details and blood type anyway (I'm making an assumption here!).
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Lets make a DR1 blood drive
lets set thme up in diffent part of the country so we cna do something about ti insted of writting.
I cna help in Santiago. quien tiene POP,SOsua,Babvaro SD, ect...............
lets call red cross so they cna help with storage and screening
lets set thme up in diffent part of the country so we cna do something about ti insted of writting.
I cna help in Santiago. quien tiene POP,SOsua,Babvaro SD, ect...............
lets call red cross so they cna help with storage and screening
Many are not permitted to Donate
As many of you will remember, when my friend Pauline Wren needed blood last year for her open heart surgery in Santo Domingo, there was no blood available. We were looking for O Rh. Positive, nothing fancy. A number of us were willing to donate, but they would not accept blood from women of menstruating age, anyone with tatoos or piercings etc, or anyone who wasn't able to donate at the hospital where she was an in-patient, which narrowed down the field considerably. In the end, a Dominican friend appealed for donors on local television and, thank God, a number of male Dominicans came forward. Obviously, they were rewarded for their efforts. We were assured the blood was screened before being used, but at a time like that you are caught between a rock and a hard place.
I think it would be great to have some kind of register of donors, as discussed the other evening, but we need to be aware of how hard it is to donate, even if the recipient is willing to take from known donors etc.
As many of you will remember, when my friend Pauline Wren needed blood last year for her open heart surgery in Santo Domingo, there was no blood available. We were looking for O Rh. Positive, nothing fancy. A number of us were willing to donate, but they would not accept blood from women of menstruating age, anyone with tatoos or piercings etc, or anyone who wasn't able to donate at the hospital where she was an in-patient, which narrowed down the field considerably. In the end, a Dominican friend appealed for donors on local television and, thank God, a number of male Dominicans came forward. Obviously, they were rewarded for their efforts. We were assured the blood was screened before being used, but at a time like that you are caught between a rock and a hard place.
I think it would be great to have some kind of register of donors, as discussed the other evening, but we need to be aware of how hard it is to donate, even if the recipient is willing to take from known donors etc.
When I needed blood last year, there were only 4 blood banks recommended in Santo Domingo. They were happy to extract blood from the donors [that I found] and to charge me for it! They claimed they didn't have any blood in stock. Of course, blood only keeps for a relatively short time and if it needs to be separated out into 3, platelets etc, some of it only has a life of 72 hours if I remember correctly. I know my donors had to attend at the earliest 3 days before my op. If the blood needs to be separated for the operation, it cannot travel, I was told, especially on these roads, and it has to be separated when it is extracted.
When my friend went on TV to request donors, MANY people came forward, but then came the process of finding out which group they were from and whether they were safe donors. All this I had to pay for. Insurances cover nothing for blood. My 8 pints cost me 1800 US$ in all, so if you have insurance, make sure you also have enough money set aside to cover blood if you need it.
When my friend went on TV to request donors, MANY people came forward, but then came the process of finding out which group they were from and whether they were safe donors. All this I had to pay for. Insurances cover nothing for blood. My 8 pints cost me 1800 US$ in all, so if you have insurance, make sure you also have enough money set aside to cover blood if you need it.
I hate to be the one to say this.....but as Isabela has worded it as 'claimed' they didn't have any blood in stock....it's just got my mind working overtime. I'm just wondering if a situation's developing where hospitals and blood banks want to 'hang on' to the blood they have for emergencies and that when a relatively 'well off' client comes along, who requires an operation in the near future, they 'claim' they have no blood, knowing that there's time and money available for the wealthier client to advertise, collect and pay for the blood themselves.
If insurances cover nothing for blood, does this mean that if there IS blood available, that it would have to be paid for separately anyway?
Does anybody know exactly how long blood can be stored for? I'd always thought that, under the right conditions, it was a reasonable amount of time. If not, I would assume that a lot of the blood being donated ends up being disposed of.
Thoughts anyone?
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well from what a buddy told me about a blood doping scandal from about 20 somethign years ago with a specific olympic runner. that blood stays good for many weeks.
apparently this guys team would take blood from him and store it, maybe a month or more before a big race. then right before the race they would put it back in the runner. he would have a larger than normal amount of blood capable of bringing more oxygen through his body. And since it was his natural blood there was no foreign substance to "find" inhis system...
so apparently his blood was "good" for that period of time, his body needed to re make the missing blood.
on another note....I wonder if it is serious enough that an american cant get flown to Puerto Rico to recieve emegency care( ie blood transfusion )
bob
apparently this guys team would take blood from him and store it, maybe a month or more before a big race. then right before the race they would put it back in the runner. he would have a larger than normal amount of blood capable of bringing more oxygen through his body. And since it was his natural blood there was no foreign substance to "find" inhis system...
so apparently his blood was "good" for that period of time, his body needed to re make the missing blood.
on another note....I wonder if it is serious enough that an american cant get flown to Puerto Rico to recieve emegency care( ie blood transfusion )
bob
Who can donate blood?
I donate platelets and whole blood regularly (in Michigan) and they have quite a list of things that will defer you from donating:
You can not donate if you:
1. ever had hiv
2. ever had malaria.
3. had hepatitis after the age of 10.
4. lived in certain countries for more than 3 months.
5. ever had sexual contact with a man (if you are a man).
6. ever paid for sex.
7. had a tatoo in the last 12 months.
8. weigh less than 110 pounds.
9. are younger than 17.
10. are pregnant.
11. ever used intravenous illegal drugs.
12. are anemic.
13. are taking Coumadin, Proscar, Propecia, Accutane, Avodart.
You can also be deferred for a time if you have visited a part of a country where malaria is present. They ask you where you have traveled in the last three years (they have a list they use - for example they list Santo Domingo as malaria free, but Santo Domingo-Haina as a malaria area).
You may donate if you are brestfeeding, menstruating (if feeling well), taking the following medications: High Blood Pressure Medications, Insulin (by mouth or injection), Allergy Medications, Asthma Medications, Anti-depressants,
Aspirin (48 hours for platelet donation), Cholesterol Lowering Medications,
Seizure Medications, Diet Pills.
The donor screening process here is very good, and they also test the product before releasing it for use.
Hope this helps the discussion a little.
Papillon (O Neg - the Universal Donor - But can only receive O Neg)
I donate platelets and whole blood regularly (in Michigan) and they have quite a list of things that will defer you from donating:
You can not donate if you:
1. ever had hiv
2. ever had malaria.
3. had hepatitis after the age of 10.
4. lived in certain countries for more than 3 months.
5. ever had sexual contact with a man (if you are a man).
6. ever paid for sex.
7. had a tatoo in the last 12 months.
8. weigh less than 110 pounds.
9. are younger than 17.
10. are pregnant.
11. ever used intravenous illegal drugs.
12. are anemic.
13. are taking Coumadin, Proscar, Propecia, Accutane, Avodart.
You can also be deferred for a time if you have visited a part of a country where malaria is present. They ask you where you have traveled in the last three years (they have a list they use - for example they list Santo Domingo as malaria free, but Santo Domingo-Haina as a malaria area).
You may donate if you are brestfeeding, menstruating (if feeling well), taking the following medications: High Blood Pressure Medications, Insulin (by mouth or injection), Allergy Medications, Asthma Medications, Anti-depressants,
Aspirin (48 hours for platelet donation), Cholesterol Lowering Medications,
Seizure Medications, Diet Pills.
The donor screening process here is very good, and they also test the product before releasing it for use.
Hope this helps the discussion a little.
Papillon (O Neg - the Universal Donor - But can only receive O Neg)
O Neg Blood Group
Thank you very much for that information Papillon. I'm O Neg and that's what one of the nurses at the blood donor centres in UK told me. She said that they're very happy for people with O Neg blood to donate because it can be used on people with any blood group but they cannot use any old blood on me! I must admit, I'd never heard anything about the subject since and was beginning to think I'd got it wrong.
So there you are Whirley! Maybe you old 'commoners' may be interested in my blood after all!
Thank you very much for that information Papillon. I'm O Neg and that's what one of the nurses at the blood donor centres in UK told me. She said that they're very happy for people with O Neg blood to donate because it can be used on people with any blood group but they cannot use any old blood on me! I must admit, I'd never heard anything about the subject since and was beginning to think I'd got it wrong.
So there you are Whirley! Maybe you old 'commoners' may be interested in my blood after all!
Am quite sure there will be more people than me interested Sharlene!! should we ever be unfortunate enough to need it....
My kid got hit by a smaller truck. He was brought to the childrens hospital in Santiago. He was in coma, personell at Intensive care was great (doctor without borders was working there) but no fresh blood... Me and my son do not have the same type. Driving into Santiago (carneval day... bad luck) visited 4 blood banks before we found it. Yes! Guy (gold chain type...) said that he could not give us the blood because a stamp form the hospital was missing on the prescription. -Please, my son is dying... Nope, no posible.... Mothers family members stopped me from killing him. Back to hospital, sent a taxi back to pick it up (with a valid stamp...) 2 hours after I first I arrived he had the blood he needed. Now 1 1/2 years later he is ok, missing a lot of teeth but new will come...
I think it is a GREAT idea to know ur blood type AND friends that have the same. If an accident, call one of these persons and tell him to go to the hospital.
Best thing though - stay out of trouble, drive defensively and pray that nothing happens to people close to you.
Or if the case is really bad, let somebody else call... or hopefully one of the memebers of "the friends with the same blood type" know what to do end where to go...