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How come you can't give blood if you've recieved a transfusion?

 

 

In the past more lax procedures have resulted in people developing diseases from donated blood. This is one news story

 

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2005/2005-08-02-01.asp

 

Stopping people who have recieved a transfusion giving blood is a way of reducing of this risk.

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  • 11 months later...
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Thread merged.

 

You'll find your answers above, Frances, but as far as I recall, it's all down to the fact that you need a haematology unit capable of processing the blood. And this is something the GBH lacks.

 

Suggestions of bringing a mobile unit up and flying the blood south quickly were made, but this is impractical. Further, any such effort is much more productive in places with a higher population. Simply just can't get enough people involved to make it worthwhile.

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  • 7 months later...

(** merged **)

 

Hello,

 

Having recently decided to become a blood donor in the New Year, I have decided to write an article on it for a uni assignment.

 

I found another thread on here about giving blood and saw a few folk had previously given blood before moving to Shetland. I wondered if anyone who'd given blood before would be willing to talk to me about doing so?

 

If so, my email should be in my contact details on my profile - alternatively, PM me.

 

Thanks much!

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Hi Sassermaeat,

 

I was a donor for a lot of years when I was down south, not given any for a long while now, I finally stopped when I was told I couldn't give it if I'd taken painkillers within the last 24 hours, I didn't know this until I got there, as they weren't on the list the previous time, the list got longer every time you went. I had taken 2 for a headache that morning and taken time off work to go give blood, I gave up after that.

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I believe I'm right in saying that gay men are not allowed to give blood. Even if they only ever have protected sex. I can understand a line of reasoning that might think that guy men run a higher risk of infection but surely this is a bit of a sweeping generalisation by the Blood Transfusion Service suggesting that all gay men are a risk.

 

Having said that I have had good cause to be very grateful to the blood transfusion service on more than one occassion, especially in 2003 when I required six units of blood during an operation.

 

I would willingly and gladly give blood but as you can see I now cannot.

However I think a lot of the suggestions here are great and I will be interested to see if things develop.

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I emailed the blood transufusion people the other day enquiring as to why I couldnt donate blood in Shetland, as not everyone goes to Aberdeen very often, and I got a phonecall back from a woman who said they were setting up a a pilot scheme in Orkney this year with a view to setting up in Shetland in 2010, the problem has been transporting it but surely there is technology enough to facilitate transporting blood safely now. I did say that in my opinion there would be a great number of people willing to donate blood here if given the option........

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Guest posiedon
GypsyScy

the problem has been transporting it but surely there is technology enough to facilitate transporting blood safely now.

If they can transport organs (no musical jokes please) half way round the world for transplants, I can't see why there would be any problem getting blood down to Aberdeen, it doesn't make sense :?

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^^^When I was writing the article (thanks muchly to all who responded by the way :D) I came across some interesting facts.

 

I agree that gay men being unable to donate is daft - all blood gets tested before being made available for use anyway so why not?

 

And if they're bringing it north to Shetland in the next year or so, all the better. I finally donated for the first time on Thursday and feel very pleased that I did.

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The blood transfusion service has mobile units, if I recall correctly.

 

Yes. Where I worked, they sent a converted single-decker bus to the office car park a couple of times a year. I think it had space for 6-8 donors at a time. I'm not sure how many donors there were, but it wasn't a big workplace, so probably 100 or less folk actually donated in the course of a day.

 

If we could crack the blood storage problem, one of those buses touring Shetland for a month or so once or twice a year should be viable, I'd think.

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