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Blood, Organ and Bone Marrow Donation

ciallkennett

Strata Poster
This stemmed from a conversation in the Happy News topic which I'm moving here to prevent clogging up the topic.

Yesterday I did a good thing which I have been meaning to do for over a year - I gave blood :) I also signed up to the British Bone Marrow Register which means even more to me as that's what I've wanted to do for years as I know it saves very sick people and that's just so precious. I've waited a year to do both as you have to be 18 to be on the BBMR although you can be 17 to donate blood, but I wanted to sign up on my first donation. I'm now a blood, organ and bone marrow donor.

This is an interesting article looking at the numbers of organ donors and blood donors in the UK:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18m-registered-organ-donors-105348111.html

Quick number check for people who cba to read:

- 18 million UK Organ Donors (30% of population - highest ever)
- Only 4% of the population who can give blood actually do.


Good to hear about organ donors, but the number of blood donors has dropped by about a percentage in a year. That's shocking.

There are a lot of controversies to do with donating specifically blood and bone marrow.

1) Gay males and people who have had sex with gay males are not allowed to donate because they belive they carry an increased risk of HIV/AIDS - surely this is an ancient, loosely fact-based approach to donating blood and highly discriminatory as HIV/AIDS tests are done on EVERY donor anyway.

2) Organ donorship is opt in as opposed to opt out - should it be opt out to help save more lives?

3) Lots of people have misconceptions about bone marrow donation such as thinking they inject you with needles and such, plus hardly anybody knows you can sign up while giving blood - I had to say to them I wanted to join and I'm sure I was the only person out of the hundred or so people in my session who did even though I bet many would sign up if they knew. Should there be more awareness and have this as an opt-out option when you go give blood?

And of course there is a big campaign and lots of media coverage for Alice Pyne and her campaign to get more people to join the bone marrow list.


Lots to talk about, so what do you think about being a donor of any type? Are you a donor or been thinking about signing up?
 

Ben

CF Legend
I used to. Then I 'ad some cock. Now I've had to stop.

I've since stopped a few people from being able to donate as well. Bless her.

It's retarded, arcane and idiotic.
 

marc

CF Legend
They use a needle and remove it from the bone, my had used to have it injected into him.

I had a test years ago to see if I was a match for him but I was not, it bloody hurts like hell when they remove it.
 

kimahri

CF Legend
You know Chain saws?

They don't use them, Angle griders work better. they just slice your arm arm, blend it, push it through a Sieve and the goop left is bone marrow.
 

ciallkennett

Strata Poster
marc said:
They use a needle and remove it from the bone, my had used to have it injected into him.

I had a test years ago to see if I was a match for him but I was not, it bloody hurts like hell when they remove it.

That's partially true. One way (which is a rarity) is using a needle under general anaesthetic to remove bone marrow from the hip, but it doesn't hurt at all and is relatively simple operation. But that is rare, and if they have to do it that way you get 5 days off work and they reimburse you for the work you lose.

The most common form is having a needle in one arm (just like taking blood out during a blood donation) and another in the other arm and they take blood from one arm, a machine extracts the stem cells from the blood, and the remaining blood goes into the other arm and back into your body. It doesn't hurt at all and you feel virtually nothing - it's just like giving blood. It takes about 4 hours but you get to watch films/tv/read or whatever during that time.

It's really that simple and painless, but saves a seriously ill persons life.
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Yeah, not allowed because gay people have AIDS.

F**k 'em then.
 
I've never been allowed to give blood because of my piercings but I think I'll be a candidate pretty soon, you have to wait at least six months over here after having a piercing before you donate. I'd donate organs, I haven't gotten around to it, but I'd only donate like liver, kidneys, etc.. Not eyes, heart, or anything like that. I'd never donate to science either.
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
I used to give blood regularly. They came into uni and it was simple. Lie down for ten mins and get a biscuit afterwards - that's dinner sorted then and you don't need to drink as much as you're already light headed.

I carried on while working for ICI where they also used to come in to do it. Again, it was hassle free.

Then I had a bad experience. I never actually liked giving blood. I find it uncomfortable both physically and mentally. I dislike medical "situations" as it is, they make me very nervous, always have. The nurse screwed up though, and instead of filling my bag with blood, the bloody just pumped out all over the place. I started to notice a warm feeling on my side, looked down and there was blood everywhere. Great!

I did actually carry on giving blood (when I could, I did have a few piercings done over the five years), but I actively hated doing so and really had to force myself. Once I started work and it became a lunch hour job and a lot of effort, I stopped. I should do it as I'm a pretty rare blood type, but it's just something that I can't stand - sorry if it seems selfish, but meh.

I guess the same goes for bone marrow, though like Marc, I come from a time where donation (or the test) was massively painful so it seriously never appealed.

I'm on a list of donors though, I don't care what happens to my body when I die (probably due to a lack of suitable blood to keep me alive :p ).

I think if it was "opt-out", then something extra should be added, like a full health check with your GP and they take your blood at the same time...
 

Mushroom

Goon of the Year
I used to give blood, BUT I had to stop because of a regulation regarding my work meaning if I give blood, I have to be off for 2 weeks. It is simply I cannot afford to do sadly. I would give blood if it wasn't for that. Shame really =[ Once I leave Ryanair, and go into a normal everyday job, I will start to give again.
 

kimahri

CF Legend
LiveForTheLaunch said:
I'd donate organs, I haven't gotten around to it, but I'd only donate like liver, kidneys, etc.. Not eyes, heart, or anything like that. I'd never donate to science either.

Just out of curiosity why only those Organs and why never for science.
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
She has no heart (just a Hart)?

Eyes are useless now due to abject pandaing with eyeliner - nobody would be able to see out of them... Or they'd stop her from leaving a beautiful corpse... Yeah, the eyes detract from the massacred horse look ;)

I'll leave all the "new species discovered to science", etc comments for somebody else ;)
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
furie said:
I'll leave all the "new species discovered to science", etc comments for somebody else ;)
Words. Out. Of. My. Mouth.
 

marc

CF Legend
ciallkennett said:
marc said:
They use a needle and remove it from the bone, my had used to have it injected into him.

I had a test years ago to see if I was a match for him but I was not, it bloody hurts like hell when they remove it.

That's partially true. One way (which is a rarity) is using a needle under general anaesthetic to remove bone marrow from the hip, but it doesn't hurt at all and is relatively simple operation. But that is rare, and if they have to do it that way you get 5 days off work and they reimburse you for the work you lose.

The most common form is having a needle in one arm (just like taking blood out during a blood donation) and another in the other arm and they take blood from one arm, a machine extracts the stem cells from the blood, and the remaining blood goes into the other arm and back into your body. It doesn't hurt at all and you feel virtually nothing - it's just like giving blood. It takes about 4 hours but you get to watch films/tv/read or whatever during that time.

It's really that simple and painless, but saves a seriously ill persons life.

I was about 18 when this was done, its moved on since then :) Bone Marrow used to be cleaned and injected into his back as he could not handle a blood transfusion due to his illness, his body would reject the blood.
 
Just out of curiosity why only those Organs and why never for science.

It sounds weird, but it's because they don't really have any symbolic meaning. I can't really explain it, but I would just feel weird giving my eyes away because it's like everything I've ever seen in my life is being taken away and given to someone else? It sounds greedy, but those were my experiences and I saw life through my set of eyes so it would just be odd to me to know someone else will get them one day. And hearts obviously because of love, and even though their only actual function it to pump blood and stuff, I would also feel weird letting someone else have it. It's just hard to explain really.

As for donating to science, it's because I've been in a cadaver lab. They lay you out stark naked for people to see all your bits, cut you up, put you back together, etc. I know I'll be dead, but it's weird.
 

Martyn

Giga Poster
^Are you Karl Pilkington?

I want my body to go to science. I'm incredibly atheist anyway, so any ceremony will be wasted on me, and I believe in, and am a big fan of science, so why not help science out a bit?

I remember seeing an episode of Stephen Fry in America where he visited a place where they just dump dead bodies in places and analyse the surroundings during stages of decomposition. If they know what properties soil has when a body has been there for six months or whatever, they can use that information for crime-based stuff, like dating murders or something. That sounds like a good idea to me.

Someone at work was so shocked when I told her that. I'm of the opinion of "I'm dead, I don't really care what happens to me".
 

nadroJ

CF Legend
Martyn said:
I'm of the opinion of "I'm dead, I don't really care what happens to me".

Pretty much this when it comes to the idea of donating organs/my body, to science or to assist anybody needing those organs (like in the case of a car crash death or whatever). I won't have a clue what is happening, so yeah, take it, take it all.

I'd really like to give blood. Really would. But even reading about it just now made me go all week and woozly so I don't think I'd be able to handle it. I, like furie, also HATE medical situations so just.......no. I'm afraid. If it were for somebody close to me who was really in need then I would, but only then. Very selfish I know.
 
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