Organ, Blood and Bone Marrow Donations

[district]

Rail UK,

I want to talk to you a little bit, (well a lot) about a subject I am so passionate about. That being Organ, Blood and Bone Marrow Donations.

3 people die every day in the UK who could have been saved by an organ donation. I don't see that after I die the use I can have for my organs, so I spent around 90 seconds signing up to the organ register, online.
I get a card to slip into my wallet so god forbid I had an accident, and I died, then the NHS can save up to 9 other people with my corneas, lungs, heart, kidneys, pancreas and liver. I can make someone live, when I have died. Find out more


Blood donation is so simple, you can do it once every 4 months, at loads of places, from village halls to supermarket car parks. You do need to be 17 though.

Find your nearest donation centre I know that some of you might not like needles, but a tiny prick (Not me, the needle

) can save someone so much more pain, I know, as someone's kind donation saved my life when I was 3 days old.


Bone Marrow protects your immune system, which stops you from having infections. If your immune system is bad, you could need a donation of bone marrow. It is so hard to find bone marrow donors, you dont have be dead, you just go in, they take your bone marrow, they extract it from a needle in your back, and you can go home the same day. You could have improved and saved the life of many people!

I urge you to consider signing up to the registers, and saving lives. With blood and bone marrow, you are a living donor.
Organ Donation ~ Find out more
Organ Donation ~ Online Sign-Up (Takes about a minute)
Bone Marrow Donation ~ Find out more
Giving Blood ~ Find out more

 

[DarloRich]

My view is that you can have any bit of me still working when i croak. (might not be much lol) If any of my parts can be used to make someone better they are welcome to use them. I have a card and my family know my views.

Being terrified of needles presents a problem in donating blood ( i mean really terrified, shaking, sweats, blood pressure drop ,four nurses to look after me/ hold limb still/insert needle)

 

[90019]

Unfortunately, I'm both ineligable to give blood, and also terrified of needles.


I am, however, on the organ donor register and have the card in my wallet.

 

[RyanB]

I think I signed up to be on the register, but have discussed it with family in the past and the consensus has been that our organs can be used to save another life if they are still in good nick when we pass.

I have not given blood, have meant to do so, but have not had too much time this summer having been working full time and relaxing as much as possible on weekends.

Also I wonder what people's views are of not allowing gay or bisexual males to give blood; this is another issue which I have discussed with peers. I want to hear your views on this topic as well as the one being discussed in the OPs post.

 

[district]

I think it's not homophobic but steryotypical as studies clearly show straight couples are more likely to contract HIV/AIDs. I'll still be giving blood.

 

[90019]

Also I wonder what people's views are of not allowing gay or bisexual males to give blood; this is another issue which I have discussed with peers.

It does seem a bit odd that it's still there, since it is a rather outdated idea, but I've been told before that there is a chance of it changing at some point. How true this is though, I don't know.
It does affect me personally, as it's the reason I'm ineligable to give blood.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

Unfortunately, I'm both ineligable to give blood, and also terrified of needles.


I am, however, on the organ donor register and have the card in my wallet.

My biggest fear the world is needles, when I went for a simple blood test I passed out where I was so frightened!

Anyway no one please don't take offense I'm all up for organ donation and such but posting it on a forum like this is a bit odd and it puts me off a bit for some reason.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Bone Marrow protects your immune system, which stops you from having infections. If your immune system is bad, you could need a donation of bone marrow. It is so hard to find bone marrow donors, you dont have be dead, you just go in, they take your bone marrow, they extract it from a needle in your back, and you can go home the same day. You could have improved and saved the life of many people!

Is this anything like having a lumbar puncture, where a hollow needle is inserted in the base of your spine and up your spinal cord, to take samples for diagnostic purposes?

I had one of these, in Macclesfield Hospital, as part of tests being carried out when I was admitted with suspected severe meningitis in 1986. I was not given any pre-injection to numb the area and the pain was very bad indeed when the needle was moving up the interior of the spinal cord.

If the system is still the same as you describe, without a pre-injection to make the procedure relatively painless, I would never consider this method to give bone-marrow.

 

[district]

The UK will be lifting its ban on gay male blood donation in the near future. However, any man who reports having sex with another man within the last ten years will remain deferred from donating. The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs recommended the policy change after a study concluded that a total ban may breach equality legislation and that the risk of HIV reaching the blood supply would only increase by approximately 2%.

Shame my source is Wikipedia...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Anyway no one please don't take offense I'm all up for organ donation and such but posting it on a forum like this is a bit odd and it puts me off a bit for some reason.

I just wanted to raise awareness

 

[GB]

Are donors not screened prior to blood being taken?

 

[SouthEastern-465]

Shame my source is Wikipedia...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I just wanted to raise awareness

Good on you for doing so.

Its just its so advertised where I live I've been aware of it for sometime and will no doubt sign up to donate organs.

I really don't mean to cause any offense on a sensitive subject.

 

[district]

Is this anything like having a lumbar puncture, where a hollow needle is inserted in the base of your spine and up your spinal cord, to take samples for diagnostic purposes?

I had one of these, in Macclesfield Hospital, as part of tests being carried out when I was admitted with suspected severe meningitis in 1986. I was not given any pre-injection to numb the area and the pain was very bad indeed when the needle was moving up the interior of the spinal cord.

If the system is still the same as you describe, without a pre-injection to make the procedure relatively painless, I would never consider this method to give bone-marrow.

From what I've heard it is done under a general anesthetic.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Is this anything like having a lumbar puncture, where a hollow needle is inserted in the base of your spine and up your spinal cord, to take samples for diagnostic purposes?

Very different procedures. A lumbar puncture is for the extraction of cerebrospinal fluid or for the administration of a spinal anaesthesia.

Bone Marrow donation (what they really are after are the stem cells) has two interventions associated. The first is where normal blood is extracted, the same as giving blood, and the stem cells are taken from that. They will inject you with another drug to increase the circulating stem cells for the four days prior to your donation. On the fifth day they check if there are enough stem cells, and then hook you up to a cell separator machine where a feed is taken from a vein, the blood passed through the machine, and then fed back into the vein.

The second method is the surgical extraction of bone marrow from the pelvis. This is done using a needle and syringe in general anaesthesia. There are likely to be marks left by the needle after the procedure. After that procedure you must stay under observation in hospital for 48 hours, and have 5 days rest after that.


It is important to note that bone marrow donation is not like blood donation where you give blood regularly. Your details are kept, and should someone need the same bone marrow that you have, then you are contacted. The hospital keep in contact with you for 12 months after the procedure to make sure that no adverse symptoms manifest.

 

[district]

Very different procedures. A lumbar puncture is for the extraction of cerebrospinal fluid or for the administration of a spinal anaesthesia.

Bone Marrow donation (what they really are after are the stem cells) has two interventions associated. The first is where normal blood is extracted, the same as giving blood, and the stem cells are taken from that. They will inject you with another drug to increase the circulating stem cells for the four days prior to your donation. On the fifth day they check if there are enough stem cells, and then hook you up to a cell separator machine where a feed is taken from a vein, the blood passed through the machine, and then fed back into the vein.

The second method is the surgical extraction of bone marrow from the pelvis. This is done using a needle and syringe in general anaesthesia. There are likely to be marks left by the needle after the procedure. After that procedure you must stay under observation in hospital for 48 hours, and have 5 days rest after that.


It is important to note that bone marrow donation is not like blood donation where you give blood regularly. Your details are kept, and should someone need the same bone marrow that you have, then you are contacted. The hospital keep in contact with you for 12 months after the procedure to make sure that no adverse symptoms manifest.

Thanks for explaining that

 

[142094]

Are donors not screened prior to blood being taken?

By way of a survey, yes, but the actual screening of the blood happens afterwards. For example you take the survey, are not disqualified from giving but they may then find out that you have some sort of problem. You also can't give blood if you have too low an iron count IIRC.

 

[bb21]

This page gives information on who's not allowed to give blood.

 

[Madge Wildfire]

I went to give blood many years ago, but the doctors advised me not to bother unless I was a masochist.

Apparently, my veins are so far away from my skin surface that they had trouble finding the ones in the arm they normally use. In fact every staff member had to come and look as they had never seen someone built like me before.

They did manage to get a bit of blood out but apologised for the bruising that would appear later, which it certainly did - my arm looked as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer.

So, I did as they advised, but I am on the donation register for anything and everything they fancy taking.

 

[LexyBoy]

Personally, I think everyone should be down for organ donation unless they state they do NOT want to be. And family should not be able toe veto their decision to donate, as happens now.

I have not given blood, have meant to do so, but have not had too much time this summer having been working full time and relaxing as much as possible on weekends.

I donated on Monday after work, and was home less than an hour later than usual. Plus, you get tea and cake!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Plus, you get tea and cake!

Isn't that a requirement in order to help you 'recover' from giving blood?

I would do the same, but I am unspeakably scared of needles, to thee point where I will do anything to avoid them.

 

[Eagle]

I have given blood, once, before I lost my virginity. Being as it's purely determined by what you answer on the survey, I don't see why I can't just lie about being a MSM and give again. It's a horrendously outdated and discriminatory rule anyway.

 

[SS4]

Isn't that a requirement in order to help you 'recover' from giving blood?

I would do the same, but I am unspeakably scared of needles, to thee point where I will do anything to avoid them.

You only really need sugar and iron although caffeine helps too no doubt.

I've given blood twice and plan to give blood again at the end of September (as this is the prescribed time since my last donation)

I am also eligible to donate platelets although I am yet to do so largely for lack of time and carry an organ donor card. The way I see it I'd rather let someone else make good use of any viable organs than for them to be burnt although where possible I would like to give my body to science

 

[Yew]

Is this anything like having a lumbar puncture, where a hollow needle is inserted in the base of your spine and up your spinal cord, to take samples for diagnostic purposes?

I had one of these, in Macclesfield Hospital, as part of tests being carried out when I was admitted with suspected severe meningitis in 1986. I was not given any pre-injection to numb the area and the pain was very bad indeed when the needle was moving up the interior of the spinal cord.

If the system is still the same as you describe, without a pre-injection to make the procedure relatively painless, I would never consider this method to give bone-marrow.

Not really, there are bone marrow cells in your bloodstream, so if you already give blood they will just take a little extra so the bone marrow people can have some to test your bone marrow type

The actuall bone marrow transplant is simple, they take blood out one arm, pass it through a filter that collects the bone marrow cells, then put it back in your other arm. You just lie there for a while watching tv, content in the knowledge that you are saving someones life

It might not be arms actually, but its just like having a blood test, they odnt crack your shins open or anything

 

[district]

I have given blood, once, before I lost my virginity. Being as it's purely determined by what you answer on the survey, I don't see why I can't just lie about being a MSM and give again. It's a horrendously outdated and discriminatory rule anyway.

Exactly what I plan to do as soon as i'm 17.