I can't donate blood

[pegkerr]

I had signed up for the Bloodmobile which was making a stop at my office, and went down this morning, but when answering the intake questions, ran into a snag. I studied at Cambridge University in 1981. They won't take your blood if you were in England for three months at that time. They're thinking of mad cow disease, of course.

I went upstairs, called Rob, who is home today, and had him take my journal off the shelf from 1981. Using the journal, I was able to ascertain the exact number of days I was in England at the time: 83 days. I went back to the Bloodmobile, and learned that their "three month" cut-off is officially 72 days. So I am not eligible to give blood. Ever.

This makes me sad. I have always believed in doing my civic duty, and blood donation is something I've always believed in. It has been years since I've donated, however, and I was glad to do it again--and sad now, to discover I can't.

Does this also make me ineligible to be an organ donator?

Comments

[alisgray.livejournal.com]

neither can I, ever. I didn't even get to be in England.

we can still donate lifesaving organs, though, just not stuff like eyes and skin and bone.

[wildflower150.livejournal.com]

I too am in the not allowed to donate category. Too much time spent in France and England. I was dissappointed but I now think of allt he good things about it. No feeling dizzy after. No more needles. No waiting forever for the blood to finally fillt he bag (I was slow!). No more nurse asking you very silly questions over and over.
I think I can still donate organs but I have never actually looked into it. Not sure because we may have different rules in Canada.

[d-aulnoy.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you read the "Tomato Nation" site, but there's actually been a long discussion in the advice column concerning this issue ... It does seem a bit flawed, both because of the self-reporting aspect, and because one assumes that all blood ought to be tested *no matter what.* Bureaucracy in action ... She also suggests a few alternatives which might be useful, I believe.

[sternel.livejournal.com]

I can't either -- same reason. I was in Europe for just a few days too long during the last outbreak.

And my doctor also told me that because I was sick a few years back with what they think was West Nile, they don't want me donating because of that either; it apparently lies dormant and can be transferred by blood tranfusion.

So I've got all this great blood here that nobody wants. D'oh.

[takumashii.livejournal.com]

Another "me, too." Too long in France, but it was over a decade ago... made me really quite sad and jealous, seeing everyone else with their "I gave blood" stickers. Not to mention the Red Cross calling me at intervals asking me to give blood. (I had, before they put the policy in place).

[pinguthegreek.livejournal.com]

If it's CJD that worries them, then why not do it id you could be tested and given an all clear ? Seems daft, I've been at risk of CJD along with everyone here in the UK for my whole life. We can't stop a whole nation giving blood !

[wittgensteinian.livejournal.com]

There currently isn't a reliable test for vCJD, however. Some boffins have managed to come up with a test for the prions very recently, but it's not proven and it will be years before it will be approved.

As it is, a diagnosis of vCJD can't even be confirmed until after a person has died. Oh the glory of modern medical science.

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

I can't give either, because I have a tattoo.

There's a big article today how the former Governor of NJ Jim McGreevy committed a scandal by giving blood a few years ago even though he recently admitted to having had a gay affair for some time previous to that.

[lizardlaugh.livejournal.com]

actually, I believe the tattoo thing is for a year. I have a tattoo, and that is what they've told me. Well, unless the rules have recently changed. They test all samples for HIV, so the waiting a year is just to make sure if you are infected it will show up.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

The tattoo thing isn't permanent, it's 1-5 years, I believe. I've got two myself.

[peaceful-fox.livejournal.com]

I can't either, for the same reason, but luckily now I am relocating to England and will be able to donate.

[starfishchick]

Mark me down as another person who 'Cannot Donate'. Too many visits to Europe between 1980 and the present. Doesn't make me feel any less guilty when I see the ads, though.

Donate

[nwl.livejournal.com]

The new rules have been in effect for at least a year now. rwl was a regular donor until he went in one day and, due to his travel in Europe, he was now ineligible. He was not pleased, but there is nothing he can do. He'd recall when that was.

What I find annoying/surprising is that there is very little said about this new rule when the Red Cross is asking for blood donations. In this area, where there are a lot of people from other countries or do extensive travel, it probably has had a big impact.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I had an appallingly horrible experience giving blood the once I did it. I have never been able to overcome that enough to want to try again, though the idea is so appealing. I probably am not eligible either, if travel makes one ineligible.

K. [so that's either a guilt trip I can avoid or a nightmare I don't have to revisit]

[aome.livejournal.com]

If I may ask, what happened? My first time was very difficult too - it took over an hour before I was able to sit up (to say nothing of STANDING up) without passing out so I could go home. I've since learned some tricks which make it MUCH easier. Alas, my veins have not always been so cooperative - but my body's reaction otherwise has never been problematic like the first time.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I'd hate to squick anybody reading without their permission. I'll drop a comment into your journal someplace.

K.

[kate_nepveu]

Yeah, I just scoot in under 3 months in England.

I disagree with very many of the blood donation rules, but they're the only game in town.

I would imagine that for an organ donation, they would do actual tests and not just have presumptive rules, but I don't know for sure.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

they're the only game in town

Kind of. Anybody know if Peg would be permitted to sell her plasma? (Or, you know, donate it, but they do give money for plasma.)

K.

[kate_nepveu]

Well, when I did plasma through the Red Cross, I got asked the same questions as for whole blood.

I didn't realize it was possible to do plasma outside the usual blood agency monopoly thing.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Might be under local variance. There are independent companies here in Minnesota, often in poor and marginal neighborhoods, that pay plasma donors. It's a common way for those in need of extra money to pick up a few bucks. College students and the working poor are the general customer of this kind of place. I think you can make $200 a month or so.

Aventis Bio-Services is one company that seems to have lots of outlets in lots of different cities.

K.

[tiellan.livejournal.com]

When the Red Cross rejected my blood they told me that I could still donate plasma -- it could vary depending on what made the blood ineligible. I never hear the Red Cross begging for plasma the way the beg for blood though, so I decided not to torture myself for them anymore.

[drewan.livejournal.com]

Well, my reason for not being able to give blood is just because I'm a man who has had sex with men at some point in my life since 1980.

[aome.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine (who has had a whopping ONE - and longterm ongoing monogamous - sexual relationship with a man) calls periodically, indicates he's interested in giving blood, gets them all excited, and then asks if they still have the ban on men-who-have-sex-with-men. Then he simply says "Gosh, sorry, then. Can't help," and hangs up. Their loss.

I think I'm barred from giving blood for the next year or so because I'll have been to Guatemala twice, and there's a malaria risk.

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

I know that I've had malaria twice, once in SE Asia once in Africa. Two different strains too. I gave while in the USAF but haven't since 85 or so because of that.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

You'll burn in hell for that. (Just trying out the right-wing Christian mindset, you know, to empathize and understand the opposition. Ghod, I sound like a complete idiot.)

I've had sex with men at some point in my life since 1980, too! What makes you so special?

K. [wait, I know! Straight people don't get AIDS, right?]

PS: I don't think I'm in a very good mood right now

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Until three years ago, I couldn't give blood because I didn't weigh enough--you have to be 110 pounds and I didn't qualify. (Which sucked in high school because you got out of class and citizenship points if you gave blood, which was the only way you could make up citizenship lost through absences. So I never got the citizenship awards either.)

I weigh enough now though.

[arian1.livejournal.com]

So..Peg..was your reaction to being UK disqualified,

"Bloody Hell!"

:)

[skyfading.livejournal.com]

I can't give blood because I lived in England for three and a half years.

I don't understand why they don't just test everybody.


Their loss.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

*Can* they test for vCJD? They couldn't last I looked into it, but that was several years ago and I'm sure people are working on it.

Anyway, we've had BSE in this country more recently, too; not exactly an outbreak, but some documented cases.

I'm within a couple of weeks of hitting their cutoff myself for time spent in England. But what actually stopped my most recent string of donations, last year, was when the downtown Red Cross building I was donating at turned up with the "bans guns" sign.

[(Anonymous)]

No, there's no blood test for vCJD (or sporadic CJD). It can only be diagnosed with certainty through a brain biopsy after death. Some organs, notably tonsils, may show the presence of prions, but so far no one is sure what that means (do all people with prions in their organs develop CJD? Do all people who develop CJD have prions in their organs? No one knows). So testing is really impossible at this stage.

I am also permanently off the blood donor list because of time spent in England, although I don't eat meat. Though I suppose I may have ingested tiny amounts of cow by accident (vitamin capsules?). I guess it's better they're safe than sorry, but it does make me feel bad.

maggie h

[silme.livejournal.com]

I can never donate blood in the US because I live in England; I've lived here for five years.

I can donate blood over here in Europe, though, and I'm an organ donator.

I find it ironic since I don't eat red meat.

[lcohen]

i can't donate blood because i've slept with men who slept with men. even though no fluids were exchanged (well we did kiss, i guess).

i understand not wanting to infect the blood supply--i really do, but i still am weirded out by this.

[ascian.livejournal.com]

Personally, I lie.

There's nothing I've done with men that I haven't done with women, and I'd say the most high-risk partner I ever had was a woman. I always use protection, I get tested regularly. If there's something wrong with my blood, it's something that could be wrong with Joe Hetero's blood too.

So I lie about being queer, and so does Garr, because this is too important to let ignorance get underfoot. Hell, Garr's one of those universal donors they're always creaming their jeans for. They might take his blood anyway.

Still, I like the idea of calling up and disappointing them by being queer. I'll have to do that some time.

[enkeli.livejournal.com]

at least, you know, it's not because you paid for sex. ;)

[avengangle.livejournal.com]

I can't donate blood because my blood pressure is really freaking low (around 90/50 on any given day). If I can barely fill the vials for getting a complete blood count done, I shouldn't even try to donate blood. Thus spake my GP, upon watching me attempt to fill a vial.

Again, at least you got to England. I can't because of lousy genetics.

[tinymich.livejournal.com]

I've never managed to donate blood in my life, because I've never weighed enough. But I didn't know about the England and France thing. I've definitely spent a combined total of more than 90 days there -- does it have to be 90 at a shot in one place or do they add up?

[tiellan.livejournal.com]

The first -- and last -- time I donated, the nurses butchered my arms, it hurt like all get out, it took well over an hour, but I left feeling good about doing it ... until I got my blood donor card and a letter telling me that my blood was unusable because I had some strain of hepatitis antibodies in it. I can only speculate when/where I could have come in contact with hepatitis and thus developed antibodies to it. If I ever had any symptoms, my system obviously fought it off successfully. And because I successfully fought it off, my blood is unusable. *shrug*

I've actually been thinking about donating my body to a cadaver farm -- ChiaPet told me about it. This guy buries bodies in various conditions around this "farm" and digs them up at varying times so that budding forensic scientists can study them to learn about how the body decomposes under differing conditions.

[tiellan.livejournal.com]

I've always thought that the "Body Farm" was run by an individual, but the one that comes up when I google it is run by the University of Tennessee:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BFU/is_5_87/ai_79513280

It's not forever (YMMV)

[hhw]

the blood donation rules change as medical and social understanding develops; for example, at some time in the late 80s, they didn't allow donations from people who had been to Haiti; that restriction is gone now. I expect the mad-cow-disease related rules will continue to evolve (I noticed changes in the questions the last three times I went, over about 2 years). If you want to give blood, check with the Red Cross periodically to see what the current restrictions are.

[rabican.livejournal.com]

I'm also ineligible on this continent ... I may try to do so in Europe when I go back. What are you betting me that they'll say I can't donate because I lived in the US for x period of time?

[eal.livejournal.com]

I'm not allowed because of medication and because of a lovely bout with a nasty infectious disease for the elderly and really young (and no I'm neither of those, I'm really, really special).

Fun huh? And I'm a universal donor, so it sucks all the way around.

M

[rachet.livejournal.com]

I was very close to my three gallon donation but then my doctor put me on a DNA inhibitor for my rheumatiod arthritis. I can't give blood now until I've been off the meds for almost four years. And I don't see myself going off the meds for a very long time.

Yes, it IS a sad thing, I agree. I don't do much volunteering but I always felt good about my blood donating. Now I can't do that.

But it does make me giggle a bit when I get a call from the Red Cross (I'm O+ so they call a lot) and I when I tell them I'm on a DNA inhibitor...boy do they hang up fast.

Picky vampires.

Sorry to hear about your blood...

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid I used to go with my father whenever he gave blood at the center in Fargo, so I got the "blood donor fever" young. In fact, the day before I turned 18 there was a blood drive at my high school, and I was allowed to donate even tho' I wasn't technically "legal".

I once tried to sell plasma at the Atvantis (if I'm remembering the name correctly...), but wasn't allowed to 'cuz, well, you know... What I find galling is that my brother -who was stationed in Germany while he was in the Army- isn't allowed to donate either.

At the same time, even if the chance I can pass on any disease by donating, I'd rather not do it. Still, it's very frustrating. Seems like pretty soon _no_ _one_ is gonna be able to give blood, and _then_ where are we gonna be?

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

I have the same problem --- a year in Scotland, back in 1981. Quoth the bloodmobile, nevermore.

[carbonel]

I'm not allowed to donate, either -- three months in England in 1987. Though even before the ban I didn't donate regularly, because I have no usable veins in my left arm and the one usable one in my right arm is getting awfully scarred.

During one exceedingly broke period of my life I tried to sign up with one of those plasma-selling agencies, but I was turned down because they required a usable vein in each arm.

[naomikritzer]

::wave:: Yet another ineligible former donor here -- also because of time spent in England. Presumably I could donate blood while visiting England, but you know, if I'm on vacation....I'm not going to go donate blood. I'm just not that good of a person.

Despite the fact that they put this rule in years ago (though I think it used to be six months in England, not three months), I was still in some Red Cross database as a willing donor of O+ blood (highly desirable, in other words) so they used to call me every couple of months to ask me to donate. I started to get pretty snippy after a while, since every time I would tell them that no, I was permanently deferred due to the restrictions on England, and this actually kind of bummed me out and they made me all bummed out every time they called me so would they please take me out of the #*&@% database. They did finally stop calling a year ago, I think.

I checked on bone marrow donation. I am still eligible to donate bone marrow: if I were to be a match for someone on the registry, they would be informed of my time spent in England and allowed to weigh the potential risks of my bone marrow. Since people seeking bone marrow transplants from strangers on the registry are typically dying, I doubt anyone would hesitate. (I still need to go get the blood tests and so on to be on that registry, though. When I found out I qualified despite my blood-donor-ineligibility, I was pregnant with Kiera, so it wasn't exactly urgent. They won't let you donate bone marrow while pregnant, or if you have any other health condition that would make it dangerous for you.)