IBTS - does anyone on AAM qualify to give blood?

Z

z109

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I've been looking at the reasons why the IBTS won't allow one to give blood:
[broken link removed]

I'm trying to quantify the number of ways I am disqualified.
- surgical procedure - 6 months
- visit to tropical area - 6 months
- visit to malarial area - 12 months
- lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996 - indefinite

So, four ways banned.

Does any posters actually qualify?

(No visits to America, Canada, Israel or Russia in the last 8 weeks; no visit to tropics in last six months; no visit to malarial area (e.g. north africa/SE Turkey/Asia) in last 12 months; no blood transfusions; no living in England etc. etc.).

Surely blood screening would be the way forward?
 
I used to give blood on a regular basis when i lived in the UK and was upset at not being able to when i returned. I'm sure some sort of screening would work but who's going to pay for it? And then pay for the mess the health board would make of it anyway?
 
Graham_07 said:
Yes I did and Yes they ask.
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What about your mysterious name changes!? ;)

Sorry, not trying to get at you, like elefantfresh, I used to give blood in the UK. Blood that is happily sold on the open market or turned into medical products. Both of which end up in Ireland? Anyway, that's conjecture, but I am hugely frustrated at not being able to give blood (like a fifth of the population of this island!). I believe my blood type (B-) is rare enough that it would be useful.
 
I used to about twice a year until the "ban" on people who lived in England. What about the blood I gave after England but before the Ban? I presume this has been used already?

BB
 
yoganmahew said:
I'm trying to quantify the number of ways I am disqualified.
- surgical procedure - 6 months
- visit to tropical area - 6 months
- visit to malarial area - 12 months
- lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996 - indefinite

So, four ways banned.

Does any posters actually qualify?
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Im ok for all of the above. would like to give blood but i dont have the guts. Im not great with needles, makes me a bit week at the knees.
 
shootingstar said:
Im ok for all of the above. would like to give blood but i dont have the guts. Im not great with needles, makes me a bit week at the knees.
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Oh, it's not bad. As they say, you feel a bit of a prick, but that wouldn't be unusual for most of us! You don't have to watch the bag filling up with blood. I always felt light-headed afterwards, but a cup of tea and a biscuit, followed by a couple of pints of shandy usually solved that (or left me light-headed for other reasons!). (Yes, totally against the advice they give!).
 
a group of us used to donate in college regularly - cos they give you free booze and cakes etc...

we would show up, give the blood, and fall out of the place a couple of hours later. was as good a reason as any i suppose.

i qualify for the above but i stopped donating after i was assured 6 times in a row that my donor card was on its way to me - they never managed to post it out. Although they did manage to post plenty of reminders for me to give more blood.
 
loughquinn said:
I didn't change my name - that must be another poster answering the question!!!!
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Apologies, I answered the question, as happens regularly on AAM . FIrst time I was ever accused of a name change tho' ;)

The mobile clinic calls on average 2-3 times a year usually manage at least, been going for 28 years now.
 
I wasn't allowed last time I went and now I can't for another 3 or 6 months. Otherwise it's every 3 months in a mobile clinic.
 
Was in Canada in August and they stopped me for 3 month's because of West Nile virus. Have been out in the far east since and that stops me for a year due to being a malarial area.

Sort of cheeses me off as I like to give it every three months but they obviously have these safeguards in place for a reason. I won't be too scared going there as their fixed and mobile staff are excellently trained to deal with any situation.:)
 
yoganmahew said:
Oh, it's not bad. As they say, you feel a bit of a prick, but that wouldn't be unusual for most of us! You don't have to watch the bag filling up with blood. I
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A whole bag????? :eek: how much do they actually take? not sure why im even asking because i dont think i`d ever have the guts to actually call in there and do it.

It would have to be spur of the moment thing and obviously dragged screaming & kicking... of course
 
shootingstar said:
how much do they actually take?
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I think the unit of blood taken is half a litre. I've just worked out, roughly over the years I've given them the equivalent of a half a guinness keg :eek: Wonder if they'd give me a half a genuine keg in return :D
 
I used to donate plasma on a monthly basis before they stopped taking it.
Like other posters, I've failed the "blood test" for various reasons over the past few years.....
....body piercing :eek: , vaccinations for holiday to China, anti-biotics, medical procedure, and when I finally passed all of the criteria, my haemoglobin count was too low so I couldn't donate!

Love that Hancock sketch! The traditional donation was "a pint of blood", but it's more like 450mls.
 
I "qualify" but haven't been in about 6 years now... :eek: I really should - O Neg/universal donor and all that. Much preferred Pelican House to D'Olier Street though...
 
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