Soldato
By coincidence I happened to give blood for the first time today - bit annoyed when they told me I can't excercise for 24hrs but I could probably do with a rest anyway
How many of you are aware that the blood you donate freely is charged for at around £125 a unit to NHS Hospitals and for quite a bit more to Private Hospitals? Yes, it costs to store it but £125 a unit? Someone's making a very healthy profit from freely donated blood methinks...
Back donating blood as I've been told I can't donate platelets anymore.
I do think we should get paid for our blood, im thinking of stopping donating, for the simple reason its getting to the point where im hanging around waiting too long before my appointments, i dont book a time for the fun of it. Last time it was about 40mins before they even called me in.
What happened, if you don't mind telling us? Most things that stop platelet donation also stop whole blood AFAIK. If anything whole blood is even more picky about donors.
Not at all M.
Last year platelets said I had an irregular heartbeat to which I didn't agree but I went to see a GP. Fine she said but well send you to cardiology to be safe. Fine they said. Letter sent to platelets and I was donating again and a different staff member too my pulse on the 3 or 4 times I went back.
I then went again and the same nurse took my pulse and said it was irregular and the anti coag they put in puts a mild strain on the heart so I couldn't donate. I said we've been here before and a GP and cardiologist disagree but she wouldn't budge and I'd need to see them again so I did. GP said fine again and cardiologist said fine again. Nothing wrong with your heart.
In the meantime platelets sent a letter saying you've failed twice and can't donate anymore but can go back to regular blood donation. I spoke to the head nurse and tried to argue my case, namely that two GPs and two cardiology visits don't agree with you, said to keep running and cycling etc and said I don't have an irregular heartbeat and my GP is happy to send a letter to that effect. She would budge stating that pulse test failure may well be innocent enough but they can't be sure it's indicative of a more serious problem.
Two GPs and two visits to cardiology can't find this erratic pulse. My better half who's a staff nurse of 20 years can't find this erratic pulse and this is because I don't have an erratic pulse. Four medical professionals have documented this.
Not interested again. They wouldn't listen to medical fact and went by the pulse test of a nurse who found what several others who took my pulse couldn't.
The ironic thing M is that when donated blood they said they were low on platelets and my donation would be spun for them .....
FYI, it can be many more than 3 if you blood test results aren't good. A colleague is on his 5th booster (i.e., 0,1,6,9,10 months) so far.It's a course of 3, one month apart and I'm on my second.
FYI, it can be many more than 3 if you blood test results aren't good. A colleague is on his 5th booster (i.e., 0,1,6,9,10 months) so far.
Worth it Burnsy. A lass I joined with got spat in the eye by a hep b carrier.
Not interested again. They wouldn't listen to medical fact and went by the pulse test of a nurse who found what several others who took my pulse couldn't.
The ironic thing M is that when donated blood they said they were low on platelets and my donation would be spun for them .....
Yeah, I'm aware of that. There is a test at the end of the 3rd jab which will tell me how well I'm responding.
Yeah, there was a recent job that really spurred me into action involving a search on a drug addict with needles in his pockets and he was Hep B positive. On the upside, at least he told me they were there.
That said, my favourite collection of diseases on one defendant was HIV, Hep B and Scabies.
Finally got there today, after four years of whole blood and fifteen of apheresis. Only to find out that I don't get a prize, because the crystal glass decanters they used to give out were made by Royal Dalton, who have gone bust. I will be going to a meal at some point in the next few months (when they have enough 500s from the local area), and a prize will be sorted at some point.
In the meantime, you mortals should start worshipping me...