Just gave blood again, do you?
- Thread starter V4NT0M
- Start date
Soldato
If not, why not?
Too old, I used to, twice a year, once at work and once from home.
I always declined giving blood as i was terrified of needles.
Now that i am older and used to having injections and giving blood samples, i can't donate due to having Angina.
Well done to all that do donate and to those that have a fear of needles, i find that if i look away when they insert the needle i am fine.
I do wish i had known this when i was younger.
Now that i am older and used to having injections and giving blood samples, i can't donate due to having Angina.
Well done to all that do donate and to those that have a fear of needles, i find that if i look away when they insert the needle i am fine.
I do wish i had known this when i was younger.
Soldato
The NHS have *finally* made the recombinant version of my clotting treatment (non-human-derived, synthetic or from genetically altered pig's blood) available - meaning the "low risk" of pathogens such as HIV/Hep-C/vCJD is now "Zero risk".
40 years too late for me (I was intentionally infected with Hep-C tainted blood in 1982), but my three children, who inherited the same bleeding disorder, will never have to worry that the treatment they need could infect them with something nasty.
Recombinant clotting factors have been available for over 20 years, but were ridiculously expensive compared to the human donor-derived variants ($1500/unit, compared to $30/unit).
The cost has now come down to around $12/unit, meaning the safer treatment is also the cheapest, so now the NHS don't mind supplying it.
It's still not a perfect world, though. Our government would rather pay the average annual cost of $80k/year (for a severe haemophiliac on prophylaxis treatment), then cover the $850k cost for gene therapy (which "cures" the bleeding disorder) or the $½M-1.2M for a liver transplant (depending on post-op care)...
40 years too late for me (I was intentionally infected with Hep-C tainted blood in 1982), but my three children, who inherited the same bleeding disorder, will never have to worry that the treatment they need could infect them with something nasty.
Recombinant clotting factors have been available for over 20 years, but were ridiculously expensive compared to the human donor-derived variants ($1500/unit, compared to $30/unit).
The cost has now come down to around $12/unit, meaning the safer treatment is also the cheapest, so now the NHS don't mind supplying it.
It's still not a perfect world, though. Our government would rather pay the average annual cost of $80k/year (for a severe haemophiliac on prophylaxis treatment), then cover the $850k cost for gene therapy (which "cures" the bleeding disorder) or the $½M-1.2M for a liver transplant (depending on post-op care)...