Donating blood post surgery

[Paleowoman]

I have now spoken several times to a referral doctor at the blood donation service - they have refused to let me donate, first because they said I might have received a blood transfusion during surgery (a no no for donating blood due to CJD risk) but I forwarded them a letter from the perfusionist to verify I had not - and then because they said having major heart surgery excluded me. I appealed and the doc took my 'case' to a panel of nine doctors who review these kinds of things to discuss yesterday. He phoned this morning to say that the rules have changed recently and anyone with a history of aortic stenosis, even from a congenital cause as in bicuspid aortic valve, is now no longer allowed to donate blood in the UK. They also consider that with me now having a 'foreign valve', even though the skin is cleaned very well before the donation needle is inserted, that there is a very slight risk of infection being introduced which could lead to endocarditis. The doctor spent a long time explaining things to me and will write a letter for my GP and cardiologist - he thanked me for my previous donations and thanked me for challenging the decision because they do like to review their policies

 

[AZ Don]

Thanks for the follow-up explanation. Seems they may be erring on the side of caution, but hard to fault them for that. Sorry it wasn't the decision you wanted.

 

[MrsBray]

I don't know if I can donate in the US, I haven't tried for years because of tattoos. I used to go with my husband when he donated, and I always tried to be a good little volunteer while I was there. Sometimes I could help with the after-snack, sometimes I would empty trash, or dust the windowsills. Once I even talked a waiting spouse in to donating for the first time.

Just because you can't donate blood doesn't mean you can't help the cause!

Thanks for trying so hard!

 

[Paleowoman]

I used to go with my husband when he donated, and I always tried to be a good little volunteer while I was there. Sometimes I could help with the after-snack, sometimes I would empty trash, or dust the windowsills. Once I even talked a waiting spouse in to donating for the first time.

Just because you can't donate blood doesn't mean you can't help the cause!

That's a great idea - thanks ! They need people to help with the snacks and drinks after so I could do that.

 

[Rebecca]

I know I had at least one blood transfusion during surgery and two blood transfusion a few days after surgery. I have a tissue valve. I tried about three times to donate blood after surgery because I had two much iron in my blood. I did not see anything about blood transfusion or tissue valve for not being able to donate. Each time I went to donate my red blood count was always in the low normal range and it had to be in the high normal range before I could donate.There was a list of countries that if you had visited them for a period of something like one month that you could not donate blood. Later this month I get to visit the vampire lab to have my blood checked.

 

[Rebecca]

See the eliqibility on blood transfusion and CJD eliqibility.

http://www.redcrossblood.org/donati...nts/eligibility-criteria-alphabetical-listing

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Rebecca,

I'm in the UK so different regulations. But in that American Red Cross link you sent it states "You may not donate if you received a blood transfusion since 1980 in the United Kingdom or France…....This requirement is related to concerns about variant CJD, or 'mad cow' disease." That's the regulation in the UK too, though in the UK it concerns all countries: "you may not donate blood if you have received blood or think you may have received blood during the course of any medical treatment or procedure anywhere in the world since 1st January 1980." (I didn't receive any blood during my AVR though)

The doctor I spoke to also wrote me a letter to explain the heart valve reason for not allowing me to donate, it comes under the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations which came into force in 2005 which states that people with "active or past serious cardiovascular disease" cannot donate and they count aortic stenosis, even from a congenital cause, as "serious". They also don't want to expose people with prostetic heart valves to infection "to the very small risk there may be when having a venepuncture for the purposes of voluntary blood donation" since the prostetic valve is more prone to infection.

 

[MrsBray]

See the eliqibility on blood transfusion and CJD eliqibility.

http://www.redcrossblood.org/donati...nts/eligibility-criteria-alphabetical-listing

"...Coumadin (warfarin) , heparin, Pradaxa (dabigatran), Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Lovenox (enoxaparin) or other prescription blood thinners- you should not donate since your blood will not clot normally. If your doctor discontinues your treatment with blood thinners, wait 7 days before returning to donate...."

Yay, I can still be the cookies & punch lady!

 

[elirn]

I would love to be able to donate again, but I received over 30 units of blood products during and after my emergency OHS (I was injured playing hockey).

As other have said there are different ways to help. At my request, my employer and friends donated enough blood to more than replace what I had used.

All the best.