Re: Blood donations- transfusions?

[Guest guest]

There is also a school of thought that suggests that if you give

blood before surgery, you trigger a need to get it back.

I don't know. That's just what some folks in the blood business

believe.

I didn't donate, didn't need it thank heavens! (What I wish is that

one could do autologous contributions, stockpile them for one's own

use, then if they are not needed, they could go to some other person

as a gift of life. I can't understand for the life of me why this

blood can't be processed in the same manner as any other, but

probably there is a reason. It just seems a shame to waste it, if the

donor doesn't need it.)

Cammie

> >

> > Hay all,

> >

> > I have seen a couple of times different ones asking how common it

is

> > to have the doctor request blood donations. I am having lower

jaw

> > with possible upper, and I also was told by the nurse that they

would

> > arrange for me to start coming in a month or so before the

surgery to

> > donate my blood. My question is, have any of you who have

already

> > been through their surgery had such a blood loss that their

doctor

> > transfused them?

> >

> > Connie

[Guest guest]

Cammie, what do you mean tiggering a need to get it back? Is that good

or bad? I always assumed that the body would immediately begin

regenerating the lost blood immediately after a transfusion. I'm not

sure what implications that has for recovering from surgery but

usually it's scheduled such that you're back to normal by the time of

surgery.

To reply to the Connie, I donated two units of RBC and needed them

both back during surgery. I don't know if it was a factor, but I seem

to have recovered faster from swelling than others. My swelling peaked

the same day as the surgery, and began going down by that evening. By

the third day I was close to normal-looking, and I understand that's

just about the time swelling is peaking for most patients.

--Neil

> > >

> > > Hay all,

> > >

> > > I have seen a couple of times different ones asking how common it

> is

> > > to have the doctor request blood donations. I am having lower

> jaw

> > > with possible upper, and I also was told by the nurse that they

> would

> > > arrange for me to start coming in a month or so before the

> surgery to

> > > donate my blood. My question is, have any of you who have

> already

> > > been through their surgery had such a blood loss that their

> doctor

> > > transfused them?

> > >

> > > Connie

[Guest guest]

Neil,

Red Cross says that it takes fifty something days to regenerate the

blood cells that you lose when you donate blood. How far in advance

did you donate?

> > > >

> > > > Hay all,

> > > >

> > > > I have seen a couple of times different ones asking how common it

> > is

> > > > to have the doctor request blood donations. I am having lower

> > jaw

> > > > with possible upper, and I also was told by the nurse that they

> > would

> > > > arrange for me to start coming in a month or so before the

> > surgery to

> > > > donate my blood. My question is, have any of you who have

> > already

> > > > been through their surgery had such a blood loss that their

> > doctor

> > > > transfused them?

> > > >

> > > > Connie

[Guest guest]

I think it was about 1 month prior. I would never have guessed that it

would take 50 days to regnerate the blood - that's a long time! I

donated just the red blood cells (RBC), the plasma was separated out

and returned back during the same procedure.

--Neil

> > > > >

> > > > > Hay all,

> > > > >

> > > > > I have seen a couple of times different ones asking how

common it

> > > is

> > > > > to have the doctor request blood donations. I am having lower

> > > jaw

> > > > > with possible upper, and I also was told by the nurse that they

> > > would

> > > > > arrange for me to start coming in a month or so before the

> > > surgery to

> > > > > donate my blood. My question is, have any of you who have

> > > already

> > > > > been through their surgery had such a blood loss that their

> > > doctor

> > > > > transfused them?

> > > > >

> > > > > Connie

[Guest guest]

I wish I could remember numbers better. I believe that one's body

generates enough fluids in the blood stream that the volume is

replenished pretty quickly, but the actual red and white cells (in

particular the red ones) take longer.

That could explain both why the Red Cross wants folks to wait, and

why it's possible to give donations relatively close-spaced in

preparation for surgery. But it might also explain -- or help to --

why those who have given two units recently can really benefit from

getting them back, to boost and fortify what remains in the

bloodstream. That's a complete guess from a lay person, remember. Ask

a doc, for a better answer!

I don't know the mechanism of triggering a need for transfusion,

Neil. Don't even know that it's so. But I have notice that either

through their surgeons' knowledge and experience, or because of that

effect, a number of people who have donated autologously have indeed

required transfusions.

Good or Bad? I don't know. I do think that if you're likely to need

it, it's good to have your own in storage. So perhaps I was foolish

not to have insisted. But I didn't, didn't need it -- so everything

came out nicely for me.

Cammie

> > > > >