blood type O- What this means?
- Thread starter skaught
- Start date
If you are O negative, it may be advisable to periodically collect and store some blood for yourself. Its very hard to get in emergencies.
They do it in many hospitals though you have to pay for the storage.
Also it may be helpful for your kids etc if they share your blood type.
They do it in many hospitals though you have to pay for the storage.
Also it may be helpful for your kids etc if they share your blood type.
I have only donated blood 2 times in my life. I used to be terrified of blood tests.
When I was quite young (maybe 6-7) I had to have one and I was moving around so much the needle broke in my arm. I never had another one until I got pregnant and HAD to have them done. I was so nervous for the whole week of my appt. After I had it done I couldn't beleive how I was stressing over it. It was nothing! Now it doesn't bother me at all. I guess having O- blood I should try and donate some.
When I was quite young (maybe 6-7) I had to have one and I was moving around so much the needle broke in my arm. I never had another one until I got pregnant and HAD to have them done. I was so nervous for the whole week of my appt. After I had it done I couldn't beleive how I was stressing over it. It was nothing! Now it doesn't bother me at all. I guess having O- blood I should try and donate some.
To be honest I am not really sure what their blood types are. They have never had blood taken, unless it was after they were born. If it was I don't
remember. I guess if one or both is O- I will be giving them blood.
The reason I dont donate blood is I see it like this:
If part of me is going to be inside of someone I sure as hell want to be aware of it, and I want to know who they are.
If part of me is going to be inside of someone I sure as hell want to be aware of it, and I want to know who they are.
The reason I dont donate blood is I see it like this:
If part of me is going to be inside of someone I sure as hell want to be aware of it, and I want to know who they are.
Well I used to think the opposite way, after that whole tainted blood thing came out yrs ago. Remember all those ppl that contracted HIV from the donated blood.
That is pretty scary!
The test is very simple
There is a glass slide kind of a thing with the A and B antigens fixed on them. They put a drop of blood on each and watch to see if the plasma separates out from the red blood cells (clumping). If the A antigen gets clumpy, the person is Type B , if the B antigen gets clumpy, the person is type A, if both the person is type O if none the person is type AB. There is also an anti-Rh on the same slide and if it does not get clumpy, the person is Rh negative
Here is a slide of blood group O positive
Neither A nor B are clumpy (agglutinated) but the anti-Rh is.
Here is a B negative
The A is agglutinated, but the B and anti-Rh are not
Its a 1 minute test and can be done in any hospital lab
You can give them blood no matter what their blood group is, universal donor, remember. But it may be good to know for your sake.
You can only receive from another O negative.
Its not "way out there". Its what I said in my earlier post.
For an O negative it makes sense to store your own blood because in case of sudden emergency (God forbid), its rare and hard to find. Plus you can't get a lot unless you find many people who are willing to donate. Its a good idea to collect your own, you can use it for yourself or as a universal donor for any one you choose. But not at home
You have it store it in a blood bank under standard conditions.In fact, I recommend anyone who is going for surgery and knows it in advance to collect their own blood, not only its the best, but it saves time and you don't have to worry about diseases.
Good question!!! And to add to it, how long does blood stay good at a blood bank? What temp must it be stored at?
Sorry, I worked in a hospital and a lab so thats the limit of my knowledge.
But I'm sure any blood bank would be happy to share the info.
Anyway, if you give blood it will be used for somebody, it will not go to waste.
I just found an article about donating and using your own blood for surgeries or whatever.
Charles Langer is one of a growing number of people giving blood, to himself. When preparing for hip replacement surgery, he began storing his own blood to be used during the operation."I suppose it's just because I feel more comfortable knowing it's my own blood. There's always the element of doubt."
It's also expensive. It costs about $300 a unit, but officials say it's a critical component of the new agency.
In the end Charles Langer wound up receiving two units of his own blood. He says if he hadn't been able to pre-donate, he would have had the surgery anyway. But this way he feels much more comfortable.
Full article:
http://origin.www.cbc.ca/health/story/1999/01/24/blood990124.html
$300.00 that's pricey. Anyone know how much 1 unit of blood is?
Charles Langer is one of a growing number of people giving blood, to himself. When preparing for hip replacement surgery, he began storing his own blood to be used during the operation."I suppose it's just because I feel more comfortable knowing it's my own blood. There's always the element of doubt."
It's also expensive. It costs about $300 a unit, but officials say it's a critical component of the new agency.
In the end Charles Langer wound up receiving two units of his own blood. He says if he hadn't been able to pre-donate, he would have had the surgery anyway. But this way he feels much more comfortable.
Full article:
http://origin.www.cbc.ca/health/story/1999/01/24/blood990124.html
$300.00 that's pricey. Anyone know how much 1 unit of blood is?
I agree.. Anyone know how much blood 1 unit actually is?
For 300.00 it better be a few litres lol
Average transfusion is 2.7 pints of whole blood; 10 pints is all the blood you have in your body.
One unit equals one pint.
The one unit can be separated into red blood cells, platelets and plazma.
You can donate every 56 days, average donation by most regular donors is 2 times a year.
(if they donated 3 times a year there would be no blood shortage)
42 days: how long most donated red blood cells can be stored.
Five days: how long most donated platelets can be stored.
One year: how long frozen plasma can be stored.
Source
I haven't a clue what blood type I am, should I care?
I do know I am thalassemia minor which has provided me an excuse for not donating blood.
I do know I am thalassemia minor which has provided me an excuse for not donating blood.
I think banking umbilical cord blood is a good idea, depending on what they charge you for storage. I never really heard much about that when I had my kids. If they can use something that is going to get thrown away that has so many benefits I think it's great.
What is thalassemia?
Look it up Thompson.