When I had some surgery done several years ago, they told me when I woke up that I’d received 2 units of blood (which made me feel kind of bad, because I’m type O- so that was valuable blood they gave me). It made me feel strange at the time, especially since I hadn’t gone into the surgery expecting it–or even thinking of it as a possibility.
Have you ever had a blood transfusion? What were the circumstances? Did you know ahead of time? Were you nervous about things like HIV?
It was quite unexpected because I am typically a slow bleeder but apparently during my hysterectomy I bled more than expected. They switched mid surgery from laproscopy to a full incision and infused a unit of blood. I did sign paperwork in advance knowing it was a possibility but it was considered a fairly remote one.
I didn’t worry about HIV as this was post the rather intense scrutiny of Canadian Blood Services and I’m pretty confident that they’ve improved their testing.
No transfusion, but my daughter was given one at birth.
I gave blood on and off for years, but can’t any more.
Sure have. 89 units total with 75 in the first 48 hours after my accident.
Spinal fusion surgery.
Doc told me to go give blood for myself a few days before. I did, but as has happened every time I try to donate since age 18, my veins collapsed leaving less than enough blood in the bag to be usable.
So, I’m a quart low going in, and lost a lot during surgery. When I woke up, I felt so small and so cold I knew I wasn’t going to live much longer:(
My doc came by and said he’ll order some blood and I’ll feel much better. I fixated on getting that blood so much, it’s scary. When it wasn’t here in 10, 20, 30 minutes, I freaked. My wife tried to calm me down, telling me they were doing their best, but apparently I screamed “whose side are you on anyway?” at her and made her cry.
She hasn’t let me forget that in 20 years.
When I finally got some blood going in me, it was like rising from the dead. I literally felt life growing/returning in me, and I felt better and better. I finally got around to asking my wife why she was crying!:smack:
Pat, I’m squeamish, and so I’ll regret asking - what turned you into a human sieve that you blew 89 units? Be vague. 
Not for me, and if I everneed one, I’m owed! They’ve had in excess of 30 pints out of me
Hit while riding bicycle. Hamstring avulsed. Bleedage ensued.
No, but I do vaguely recall banking some blood prior to my last surgery in case I needed some. I could be wrong about that, though. I think it’s a good idea, though.
Dang, you got a big debt to pay there.
I’ve always wondered where all this blood goes. I’ve always known tons of people that give, but none that have ever needed it. I have postulated that it gets sacrificed to some blood god for some such reason.
Not me, but my wife had a serious case of dengue fever in Aceh Indonesia and needed a lot of blood. I had to go around town, find people with her blood type, take them to the Red Cross to get drained and then have my secretary shuttle the blood over to the hospital across town while I went out looking for more donors. The next morning we were on the first flight to Malaysia to check into a modern hospital.
I did, but it was my own blood, donated in advance for a planned surgery. I think it was one of the reasons I recuperated so quickly from that particular procedure. I would gladly offer to donate blood but am not eligible. My daughter does my share for me – she donates blood, platelets, whatever they are in need of. She is apparently negative for something most adults are positive for (not the Rh factor), and as a result has blood components that are safe to give to babies. Unfortunately, she is AB+, so only her whole blood is not as useful as other types.
I’m having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that I just said that in my opinion, I’ve never had a blood transfusion…
Talk about irony: I gave too much blood.
I am B neg, and cytomegalovirus free, which makes me a rare commodity in the world of all things blood. The blood center is always after me to donate. Basically, I over-donated, which whacked up the binding agent agent in my blood and made me feel like crap.
I’d get tested, and the hospital lab kept saying my count was fine, yet the blood center’s test showed I was too light (the little ball wouldn’t drop in the blue fluid).
Finally, my GP recced me to a hematologist who knew the right tests to have done on me, and sure enough: overnight, the Queen became a big-time anemia patient.
I had five weeks of transfusions before the hemo guy said I was back to normal. It was astonishing how much better I felt after that. **Ducati **is right. It is like rising from the dead. The decline had been so gradual I had no idea that anything was wrong or any idea why I felt so completely rotten all the time.
Today, I take daily iron pills and limit my donations to half what I used to give and haven’t had any more problems since.
I am O neg, cytomegalovirus free. MLS, it sounds as if that is what your daughter is negative for – they always want my blood for pediatrics, burn victims, transplant patients, etc.
Never had a transfusion, but gave one once.
I have not had an emergency need for a transfusion. I’d be willing to take a substantial risk to reject a transfusion. As I recall with relatives, the hospital has a special consent form for transfusions. I would reject my own and advise my representative authorities to do the same in my name unless survival was very questionable. Hospitals seem to like to jump on the fluids early. They usually pump you up with saline so they have the IV ready and flowing. You end up bloated and peeing constantly. Maybe you guessed that I’m not a fan of doctors and hospitals.
But that’s just me. I also reject stitches in favor of tape or cyanoacrylate(Super Glue).
I am unsure. Do they always tell you?
When my DIL gave birth five years ago, an intern came into the room the next day, looked at her and said something like, “You’re looking a bit pale, maybe you should have a pint of blood.” She got very angry with him and gave him a royal chewing out. “You would give blood to a young healthy woman with a hematocrit of [whatever it was]?” She is a family physician who delivers a lot of babies.
Incidentally, she chose to have her baby delivered by a midwife in a hospital (just in case). When I asked why, she said she didn’t trust ob/gyns and added that in all of Manhattan there were only 3 or 4 family physicians, she was one, a colleague of hers was another. She didn’t deliver in her own hospital (I guess that was also her decision) and I guess the other one or two weren’t convenient. Afterwards, she remarked that the delivery was a bit slow and she felt there was a good chance an ob/gyn would have wanted to do a cesarean.
I have, during an operation on a mangled leg. I’m no longer allowed to donate blood, because of the whole BSE thing.
Received 2 units of blood after my car accident. I did a good job, lap belt injury. Perforated my bowel in 7 places, cardiac arrest on the operating table…almost did not make it to see 21…
Yikes!