It's the busiest topic. I don't think I am. 0- blood.

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

Facebook message from NHS Blood Donation said

There has been a major incident in Cardiff which has resulted in a request for extra O- blood to be provided to help the local trauma unit. If you are O- and able to walk in into one our sessions this weekend please do so. To find the nearest session go onto blood.co.uk and put your postcode into the session searcher or give us a ring on 0300 123 23 23

Gwaaaan, you know you want to.

Anti d is ok - I've had it a few times and donated my 26th pint yesterday ...

I'm O- but can't donate at the minute as I'm on antidepressants.

I'm O- but can't donate because I had a transfusion when DD was born.

Does anyone know why you can't donate after a transfusion?
Surely the blood I received was checked before they gave me it, so, In theory I should be fine to give?

An opportunity to say thank you to all those who donate blood.

I spent years saying "manana" about donating, and then I had a transfusion. I so wish I'd donated while I could. And I'm so grateful to those of you that do.

I think the reason you can't donate after a transfusion is because blood isn't screened routinely for vCJD, therefore the best way to minimise the risk of transmission is to only take blood from those at lowest risk of having it. Viva is right about the Anti-D coming from Ameerica, America has always been rigorous in ensuring that vCJD does not get into their population via animal and blood derived materials from countries with BSE.

But surely when you need blood you just have what they give you? I wasn't aware that you could request blood from America.

Maybe we do need to screen for vCJD so more of us can give back.

I'm o+ and just checked the website and the next date I can donate is the 28th March 2013

Anti-D isn't blood, it is a product derived from blood, an injection of it is given to rhesus negative women who have a pregnancy by a rhesus positive father, without it the mother's immune system might reject any further rhesus positive foetuses. It's made by an American company.

I am not sure if the technology exists to screen all the blood for vCJD yet, but even if it does, it raises a lot of ethical problems, if they found it in donated blood they would be obliged to inform the donor. There is no way of treating it and you would have no idea if it would actually come to the disease or not or how long it would take. Most of us would prefer to remain ignorant I suspect. It would probably deter a lot of people from giving blood.

Well, it's unlikely to be March 2012...

''Well, it's unlikely to be March 2012...''

Well no shit Sherlock just thought that a 5 month wait was a bit long.

I've been refused because I had low iron one time, another time it was something to do with my platelets. The last time I tried I had a headache and they wouldn't take it. Now that really surprised me. I will go again soon though to see if I'm ok to give it now. Hopefully my medication won't preclude it!

It was just the way you highlighted just the year, made it look like that was what you had an issue with.

Of course, all the earlier slots might already be booked by other blood donors. Surely that's a good thing?

I'm O- and I give 3 times per year, I even got sent a gold blood donor card - that and the biscuits make it worth it ;)

Bump!