Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    Do the blood types have to match?  Do you know what type they are
    looking for?
    	Linda

    I will find out from them and post it a reply as soon as I find
    out. Or, you can call Pat and Bob at #508-754-3520 and ask them
    yourselves. Or (again) you can call #1-800-258-0025 ext. #2075 and
    ask for Deborah Katcher Buckley and she can give you all the details.
    
    Thank you for your inquiry. I'll try to keep everyone up-dated.
    
    Kevin Baldwin

    There are strict requirements for people who want to donate platelets
    via pheresis.
    
    First, you must be in excellent health, no colds, flus, etc. symptoms
    within (I think) 5 days of donating.
    
    You cannot have allergies.  You cannot be prone to headaches/migraines.
    
    You cannot have taken aspirin or ibuprofen (tylenol is o.k.) within 3
    days of donating platelets.  Aspirin and ibuprofen reduce the number of
    effective platelets in your blood.
    
    You cannot have any heart problems, including mitral valve prolapse
    (please forgive spelling).
    
    You basically cannot be on any medications.  You really need to be the
    model of health.
    
    Now, if you have passed all these requirements, I will also include
    that donating platelets is not for the faint of heart.  I used to go
    about every other week to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to donate
    platelets for a friend who was being treated for lymphoma.
    
    You will be hooked up to a machine for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.  There
    will be a needle in each of your arms (one to take the blood out and
    one to return it).  The machine basically takes blood from you, about
    1/2 pint at a time.  It is sent into the pheresis machine where the
    blood is centrefuged so that the red blood cells (which are heavier) sink
    and the platelets (which are lighter) rise to the top and then the
    machine extracts the platelets into a bag that looks like the bags they
    use when you donate a pint of blood.  Your whole blood product is
    returned to you.  In order to get enough platelets, you need to be
    hooked up to the machine for at least an hour.  It is better for the
    person who is receiving the platelets to get a transfusion that is of
    non-mixed platelets (although when they don't have enough platelets
    they can mix platelets from several donors).  Depending on the person's
    health, it can be better for the platelet recipient to receive
    platelets that match rather than unmatched platelets.
    
    So, if you are healthy and don't mind  being connected to a machine for
    a while with a needle in both arms (you can't even scratch your own
    nose if it itches!), then get out and donate.  I don't know about other
    facilities that collect platelets, but I can say from experience that
    the staff at the Dana Farber took *very* good care of their donors. 
    They had a selection of movies so donors could watch a video while we
    were hooked up to the machines.  Staff would feed us
    coffee/juices/sodas, etc., and made certain that the process of
    donating was a comfortable an experience as possible.
    
    All the other usual restrictions that go with donating blood apply to
    donating platelets.  If you are HIV+ or if you are in a high-risk group
    then you should not consider donating platelets.  Platelets are still a
    blood product even though the red blood cells are not being donated.
    
    A person can donate platelets once a week (unlike donating blood)
    because all the platelets that you donate are replaced by your system
    within 72 hours of donating.
    
    In the process of donating platelets, an anti-coagulant is used to keep
    your blood from clotting (so they can return your whole blood product
    to you).  Sometimes the anti-coagulant can make your lips or nose
    tingle a little bit, and can make you feel a little bit light-headed. 
    I also think it can trigger headaches which is why they have such
    strict requirements around not being prone to headaches or migraines.
    
    In the time that I was going to the Farber, I would guess that I made
    about 20 to 30 donations of platelets.  I have experienced no short or
    long term effects from the process or the anti-coagulant (other than I
    have "tracks" from being stuck by needles so often...try explaining
    them to your doctor :-)!)  The experience made me feel that I was, in a
    very tangible way, giving the gift of life to another person.  It was a
    very moving and rewarding experience for me.
    
    I will be calling the number to inquire about donating platelets on
    Pat's behalf.  If anyone is interested in donating platelets, and
    hasn't done this before, I will find out if the Red Cross has more than
    one machine, and maybe we could work out a buddy system so a first time
    donor wouldn't have to go alone.  Or if anyone wants to discuss
    platelet donation in more detail than I've given here, please feel free
    to contact me at DTN: 276-8470.
    
    Laura
    
    bottom and the 

    I just talked with Marie at the Pheresis unit at the Red Cross office
    in Worcester.
    
    The schedule for appointments is:
    
    Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday you can schedule an appointment for 12:30 p.m.
    3 p.m. or 5 p.m.
    
    Thursday/Friday you can schedule an appointment for 8 a.m. 10:30 a.m.
    or 1 p.m.
    
    They have four machines.  They will only take 2 first-time donors at a
    time.  
    
    Laura
    

    I bet you forgot another group of people whose blook they won't take:
    people who have been on anti-malarial medication within the past three
    years.  At least, they won't accept me for regular blood donations.
    (I took a vacation in New Guinea - and it was FASCINATING - so I was on
    two different anti-malarial medications for a long time before, during,
    and after - I was almost certainly actually exposed to the disease,
    too, but I have had no problems whatsoever).
    
    Oh, another group: my mother has a rare blood type, and often used to
    get called to donate for open-heart surgery and such, and then they
    usually decide that they couldn't risk using her blood because she had
    had whopping cough when she was a child.  (Of course, they don't ask
    her anymore; I don't think they normally ask people over about 55 or so
    even if they do have unusual blood types; Mom is 67.)
    
    
    /Charlotte

    Donating bone marrow is quite a bit more complicated than donating
    platelets.  
    
    Donating bone marrow is considered minor surgery and, as such, has some
    risk associated with it.  I have known people who have donated bone
    marrow via a local anesthetic and a mild sedative, and I have known
    people who have opted for general anesthesia.
    
    Bone marrow is extracted from the pelvic bone using a needle.  There is
    some discomfort after the procedure from being poked with a needle
    repeatedly in the lower back area.  In order to get enough bone marrow,
    the needle must be inserted several times.
    
    The thing to keep in mind about considering donating bone marrow is
    that if you were determined a match for Pat, and if you decided to go
    ahead with the procedure, there comes a point where you really can't
    change your mind and not go through the procedure.  Just prior to
    receiving new bone marrow, Pat's bone marrow would be completely
    destroyed via radiation or chemotherapy.  Once her own bone marrow is
    destroyed, the bone marrow donor can't turn back.
    

    re-.6
    
    Very good points made---I want everybody to know this isn't a blood
    drive but rather an all out search for a compatable donor for Pat.
    But, call the numbers listed in the basenote and make sure you get
    all the facts you need to know about this procedure. Thank you.
    
    Kevin

    I think if you could post appropriate compatible blood types it 
    would make everything a little easier.
    
    Thanks
    

    Re: .8
    
    Platelets aren't matched based on blood type.   I don't remember how
    they do the matching, but it is less important about matching Pat and
    more important to go and donate on her behalf.  She will get "credit"
    with the Red Cross for anyone who goes and donates on her behalf...even
    if your platelets don't match hers.
    
    It costs about $1100 per platelet transfusion in the platelets are
    purchased vs. donated on behalf of the person.  So don't worry about
    matching, if you think that you can manage the process of pheresis and
    you are in good health, donate.
    
    Re: .5
    
    Yes, all the restrictions that would be in force for regular blood
    donation are applicable for platelet donation.  And then there are
    additional restrictions around platelet donation.
    
    Laura
    

    How stringent is the restriction against having allergies, Laura?  I'm
    not severely afflicted, but I've got some.
    
    						=maggie

    I'm not sure what the list is regarding allergies.  It might be better
    to call the Red Cross pheresis unit and talk to Marie.  Better to find
    out before going to Worcester if you are going to be deferred from
    donating due to some allergy.  The Red Cross number is 508-791-7444,
    ask for the pheresis unit.
    
    I do remember that hayfever type symptoms come to mind regarding
    allergies.  I think that the anit-coagulant can aggrevate these
    symptoms.  I guess I never paid much attention to the part about
    allergies because I don't have any.
    
    Laura
    

    
    RE: .7
    
    >>I want everybody to know this isn't a blood
    >>drive but rather an all out search for a compatable donor for Pat.
    
    I thought it might be helpful to talk about the different needs here,
    the need for platelets and the need for a bone marrow donor.
    
    As Kevin pointed out, there is a critical need to find a compatable
    bone marrow donor for Pat.  The bone marrow transplant would be a
    "one-shot" procedure, and then there is a period of time after the
    transplant to see if Pat is responding positively to the transplant and
    is starting to produce her own, healthy bone marrow.
    
    During this entire procedure, Pat will need platelet transfusions to
    provide her with healthy platelets (platelets are the agent that cause
    our blood to clot) so she won't be at risk of hemorrhaging.  Pat will
    probably need several platelet transfusions, sometimes as much as three
    times a week.  That's why it's important that people go and donate on
    her behalf, even if the platelets you are donating aren't going
    directly to Pat, but to someone else who needs thems.  Pat will get
    credit for your donation, this will help to defray some of the medical
    costs associated with treating her disease.
    
    In my own opinion, I really don't feel that there is any health risk in
    donating platelets, whereas there is risk associated in being a bone
    marrow donor.
    
    Laura
    

    Mike,
    
    I don't see anyone gaining anything financially, and since policy is open 
    to interpretation, I don't think that Digital, in the spirit of "do the 
    right thing" would interpret this note as a violation of the policy.
    
    I understand that the company does not want to see solicitation going
    on that could be used for personal financial gain or financial gain of
    some religious, political organization, but in this case we're talking
    about donating platelets or bone marrow, both potentially life saving
    procedures for a person.  This is not unlike when Digital solicits
    employees to participate in on-site blood drives.
    
    Laura
    

    re-.13, .14
    
    Mike,
    
    I read the rules *very* carefully before I entered this note into
    any of the conferences I've since entered it into...and I didn't
    see anything pertaining to to the subject we're discussing here
    forbidding it in the slightest. If I were asking for donations that
    would be one thing, but all I am asking people to do is contact
    the appropriate sources for this person who desperately needs a
    Bone Marrow Transplant. I am attempting to keep this discussion
    well within corporate policy and am *doing* "the right thing" in
    the spirit of Digital. If you took your interpretation of notes
    to the letter there wouldn't *be* notes, including the most popular
    of notes...The Classifieds. 
    
    So, I don't feel I am soliciting and will stand by my note 100%!

    Mike,
    
    I think you may be confusing "gain" with "failure to lose"; i.e.,
    the request is being made to keep these people from spending
    extra thousands of dollars, not that they will accrue a financial
    gain of thousands of dollars.
    
    In a sense, it's good of you to perceive it in that way, because
    most people are sufficiently self-centered to only feel that way
    about their own money:  "I lost money in the stock market!" when
    really they only failed to gain a profit.
    
    							Ann B.

    Mike, the same thought occurred to me on reading the basenote and so I
    thought about this very carefully in relationship to the p&p before
    deciding how to respond.  I judge that there is no violation.  
    
    The critical issues in the spirit of the policy are (1) preventing
    people from exploiting DEC computing resources for personal gain and,
    where no personal gain is concerned, preventing unfair pressure on
    employees who may prefer to allocate their time, money, or energy
    differently to the way being urged.
    
    The first is clearly not the case here, and I do not believe that
    anyone will actually object to the clear, now-or-never, life-saving
    goal that is the focus of this appeal.  If I am wrong, and someone is
    feeling unwelcome pressure to respond, I urge the offended person(s) to
    make immediate contact with one or more of the moderators by mail.
    
    						=maggie

        The only  conference I moderate is EXPATRIATES, and you have my
        full permission to post the plea there, should you wish to.
        
        ENGINE::EXPATRIATES or KP7 to select.
        
        I agree with  Ann  and Maggie - in a case such as this, 'do the
        right thing' is paramount, and I can't figure any way that the
        misuse policy could be applied here.
        
        Precedent:  a similar plea  was  circulated  for  a  young burn
        victim about a year ago, and  the  blood  donation vehicle was
        allowed onto Digital property to accept donations  on behalf of
        Shriners, if I remember correctly. 
        
        Andy

    re-.17
    
    Thank you, Maggie, for the clarification and permission to proceed
    with this endeavor. It means a great deal to Pat, myself, and a
    great deal of concerned people who love her very much.
    
    Those numbers again:
    
    #1-800-258-0025 extension # 2075 for Deborah Katcher Buckley
    #1-508-791-7444 for the RED CROSS on Park Avenue, Worcester
    #1-508-562-6625 for Jim and Karen...organizers of the help-effort
    #1-508-754-3520 for Bob and Pat Brindisi
    
    Please call tonight, this weekend, or as soon as you possibly can!
    
    Thank you all again for your continued support and obvious concern.
    
    Kevin Baldwin
    

    re-.18
    
    Thank you Andy, I'm a'headin' there now. God Bless You!
    
    Kevin

    Just to update everyone:
    
    I met with Bob and Pat this past weekend, and they would like to
    personally thank Laura and everybody else who has responded to their
    plea thus far. Pat looks very tired and weak, but is definitely
    hanging in there. But we need as many people as possible to contact
    Deb Buckley, Bob and Pat, Jim and Karen, and the Park Ave Red Cross
    and please take the time today to get down there and donate your
    platelets. Let's beat the odds and help this special lady. I can't
    emphasize enough that time is our biggest enemy right now, so please
    call them today. Thanks again from all of us.

    Okay, I'm in for 12.30 tomorrow...it's their last slot for that time
    so unless they get a cancel (they're gonna call me) I'll be there all
    alone.  Anybody else giving?  We could organise a trip for two weeks
    from now.  Laura, when you going?
    
    I talked with Harriett, a pheresis nurse.  The physical requirements
    are much less strict than I feared, so if anyone else is worried about
    passing physical tests, call.  Most meds are okay, and it's necessary
    to be in general good health but one need not be an olympic qualifier
    or anything.  Can't have a history of hepatitis or HIV, of course. 
    
    They require no aspirin be taken for 36 hours because the platelets
    really zero right in on the aspirin molecules and that wrecks'm. The
    morning of the procedure, they ask that no orange juice be drunk and
    that something calcium-y be ingested (yoghurt, ice cream, milk,...)
    
    The actual volume you lose is 1/3 pint, which represents 3% of your
    total platelet stock, easy to replace.  
    
    I don't think I understood what's involved in qualifying to donate
    marrow, perhaps I'll find out tomorrow.
    
    						=maggie

    I am a regular apheresis donor, I probably get called once a month to
    donate. I'm also a prospective bone marrow donor (I've been tissue
    typed and am entered in the national database of prospective donors) so
    I can clear up a few things. Most of the notes have been very accurate,
    and I strongly support and encourage people to take the time. A few points:

    	1) It does take about 2 hours total to do an apheresis donation.
    	2) Usually the needles are placed one in each "crook" of the arm. It is
    	possible to place one in the back of one hand, enabling you to
    	read. Even if you don't get it in the wrist, the nurses are usually
    	willing to turn pages for you. At Stanford Blood Center, where I donate,
    	they have videotapes and headphones for the donors. It's actually
    	reasonably pleasant.
    	3) You may get chilled, since the blood cools to room temperature
    	before it gets back. An afghan or blanket helps a LOT. They should have
    	them there, ask for one. They also give you hot water bottles to hold.
    	This all is an annoyance rather than anything else.
    	4) Apheresis, apart from the extra needle and extra time is MUCH easier
    	than whole blood donation. It doesn't make you tired, you don't have
    	to take it easy afterwards. I often rollerskate back to work after
    	donating - you should feel fine. Furthermore, you can donate via
    	apheresis much more often than whole blood.
    	5) Apheresis is most commonly for platelets, but may be for white cells,
    	or plasma either instead or as well as platelets. Apheresis donations
    	usually go for leukemia patients, burn victims, and preemie babies.

    About marrow donation:

    I don't know if you can designate who you would like to be matched for.
    Bone marrow donation is much more serious than blood donation, and
    donations from non-relatives are still rare, and are not yet a common
    procedure. There is a desperate need for a larger pool of prospective
    donors in order to increase the chances of a match. I urge you to
    volunteer. When you go in for apheresis donation, if you volunteer as a
    prospective bone marrow donor, they will draw some whole blood for
    tissue typing. Your name and relatively detailed tissue type will be
    entered into a national database. If you ever come up as a possible
    match, you will be asked to come in and provide a little more blood
    that will be used to check your compatibility with the particular
    patient that you matched. Even at this point compatibility is very
    rare. I've only been called to check compatibility once, and I've never
    donated bone marrow.

    DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

    Most of these leukemia patients are young, active, otherwise healthy
    people, just entering the prime of their lives, that will DIE without a
    transplant. YOU may have a match for someone that could save their
    life. PLEASE consider registering. Even if you come up as a potential
    donor, you can still decide that you can't or won't go through with it
    and no one will think the less of you.

    	I can't think of a more worthy cause,
    	-- Charles

    I'm going Friday at 1:00.  When I talked to the Red Cross yesterday,
    they still had a lot of time slots open this week.  One more point on
    the aspirin issue - the woman I talked to said that there is aspirin in
    lots of stuff - like Pepto Bismol for example - so be careful.

    I will be going on the 19th at 12:30 if there is anyone who would like
    to join me.  This is my first time and whomever arrives first gets to
    pick the video.
    
    Tracy

    Well, I was quite sick over the weekend, fever, cough, etc.  I believe
    that I'll be ready to go to the Red Cross the week of the 16th.
    
    If anyone wants go come along on the buddy system I'm going to try for
    a 3 p.m. appointment on Tuesday the 17th or a 1 p.m. appointment on
    Friday the 20th.
    
    Laura
    

    Found out something disgusting:  if you've given blood, they won't take
    you as a platelet donor til 8 FULL weeks later.

    Are you sure Maggie? (You must be or you wouldn't have entered it.) I know
    that Stanford Blood Center doesn't require an 8 week wait, that's the wait
    for another whole blood after a whole blood donation. I've donated via
    apheresis as soon as five days after a whole blood donation. I'll check
    Stanford and the local Red Cross tomorrow (assuming I remember).
    
    	-- Charles

    Weel, they commiserated with me about how much a shame it was for me to
    have come all that way and then turn out to be a day early because I'd
    been tapped for a pint on the 14th February; one of the nurses stated
    that it was "federal law" that mandated the interval.  Sounded goofy
    t'me, but....

    When I called the nurse who did the question and answer bit did
    question me about the last time I donated.  It was in October so she
    said I was well within the limits. 
    
    Tracy

    This is very strange. I just called Stanford Blood Center and they assured
    me that the interval between whole blood donation and apheresis donation
    was three days. I quizzed them thoroughly, asking about apheresis after
    whole blood and whole blood after apheresis, they assured me repeatedly
    that platelets were regenerated within three days and that in fact they
    were replaced as the apheresis was done, and that only about a tablespoon
    of platelets were extracted.

    I mentioned the eight week figure and the apheresis nurse confirmed
    that that was the interval required for whole blood after whole blood.
    I wonder if you talked to someone who was knowledgeable about apheresis?
    It's still not that common a procedure, and many blood banks are just
    starting it. Not everyone at the blood bank may be aware of the different
    requirements for apheresis.

    On the other hand, maybe they are asking for whole blood? I'm really
    confused. Do you have the name of the nurse or the phone number of that
    blood bank?

    	-- Charles

    When I made my appointment, Marie at the Park Ave. Red Cross in
    Worcester told me I couldn't donate if I had given whole blood within 8
    weeks.  Maybe it's a local rule?

    Well, just wanted to up-date everyone on what's been going on. I
    don't have any answers because it sounds like you've all been talking
    with a bunch of different people on the same subject, and you've
    all been getting different answers. What I would recommend doing
    is calling the source directly and getting a single answer and acting
    upon that sole source's information. I strongly recommend calling
    Pat Brindisi herself at #508-754-3520 or Deborah Katcher Buckley
    at #1-800-258-0025 extension #2075 and finding out for sure when
    and where and how to donate. I also just want to thank those people
    who have gone down and donated and urge those who haven't to please
    make arrangements TODAY and call to do so as soon as possible. We're
    getting so close, but time is still our biggest enemy. Thanks to
    all of you for your caring and your interest in this effort. We
    all appreciate it immensely.
    
    Kevin Baldwin

Are the requirements in .3 the same limitations on those who might be
bone marrow donors?  (can you have allergies? etc)

      Carol

    Hi Carol,
    
    I've never heard of anyone being deferred for allergies. Not for whole
    blood, not for apheresis. Your best bet would be to go by, fill out the
    little checklist, and ask. I don't think allergies are on the list that
    Stanford Blood Center uses. There are some relatively obscure ones on
    the list though - a couple of acne medications that stay in the blood for
    years, recent tattoos, recent ear piercing, recent oral surgery, such that
    the easiest thing to do is just go down and read the form.
    
    	-- Charles