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Posted 10/31/2013 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
OH MY GOSH!!!!!! I just realized last night that I have donated blood since being infected!!!

I was bitten 8 years ago and gave blood up until 3 years ago. (An ARC nurse severely damaged a nerve in my elbow so I stopped giving.)

I am feeling horrible!!!!! Do I call ARC? Will it matter? This is awful!!!!!
Posted 10/31/2013 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
I would think at this point it wouldn't do any good to call them since it has been 3 years. Maybe you could call to make them aware of the possibility of Lyme infected people donating, not aware that they are ill with it.
Posted 10/31/2013 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
Another concern along same lines, is if those with lyme are also organ donors on their drivers license.


Personally, I sent a form to reverse my donor status.

Just a thought.
Posted 10/31/2013 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Garden Peace - at this point it won't do any good. The Red Cross are supposed to turn people away that have been infected with Babesia, but only a few of the locations in the US are even concerned with it at this point.....thanks CDC!

I used to donate my blood too, before I realized I had Lyme and other tick-borne infections. No telling how many people got infected blood from me. It seems harsh, but we can't worry about that. It will only add to the stress that we have to avoid at this point in time.

When the mobile blood donation center rolls up in our town (I"m very rural), I tell anyone (loudly devil) who will stand still long enough that I can't donate blood because I have had Lyme and Babesia. This does two things, spreads awareness on two factors - don't donate blood if you think you may have Lyme or Babesia and that it can be passed through blood donations/transfusions.

There have been hundreds, maybe thousands of donations made that have tainted blood. All we can do is hope that someone who got that blood had a strong enough immune system that they could handle it.
Posted 10/31/2013 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
I know I didn't do anything on purpose....it just hit me and I felt awful. But you are right Traveler, we can't worry about it.

And I hadn't thought of my organ donor on my driver's license. I will have to reverse that too. Thanks, Garden Peace.
Posted 10/31/2013 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
I was asked if my mom's organs were going to be donated after she passed and I told them no, since I didn't know for sure what caused her decline. She had symptoms that could've been Lyme and co. related.
Posted 10/31/2013 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
I've made it abundantly clear to all my family, no blood donations (to or from me), no organ donations(to or from me), and no steroid use for me (unless it's truly life threatening)!! LOL!...........but they already knew I'm weird! LOL!
Posted 11/1/2013 2:07 PM (GMT 0)
It's crazy the stuff I have never really thought about.

Traveler, I get the blood and organ thing, why no steroids? I didn't know steroids might even need to be given in a life threatening situation.
Posted 11/1/2013 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
Steroids lower the immune response - thus allowing any infections to run rampant throughout the body - smhair - that's why there's always a caution about if a person has an infection of some type or a lowered immune response, they shouldn't have steroids.

Unfortunately, there are waaay too many doc's out there that don't think a thing about giving someone with tick-borne infections those steroids. All I can do is shake my head - it's that unbelievable for me - as if no one believes that Lyme is an infection.

If there is a life threatening allergic reaction, or if the adrenal glands shut down, steroids can be the only option to save one's life. At that point is when I've told my family steroids are okay for me. We each have to make our own decisions on this, but since at this point in time there is no way to know if or when someone has completely gotten rid of the Lyme bacteria -I'm not taking any chances!
Posted 11/1/2013 4:14 PM (GMT 0)
I did not know that. It's a very good thing to know though. Thanks.
:)
Posted 11/1/2013 4:28 PM (GMT 0)
Glad I could help!! I learned all of this when I was going through treatments and I like to share! :-) Information is power with these diseases!
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