Blood Donor: Is it safe to donate blood if you have a blood condition?

I agree with what you’re saying.
I’m just thinking that there could be some beneficial uses for it. Like filtering it to just use the plasma. Or maybe some other component of the blood not affected by the condition.

@beebo
I hear you. I spoke with some physician friends from the teaching hospital locally about giving blood and also organ donation because of my blood disorder. They said that they would not use any byproduct discarded from my body. They did convince me that I would be useful as cadaver research or training for new physicians so I’ve opted for that. I’d like for this old body of mine to be useful to somebody.

@pmm Patty and @beebo I find this a very interesting topic, and one I hadn't considered completely. Since getting my first driver's license in [ahem!] 1969 there has always been a donor sticker. Over the course of the years various health concerns have found me but I never really considered how they might affect donation of blood or solid organs!

From Health Resources and Service Administration, here is a link to follow: https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/who-can-donate

From the National Institute on Health: https://www.cc.nih.gov/bloodbank/can-i-donate
Ginger

Thanks for sharing this Ginger.
My PV diagnosis was made the same year that I retired. When I was working, we had blood drives at least twice a year and I always participated. I’m sure that I had this condition long before my diagnosis.
I never heard anything from them that they detected anything unusual about my blood. So I wonder if they were in fact using it even with the unusual blood count numbers.

For years, I donated blood every 6 weeks.

Then one August, I learned I had a high platelet count.

I was scheduled to donate blood that September.

I called to ask the Red Cross if high platelets made me ineligible to donate. I was asked if I had a diagnosis.

When I said no, they told me it was fine to donate.

But after being diagnosed by an oncologist in October, I was told by the Red Cross that I could never donate again.

To me this suggests how badly blood is needed.

But until our cancers are better understood, ruling out any chance our blood or organs might do harm, donation is something we must not do.

@janemc that’s exactly what my doctor friends told me. I’m going to ask more questions though to see exactly how those dots get connected since I don’t have an infectious disease.

For years, I donated blood every 6 weeks.

Then one August, I learned I had a high platelet count.

I was scheduled to donate blood that September.

I called to ask the Red Cross if high platelets made me ineligible to donate. I was asked if I had a diagnosis.

When I said no, they told me it was fine to donate.

But after being diagnosed by an oncologist in October, I was told by the Red Cross that I could never donate again.

To me this suggests how badly blood is needed.

But until our cancers are better understood, ruling out any chance our blood or organs might do harm, donation is something we must not do.

I was diagnosed with Polycythemia Vera 3 years ago. My treatment included regular phlebotomies every couple of weeks during the first 6 or 8 months. It also included medication- (hydroxyurea) - which seemed to stabilize my blood count numbers to where I no longer needed phlebotomy visits . But I’m told that this condition makes me ineligible to donate blood. It really bothered me to watch that bag full of my extracted blood get tossed in the waste bin.
Any idea of any organizations that might have a use for that blood given my condition? Thanks

You have a disease and will always have PV, regardless of your numbers. If you were to donate your blood, there is a good chance you would give someone PV. Would you really be happy to know that?

If they tell you that you cannot donate your blood, they tell you that for a good reason.

While it's nice to want to donate blood and your heart is in the right place, you have to think about what your blood would do to another human being. I don't think you would want that on your conscience.