One thing I find totally cool here on board is the crew is literally the walking blood bank.
We do not have the facilities to house an on board blood bank, nor do we really have the need for that much blood. We don't deal with mass trauma cases like a regular hospital. But occasionally there are patients, especially those with large tumors with alot of blood vessel involvement, that need a blood transfusion.
So where do the doctors get it? From our crew! Crew members can fill out a form to sign up to be a blood donor. They test it to make sure it is okay and then we go on the list. They cross-match every patient with a potential blood donor that matches them. We donate whole blood, so it is always type-specific (Not just O-Negative!) Then, on the day you have been cross matched with a patient, they notify you and tell you to stay on the ship that day and drink lots of water. I have been matched twice but they haven't actually needed blood so I haven't yet given. I hope I can before we leave!!
If there is a surprise need for blood they will announce over the ship-wide intercom, something along the lines of "Type A+ blood donors needed in the lab immediately" and anyone who has been screened to be a donor and hasn't given in the last two months can go down to the lab to try to help fill the need.
I really hope I have the opportunity to donate while here. I donated blood almost as often as possible before moving to Africa, but now that I have lived here I am ineligible for most blood center donations for quite a long time. Years, if my memory serves me correctly, or maybe I'm not eligible at all ever again. I can't remember.
Anyway, I worked the last three days so don't have any fun stories to tell, thought that might be interesting to some of you! Now I'm starting my easy work week, so we'll see what kinds of adventures will find me this week!
Peace, Krissy
Update: because I was curious, I looked it up. Apparently, there used to be a rule that if you traveled to sub-saharan Africa at all you were forever ineligible to donate blood for the risk of AIDS and Malaria. Now, they've gotten smarter about both of those diseases and from what I can tell you are only deferred for a year after travel, or three years if you get malaria. Now you know!
We do not have the facilities to house an on board blood bank, nor do we really have the need for that much blood. We don't deal with mass trauma cases like a regular hospital. But occasionally there are patients, especially those with large tumors with alot of blood vessel involvement, that need a blood transfusion.
So where do the doctors get it? From our crew! Crew members can fill out a form to sign up to be a blood donor. They test it to make sure it is okay and then we go on the list. They cross-match every patient with a potential blood donor that matches them. We donate whole blood, so it is always type-specific (Not just O-Negative!) Then, on the day you have been cross matched with a patient, they notify you and tell you to stay on the ship that day and drink lots of water. I have been matched twice but they haven't actually needed blood so I haven't yet given. I hope I can before we leave!!
If there is a surprise need for blood they will announce over the ship-wide intercom, something along the lines of "Type A+ blood donors needed in the lab immediately" and anyone who has been screened to be a donor and hasn't given in the last two months can go down to the lab to try to help fill the need.
I really hope I have the opportunity to donate while here. I donated blood almost as often as possible before moving to Africa, but now that I have lived here I am ineligible for most blood center donations for quite a long time. Years, if my memory serves me correctly, or maybe I'm not eligible at all ever again. I can't remember.
Anyway, I worked the last three days so don't have any fun stories to tell, thought that might be interesting to some of you! Now I'm starting my easy work week, so we'll see what kinds of adventures will find me this week!
Peace, Krissy
Update: because I was curious, I looked it up. Apparently, there used to be a rule that if you traveled to sub-saharan Africa at all you were forever ineligible to donate blood for the risk of AIDS and Malaria. Now, they've gotten smarter about both of those diseases and from what I can tell you are only deferred for a year after travel, or three years if you get malaria. Now you know!
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