Re: Red Cross Blood Donation and Lyme disease

[Guest guest]

Robynn wrote:

If this is a chronic condition you cannot donate.

If you were treated with antibiotics and completely

recovered, you can donate 12 months after the

last dose of antiobiotics was taken.

Hi All,

As I have mentioned here before, I have never been

acutely sick with Lyme; so I have never gone into

remission. Naturally I have been very interested in

whether or not years of heavy antibiotic treatment

have cured me. THEY HAVE NOT! All I can hope for

is that the disease has slowed its attack on my

organs. Like Reagan, I've have always been

an outdoor person; I do not want to share his

horrible fate.

In the summer of 2000, shortly after starting antibiotics,

I was called by the local Red Cross to donate blood.

I had been a long-time donor; and they needed O+, my type.

I told the nurse that I had Lyme disease. She asked me

if I had received 3 weeks of antibiotics. I said yes.

She said I was cured and should donate immediately.

As all of you know, the presence of antibodies does

not prove that one has a disease, because the antibodies

remain even after a " cure " . I have never been vaccinated

for tuberculosis because I don't want a positive tuberculin

test. So, medical personnel can declare you " cured "

after 3 weeks of antibiotics. The only rebuttal is a

direct test result for the spirochete. According to

the Bowen RIBb test, I'm loaded.

How is it possible for me to be crawling with Lyme

spirochetes and not be sick? After long study,

it may be that I have the Lyme equivalent of malaria

tolerance. Some people can be loaded with

malaria parasites and not get blackwater fever. Acute

symptoms, which can kill us in a hurry, are usually

the result of the body's reaction to an infection.

It actually takes a long time for a parasite to eat

us alive; and something as clever as the Lyme spirochete

may have learned how to hide in most people without

elicitng an acute reaction.

I think that anyone who has been diagnosed with Lyme

has a moral obligation to have the RIBb test or some

other direct tissue staining test before they donate

blood or organs.

Jack

[Guest guest]

> If this is a chronic condition you cannot donate. If you were treated with

> antibiotics and completely recovered, you can donate 12 months after the

> last dose of antiobiotics was taken.

Ahhhhhh shades of grey, don't ya love it? LOL So then if the person

'thought' their fatigue was no longer Lyme but CFS, or their remaining aches

were dxed as FMS Guess the Red Cross isn't worried about those

people with latent Lyme. Same goes for donating organs. Near as I can tell

it is up to ourselves to do self policing and always consider what we would

want should the roles be reversed. Or better yet, would I want my

spouse/child to get this blood/organ?

[Guest guest]

Hi Pepi

Its Bev from Michigan and wondered how you were. Welcome back. Its spring

here and weather good enough to ride my morgan horse but my fatigue is keeping

me down.

As ever, Bev

[Guest guest]

> Its Bev from Michigan and wondered how you were. Welcome back.

Hi Bev, been fine *-) Lost my ol man (Indy, Quarter horse)

suddenly last sept 11th, the day , btw, that I had my barn delivered, talk

about timing. We had just begun riding again too. I haven't been able to

ride yet, never thought I could hurt so bad. Mares even went through a good

grieving, lost weight and guarded the horse trailer just knowing he was

inside. Hubby and Farrier are teaming up trying to get me to buy another

horse, just cant do it. Even had to cancel one that was to come here for

training, it is Kin to Indy , all his bro's/sis's are nearly identical, red

dun, star/snip and 2/3 socks. I am such a baby LOL Enough bout me, cant

wait to get back to chats, sure miss everyone! You included LOL

[Guest guest]

Pepi,

I have Call America now and can call you at no charge. Give me you phone #

and we'll chat some time.

Bev

PS I lost my beautiful morgan gelding 2 months ago that I had treated for

lyme disease and haven't recovered yet. Can't go to the barn with out getting

badly depressed. He always took care of me on the trail when my neuro symptoms

were bad