DO'S AND DONT'S FOR A PLATELET DONATION

Minimum requirements to qualify:
This may change from time to time
* Weight should be at least 60 kgs ( as against 45 kg in whole blood donation)
* Hb count between 13 and 15 ( same for blood donation)
* Should have normal platelet count ( 2 to 5 lakh/dl)
* should not be under medication especially blood thinning ones like aspirin etc.
* should not have donated whole blood in the past 3 months.
* rest of the conditions similar to that of blood donation
* platelet donation campaigns can't be organised for the reason of low shelf life.
* not all blood banks are equipped with platelet pheresis machines.
Some key factors about platelet are
* fresh platelets cannot be stored for more than 4 days
* As the shelf life is so low, there will always be demand for platelets
* in chronic bleeding cases, requriement will be huge
* in dengue season, platelet which is one of the vital life saver, the shortage of which kills many needy patients.
* a donor can donate platelets once in every fortnight. He cannot donate whole blood though for the next three months.
* it is advised to carry some books or mp3 players as you are lying in bed for close to 1.5 hours.
* THOUGH THIS INFORMATION IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE IT GIVES U THE BASICS.
For a list of donors and other info contact the links below
www.lionsbloodline.com
www.bloodbook.com
www.redcross.org
Still feel in doubt contact me on email      kvca65@gmail.com
or mobile      9448872651            or 080 23432464

Prices of Onions and Tomatoes

you might have just noticed that the name onion and tomato brings tear to the eyes of common man. No I am saying cutting onion makes you cry. no thinking about it makes you cry. people will now add the legend that probably onion is the only vegetable which makes people cry not only in its raw physical form but metaphysical form as well. worst part of the whole episode is, production of onion has actually gone up and not down as the jokers in the ministry suggested. its a pity nobody, punishes hoarders. well, sharad bhai is too busy to attend to chunnu issues like onion jacking up to 80Rs a kilo etc. He is busy organising the world cricket. noble man!!! sad part in this whole episode is neither the grower nor the consumer are happy!! only the middlemen or shall I call them sharadbhai's cronies who are the beneficiaries of this whole game. next time around, you will have virtual onion salads on your plate. you can savour virtually and cry !!!

Minor complications which may deter a neo-donor during blood/platelet donations

Well, its been a long time since my last blog. To continue with the platelet donation process also called platelet pheresis...

  Please remember not all donors can give platelets. The donor suitability is checked for platelet count and other blood parameters, the suitability of vein for the donation and general health conditions. So, please dont feel disappointed if you are turned back from a donation temporarily. You may re-coup the parameters in normal course and try again after say a month. Now, consider you are found eligible also for platelet donation. Please ensure that you have at least 2 hours spare time for the completion of donation (approx). Unlike normal blood donation, platelet pheresis takes about 90-110 minutes for donation and 30 minute for prel checks.

   If all goes well, no issue. But there may be a likely hood of machine malfunctioning. In that case, the worst that happens is the operator switches off the machine. collects whatever has been donated and thats the end of the story. Some times, they may try to restart the machine, ask to press vigorosly the ball in hand etc. which may not help the machine any end. so, that extra blood pumped out after the restart will go as hysteris waste. it s neither processed nor returned back to the donor. (this incidnentally happened to me during oct 25th 2010 platelet donation at MSR hospital, unfortunately, the technician was not competent to tell me about what had happened. And MSR hospital never bothered to reply to my e-mail query)

  And dont be discouraged by such minor hiccups, because this has happened only first time in my 37 blood donations(platelets included) so far. Still, it is always good to know what to expect. If you have any doubt, ask the attending doctor to explain exactly what had happened.