Blood Transfusions

[tina3747]

This may come off as being extremely rude but I just don't understand how someone could put faith/religion ahead of their child's life. The mind boggles.

Agree completely with this, and as others have said, cannot see the point of this thread at all, seems likely its yet another thread someone starts to stir the pot, where pp then goes quiet and sits back and hopes for a reaction

Hello fellow leicester gal!!!

 

[littlebabyj]

This may come off as being extremely rude but I just don't understand how someone could put faith/religion ahead of their child's life. The mind boggles.

Agree completely with this, and as others have said, cannot see the point of this thread at all, seems likely its yet another thread someone starts to stir the pot, where pp then goes quiet and sits back and hopes for a reaction

Hello fellow leicester gal!!!

 

[bumpycat]

Agree this is an odd post for Baby Club.

I had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy (didn't know I was pregnant) and required 4 units of blood. I would have died without it. How could you possibly plan for that? Because of the transfusion, my husband still has a wife, and now a son.

 

[Springflower]

Honestly when you are in the situation there just isn't time. Both my babies needed them. Sadly one of my little girls didn't make it, but my other little girl did.

There isn't time to ask for a substitute. It's terrifying. The drs are running around trying to save the child. You dont have time, it was fir us a snap desision. You have to make your mind up there and then with the drs standing in front of you.

I get why you are saying what you are and. I hope you are never in that situation.

I know I haven't worded this well. I can't say what I want to but hopefully you get the jist. Basically dont make you mind up you never know what the future holds.

 

[MrsPear]

Transfusions can and do save lives, and I personally would accept them for myself or Joni, but I do understand your post in as much as they are a last resort. I was offered a blood transfusion after having Joni as I lost a lot of blood and my iron was very low and I was symptomatic e.g. pulse was 140+. However, I knew that I could have a slower recovery if I accepted other fluids and took iron tablets. It did mean I felt quite ill for a while after coming home, but I do know a lot about blood transfusions/losing blood etc and I knew that it was not life threatening in my situation. Therefore, I preferred not to take blood as it does carry risks. So I don't think there is any harm in researching alternatives. BUT had the situation been life threatening, yes, I would not have hesitated to accept a blood transfusion.

 

[Springflower]

If you read her post carefully she did state several alternatives

Trust me sometimes there aren't alternatives. You take the transfusion or you lose the person you love.

 

[baby_mama87]

I agree with pp that in some situations there literally jsnt time to seek an alternative. If someone in my family was in a medical emergency and needed blood damn right i would agree to it and hope they would do the same for me. Having said that I lost over a litre after ds my count went from 11 to 7 and they told me I would be very ill without a transfusion however I declined and took the iron. I was quiet ill for a few weeks afterwards and looking after ds whilst feeling like a walking corpse was very difficult I even stopped breastfeeding because I felt so poorly and weak and always wonder would I have felt differently had I taken the transfusion? Until someone is in a life or death situation I don't think they can preach about other options available.

 

[RKW]

In the uk at least JW knock on doors to again new followers and spread the word of their faith, I guess that is what is being done online here.
In the uk I am sure that the alternatives to blood transfusion are not readily available. I don't like the idea of a transfusion but I'd certainly have one if I need it! I also believe children here will be given blood transfusions to save their lives regardless of their parents wishes. Doctors here can give treatment if it is lifesaving without parents consent.

 

[MikaylasMummy]

Ok those alternatives aren't alternatives at all!!you are basically saying the need for blood could be eradicated by surgeons being more careful!i can pretty much guarantee that a majority of people who need transfusions are accident victims and like me,haemorrhage after a NATURAL birth,completely unexpected.i was very very ill afterwards and although I probably would have survived without it if it took longer to stop the bleeding I certainly would.i lost 2 litres with all hands on deck trying to stop it and was a stones throw away from a crash hysterectomy.would there be a way out of a transfusion then?

 

[Eternal]

Anyway, I 100% disagree and would be never let my child die from something simple as refusing a blood transfusion. Of course there are risks, there are risks to anti biotics but you wouldn't let yourself die from refusing those, would you?

Alternatives and expensive and time consuming, in most cases where blood is required immuniatley you would be dead.

The risks associated are low, the main aspect being the fact that at one point people were infected by HIV because it wasn't tested and we don't know what else could be passed on through the blood that we don't know about, which is silly, if we don't know about it you may already carry it.

JWs belief, from what I understand, is about distroying/ contaminating their lineage, I think although they may highlight risks of blood transfusions the main reason for not accepting blood is that. But I'm not 100% on that.

If my child was bleeding to death in a&e and needed a blood transfusion to save him I wouldn't hesitate, even of risks were high, because I would rather them be alive, we can deal with possible complications if they arise, but at least I would have given my child a chance.

 

[Eternal]

Ok those alternatives aren't alternatives at all!!you are basically saying the need for blood could be eradicated by surgeons being more careful!i can pretty much guarantee that a majority of people who need transfusions are accident victims and like me,haemorrhage after a NATURAL birth,completely unexpected.i was very very ill afterwards and although I probably would have survived without it if it took longer to stop the bleeding I certainly would.i lost 2 litres with all hands on deck trying to stop it and was a stones throw away from a crash hysterectomy.would there be a way out of a transfusion then?

Even in surgical cases there will always be a need, even the best surgeons sometimes cause more bleeding than expected, no ones anatamony is the same, and some surgeries there is a expected blood loss. Of course in planned surgeries alternatives can be considered but still reality is people will still die of they don't receive blood.

As I nurse I have seen two cases, one in a&e, refused and died, I was just a student observing so not overly involved and another who was slowly dying, surgery was foo risky since they refused blood, I can't remember all the ins and outs, I may have been a student then, it was a long time ago, but I remember thinking how sad.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Nope sorry. I disagree. How can you make the choice not to save your child's life? It baffles me!

Alex will need a pacemaker operation one day. If something happens and he needs a transfusion, the doctor won't even need to ask!

 

[xsadiex]

Shame the OP hasn't replied yet, I'm really interested in hearing the alternatives to having a transfusion when you've lost a large amount of blood. I thought it was the only option... Unless you die? I'm baffled!

 

[kerrie24]

I dont know if there was a question in this post or if you were just saying,but I would take blood if it would save mine or my childrens life.I give blood too,and will encourage my kids to do so when they are old enough.

 

[kerrie24]

Actually,looking at the op,she states she commented on an earlier post but as she only has one post(this one) it seems she lied and the sole purpose of this was to get a response and then not come back to explain herself.

 

[libbylou]

JWs belief, from what I understand, is about distroying/ contaminating their lineage, I think although they may highlight risks of blood transfusions the main reason for not accepting blood is that. But I'm not 100% on that.

I know their scriptures say taking of blood is not ok, but apparently even banking your own blood (thus not contaminating the linegage) is not ok. But taking platelets and parts of the blood from others are ok?
I'm genuinely curious as to where exactly the thought process is that some parts of the blood are ok, but others aren't or that it's not ok to bank your own blood.

 

[going_crazy]

Just my view.....

My daughter had a pint of donated blood to fill the cardiopulmonary bypass machine prior to her open heart surgery, and following that, she had to have another pint of blood plus 3 bags of platelets.

Why on this earth would I sit back and say "hold on, let me think about the alternatives"?????

I give blood regularly, and my OH donates platelets regularly and I cannot and probably will not ever understand how someone can turn down something that is life saving

Seriously thinking this is just a random post with no real meaning.

Each to their own though I suppose

 

[Tasha]

In Feb 2009 I was feeling extremely ill, I couldnt walk more than a few steps without sitting down to rest, if I didnt then I fainted. I went to the doctors and he said I look extremely anaemic and took blood. Tht night the emergency doctors turned up at my house because they were scared I would of died. My hb was 3.2. The next morning I was placed in resus because in twelve hours my hb had dropped to 2.6, the doctors thought there was an internal bleed and couldnt believe my hb be so low, the traces of my heart showed I was close to heart failure, the scans showed my organs were shutting down.

It was terrifying. Sitting in a room with trolley's full of things in case I crashed. I cried so hard that I was never going to see my babies again because my veins were closing up and it was difficult to get a line in, would of been even harder had the emergency become even more intense.

I could of gone with fluids and iron, but then I might not be here now because my body did not have the time to wait for those things to work.

I am thankful every single day for the blood I had (seven units then and a further six later). For me the risk of not havin it, far outweighed the risk of infection.

 

[Sarahkka]

I am so so grateful to have read so many posts of personal testimonies and sound scientific reasoning in response to this ridiculous piece of religious propaganda masquerading as a post. And thank you to the mods for placing this in debates so as not to give any credence to such nonsense as a piece of medical advice. I know most BnB users are capable of good critical thinking and would take this as it appears, but it always scares me that some very young, new member might happen across such a thing and make silly decisions because it might sound convincing.

 

[vaniilla]

I think religious views or not aside I don't think legally anybody should have rights over somebody else's body - least of all a minor unless they've died where there is no will and the next of kin have to decide, When you step into a hospital legally unless you are an adult you shouldn't get to decide on life threatening choices like this as people need to be protected from medicine, law and religion mixing.

Doctors take the Hippocratic oath - allowing this practice is not medically ethical imo, if somebody refuses blood for their child and that child then dies from blood loss that person should be charged with manslaughter imo.