Questions about giving blood before surgery and getting blood after surgery

[kdlee 0]

Did any of you give your own blood before surgery in case it was needed for transfusion for any post-op complications? Also, did any of you have to get blood transfused after surgery? Just wondering....

[LundyLane 0]

Did not give blood before surgery and did not need a transfusion after surgery. Honestly, I never even thought about it.

Good Luck to YOU!

[kdlee 0]

Did not give blood before surgery and did not need a transfusion after surgery. Honestly, I never even thought about it.

Good Luck to YOU!

Thanks. I guess it's the nurse coming out in me. :tongue: I know the complication risk is low and I was just wondering how many people have encountered this.

[LundyLane 0]

But.........I did fill out a living will and a power of attorney. Hospital offered it for free on the day of surgery!

[vballmom 0]

kdlee: No blood taken before surgery and no blood given at surgery. No complications at all. I have lost 60 pounds since New Years. Best wishes

[Froggi 4]

Hmm. When I had my gallbladder and other surgeries they took blood incase I had probs. I guess Kaplan isn't worried about it. lol

[EricaLyn 0]

No blood taken before surgery and none needed after surgery. They did do blood tests and took some samples, but that was it.

I don't even know my blood type. I asked my PCP once if I could get my blood type and she said, "No, that's not necessary. No sense in paying for a test for something you don't need to know about."

HUH?

[kdlee 0]

Hmm. When I had my gallbladder and other surgeries they took blood incase I had probs. I guess Kaplan isn't worried about it. lol

Jeannie said I could donate some blood if I wanted, but she seems really hesitant about asking Kaplan about it. She doesn't seem worried about the need for it, either.

[kdlee 0]

kdlee: No blood taken before surgery and no blood given at surgery. No complications at all. I have lost 60 pounds since New Years. Best wishes

Good job!

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I've got a little bit of time before surgery to think about this and decide.

[Froggi 4]

I bleed a lot i dunno if thats why i donated blood, I dunno what Jeannie will want me to do...will have to ask sometime. lol

[kdlee 0]

I bleed a lot i dunno if thats why i donated blood, I dunno what Jeannie will want me to do...will have to ask sometime. lol

She didn't offer it to me. I brought it up to her.

[Froggi 4]

ah either way ill bring it up sometime lol

[beanerbelle 0]

I didn't give my own blood prior to surgery, but wish I had. Thankfully I didn't need a transfusion but came very close to needing one. The doctor scrapped my spleen with an instrument and therefore I lost a lot of blood. Post-op my blood counts were monitored closely.

[kdlee 0]

I didn't give my own blood prior to surgery, but wish I had. Thankfully I didn't need a transfusion but came very close to needing one. The doctor scrapped my spleen with an instrument and therefore I lost a lot of blood. Post-op my blood counts were monitored closely.

Something like that is what I'm afraid of! The nurse practitioner keeps reinforcing that complications are rare. However, this is a surgery and things can happen. I think I am going to go ahead and check into the self-donation. Thanks for the input.