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Blood Type - Do You Know Yours?

uptheos

By uptheos
in Chiang Mai

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uptheos Star Member

uptheos

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I know my blood type and I carry a small card in my wallet giving the info.However, I know a few people who have no idea of theirs and neither do they carry their blood type in their wallet. Maybe passport copies, pictures of g/f and old Tesco receipts, but nothing to indicate their blood type.

Although I know mine, I have never bothered to ask around hospitals, to ascertain the availability. Mine is fairly common, so I just assumed that if ever I needed a life saving transfusion it would be available, but it's really a wrong assumption to make, I should be doing the leg work to find out where and what is stocked.

Of course, there are people with much rarer blood types and I wonder if they too have any idea of where they could obtain blood if needed? Maybe in Bangkok and some other cities it might not be a huge problem, but how does someone living in a rural area get access to their blood type in an emergency?

In an ideal world a forum such as this, with members listing their blood types and willingness to be contacted in an emergency would be great, it's just a thought.

In the meantime I'm going to make enquiries.......are you?

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mamborobert Silver Member

mamborobert

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O positive (o being most common blood group) here so nearly universal donor (O negative being universal) but can only receive O positive or negative myself.

In Oz I used to donate blood every few months then maybe ten years ago they called me to give plasma only as I have a high platelet count (so blood clots easier and do not general bleed for long unless major laceration). Could give plasma every six weeks (take out of one arm goes through machine to extract plasma and then blood back into other arm). Plasma with high clotting agent was apparently very valuable for scheduled operations (organ transfers and the like) rather than traumatic blood loss through accidents. Not sure if they have any such machine in CM.

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Tywais Star Member

Tywais

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I got diagnosed as blood group O Pos when I got spat out of the soldier factory. I have it tattooed on the inside of my forearm. The military didn't pick up the tab for the tattoo unfortunately. ph34r.png

Sometime back with one of the donor requests I had dug out my DD214 (military discharge card) to check and it was also O Pos. Unfortunately, believe my blood is too old for them now.

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uptheos Star Member

uptheos

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No I don't, but I recall that it's the very unusual one here in Thailand. sad.png

Can I donate blood for personal use (in case of an accident) as I know my blood type is rare here?

I think it only keeps for about three months, doesn't it?

About that, but you can notify a hospital or centre, that you are available to give blood if required to save a life/

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Mestizo Silver Member

Mestizo

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>> In an ideal world a forum such as this, with members listing their blood types and willingness to be contacted in an emergency would be great, it's just a thought.

There actually is one on Facebook called "EX-pats in Chiang Mai, Blood Type". However the group is marked as secret and is unfortunately invite only.

-Mestizo

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hellodolly Star Member

hellodolly

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Am type O neg.

Having kids and not knowing the blood types of both parents can cause a lot of problems at birth.

I used to give I think it was every 58 days. That was back in Canada. Now they won't take it because of my age. I imagine they would in a emergency.

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tebee Silver Member

tebee

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I don't know about Thai culture, but in Chinese culture the blood type is very important. My Thai/Chinese wife would not get married before she knew my blood group.

As it happens I conveniently fell down the stairs, landing on my head, a month before we got married. ( no I was't drunk or pushed) Amongst the tests the hospital ran was one which gave my blood group.

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Dean1953 Advanced Member

Dean1953

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B+ Over the last 40 years, I've given over 8 gallons of blood, so hopefully, at least in the States, getting a transfusion won't be a problem (both from the stand point of amount given and availability). I gave once in Bangkok and prefer the way it is done in Thailand over the U.S.

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amexpat Gold Member

amexpat

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I've noticed on some Japanese girly sites where they post a picture and her "vital statistics", blood type is included.

Another observation: I believe western hospitals would never take your word or tattoo or anything except their own blood test before giving you blood.

May be different in LOS where doctors often ask what treatment you want for your problems.

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Thighlander Platinum Member

Thighlander

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The main CNX Red Cross office is on Rachapakanai, towards the Northeast corner of the Old City. They take donation 6 days a week, and also set up mobile blood donor stations.

You get a permanent donor card on your third donation. They keep good records, but it will take them a few minutes with your passport. Clean and efficient. I think the tattoos would be a stumbling block for many. Free HIV/Hep C test results are given, also.

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vagabond48 Gold Member

vagabond48

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Posted (edited)

I don't know about Thai culture, but in Chinese culture the blood type is very important. My Thai/Chinese wife would not get married before she knew my blood group.

Interesting. My wife was born and raised in China and she is not aware of such a cultural tradition. Edited by vagabond48
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eyecatcher Platinum Member

eyecatcher

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I dont know/can't remember mine; ashamedly....

But in September I was paranoid about having dengue fever never having had any illness whatsoever in my life; so i was "pushed" into going for a blood test at the Lanna Hosp.

Within 30 minutes I was given a full page of results.

it tells me my haeamglobin count, leucacytes, plasma levels,,lymphocites, wbc count,platelet count, monocytes, mcv,mchc, neutrophils, %, cells.................the lot..............

BUT NOT A HINT OF THE BLOOD GROUP?...........is it a new test altogether or what?

happy to say the doctor said, my white blood cells count was within normal levels.....and his advice take a few paracetamols until the fever passes.

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rene123 Gold Member

rene123

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Mine is O negative which is supposed to be the universal doner. I'm always being asked to donate blood. Occasionally oblige, but I was given a scare back in the AIDS days when the hospitals were not so careful with where their blood came from.

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circusman Silver Member

circusman

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Here I go against the grain. I worked in hospital labs while going to college and have had many experiences as a patient in my 70 years on the planet. I still don't know my blood type. What good would it do me? No kids expected and if you have a bleeding wound the hospital is going to type your blood. They aren't going to take your word for it nor the tatoo on your arm.

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qdinthailand Silver Member

qdinthailand

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Your blood type really doesn't matter, from the standpoint that no hospital will give you blood unless they do a type and crossmatch with available blood.

It's really simple for a hospital blood bank to do a quick type check on your blood. A, B, AB, or O, RH pos or neg.

However, there's a lot of other blood factors that a blood bank will screen for (hence, the crossmatch). Not every O+ blood is identical to all other O+ or O- blood. So they do a more refined match than your basic blood type, get the best possible match for those other factors.

Ambulances (or medics in the field) do not carry blood. They'll slap a needle in your arm and feed you essentially water to keep your fluid level up, keep the heart pumping out on the highway or battlefield or whatever until they can get you to the hospital to do the type and crossmatch work.

Maybe in WW2 (especially in the movies) they might take someone's A+ blood and transfuse into another A+ patient in a 'quick and dirty' fashion, but this was only in extreme situations, to save the patient's life with no way to do a proper type and crossmatch. Today's modern medicine just doesn't work that way.

(circusman must have been posting while I was typing - same same)

Edited by qdinthailand
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MAJIC Ruby Member

MAJIC

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am A Positive, but unable to give blood as I was in the UK at the time of Mad Cow's Disease and the Thai authorities will not let anyone who was in the UK at that time donate blood.

How ridiculous! there was more to worry about from Asian Bird Flu.

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