Question:
Blood Transfusion Question

I don't usually take blood transfusions; however I decided to try blood products or banking my own blood. Has anyone else tried this? If so how did it turn out for you and what other alternatives to blood transfusions have you tried? What kind of questions shall I ask in regards to blood transfusion alternatives?    — Papoose79 (posted on August 28, 2009)

August 28, 2009
Most people don't need transfusions. You actually bleed very little during the surgery. If need be, the doctors will be able to supply you with blood. Also if need be, I would ask your surgeon. Good luck :)
   — Nina15137

August 28, 2009
Unless something were to go super duper EXTREMELY wrong, you aren't going to even begin to need a transfusion for either the bypass or the lap band surgery.
   — PaulaJ

August 28, 2009
I had a bleed after my RNY--wound up with 3 units of blood and 2 of plasma. At the time, I didn't care about anything and didn't worry about the blood. After my body started coming around, I did joke with my physician that I wanted to get off my high BP medication, but not this way. It also took me a lot longer time to get energy back.
   — MKPstamps

August 29, 2009
I too had to have two units of blood. Dr. said I was anemic and there is a small amount of blood loss which caused me to have really low heart rate thus needed the units to boost up my blood count and all. After that, I felt great! In 99% of surgeries, you will not never blood but it never hurts to have one unit available.
   — Kathy Thomas

August 30, 2009
As previously stated, most likely you wouldn't need a blood transfusion. But, if you are interesting in it then you would first have to get a consent form from your bariatric surgeon's office (that they have received from the hospital you are having surgery at, the hospital's blood bank department can fax it to them). Their are two types of blood banking: autologous (which is what you are speaking of, you own/self donated blood) or donor directed (could be donated for you by a family member or friend). The autologous is not screened for anything, since it is only by you and for you. The donor directed is of course screened after the donor gives it. If you are of child-bearing age or still able to get pregnant you can not have a sexual partner donate blood for you because you will naturally reject any further pregnancies. After you receive and sign the consent form at your doctor's office, you go to the blood bank department at your hospital for the surgery to have the blood donated. It has to be within 30 days of surgery, they only store it for 30 days, I believe. I was pursuing the autologous blood donation route but after several phone calls and persistence that this was what I wanted to do, I gave up out of frustration once I was at the blood bank department and noted that the office signed/checked-off the wrong type of blood donation, i.e. not autologous but donor directed. After it was all over with, I was glad I didn't do it because I didn't need it and some insurances may not pay for it, either. You would also have to check with your insurance to verify they covered autlogous blood banking. My insurance company wanted me to find the billing code for it, too...
   — Rachel S.

September 3, 2009
I had RNY 3/2004. My SX began at 6:30 am Friday, I started feeling REALLY-REALLY bad and weak about 1:00 am Saturday. I had been passing blood (which Dr. said was normal due to being cut on internally); but this continued and continued and by 6:30 am Saturday 5 1/2 hours later I could not even hold my head up and walk to the bathroom I was so weak. Finally, the nurse called my Dr. who ordered a scan in nuclear medicine to see if I in fact had a leak. Turns out that I did have a minute leak. I was put in ICU (2 days) and given 2 units of blood. My Dr. told me hopefully the leak would heal on it's on, otherwise it was so minute that he would have to go back in invasively in order to find it. Praise God it healed on it's own. I have NEVER felt so bad in my entire life. That is the only complication that I experienced. My advice to you would be to have your parents donate blood, just in case. ( I was told by my Dr. that he had never had to give blood to anyone and he had done well over 1000+ surgeries - I had to be the lucky one).....So, I have no idea whose blood I received, hopefully it was tested properly. But that is my advice to you. Good luck
   — Donna C.