Poll: organ donation.

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Davey Woo

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Jan 9, 2009
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No. But that is simply because I'm not old enough to have a valid opinion on it yet.
As soon as I turn 18 I'll sign myself up as a donor, anything I can do to help further someone else's life is worth doing.
 

JanatUrlich

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Apr 24, 2009
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Of course I am!!! What use do I have for my organs when I die?? I wanna be cremated and it'd be such a fucking waste if someone else died because I was a stupid, selfish *****.

I've signed the form and I'm obviously letting them have whatever they need.
 

traceur_

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Feb 19, 2009
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Nope, not gonna be one either. These things are mine, so you can keep your fuckin hands off them.
 

Straz

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Jan 10, 2010
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Souplex said:
Demented Teddy said:
Disaster Button said:
Yep. I plan to be a blood donor too.

While we're talking about it, sort of, does anyone know why gay people can't donate blood? And does anyone know if it applies to bisexual people?
I think it's something to do with the fact anal sex increases the chance of transmitting AIDS.....I think.....
It's not that it has an increased chance of transmission, it is that a larger percentage of the gay community carries STDs than the straight community.
Hm yeah.
I think the HIV virus was for quite some time exclusive to the gay community.
However, I think straight people are pretty much just as likely to get infected by STDs as gay people nowadays.
 

Abedeus

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Sep 14, 2008
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Semitendon said:
Abedeus said:
We lack the 3rd option:

After I die.

I'm not giving away my flesh while I'm alive, and I probably can't anyway since I can't donate blood, marrow or plasma (allergy + blood pressure meds make my blood unclean, and the risk of giving my marrow to someone else is too great, considering that marrow is basically the thing that makes our immune system work - I wouldn't give anyone but a sworn enemy my allergy).

But hey, I won't miss my hammer-pounding heart or clean liver after I'm dead. It's also good in case I have a clinical death and wake up after few hours in a coffin.
I don't know the exact nature of your condition, or exactly why you can't donate blood or plasma, but, it is highly unlikely that an allergy ( allergy's are very, very common) or blood pressure meds ( also very common, as many people suffer from hypertension) would affect your suitability as an organ donor.
Well, I asked my doctor about it, since I could technically donate blood as soon as in three months. But I just take too many meds, plus thanks to my asthma there's no way of saying how I would react after losing so much blood. I told her that I haven't had an attack since I was 7, but that doesn't matter - they can't take that risk. Although I'm pretty sure there are those forms that make me responsible for anything that might happen.

But I take 50 mg of Losartan a day. Body processes it for 6 to 8 hours, lasts twice more after that. So if anyone suffers from any of the conditions that might make taking that drug ill-advised... that alone makes my blood significantly less useful.

Still, while it does make me a poor choice for blood donation, I can still be a donator, as long as my awesome blood type 0+ is viable.
 

TotallyFake

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Guttural Engagement said:
I'm not an organ donor; and don't plan to ever become one. I would like to keep my organ's inside me; even after death. If someone is going to die; they're going to die - I see taking some dead persons organ's and putting them in a live person so they can keep living (for a while? or a few years?) as a defilement to nature and the natural order.

I see it as; if your dying because one of your organs crapped out - then your dying and your going to die. It's your time; accept it - and die in peace.

Although, if someone I care about very much needed an organ donor; and I could provide them the organ they needed to keep living - I would most likely do it.

But for a stranger? No, definitely not.
What about antibiotics? If you're dying because of an infection, well that's your immune system crapping out, to treat you would be to defile the natural order.

Seriously, appeal to nature is the worst argument imaginable.
 

Rednog

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Nov 3, 2008
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Semitendon said:
Rednog said:
No, I am not.
The first reason is that I have a genetic kidney disease which causes hypertension. I've pretty much lived with it my entirely life and I'm sure my organs have taken a beating from it and would be fairly useless. Also, I will point out that while I do sound like a complete dick below, I have tried to donate blood and was denied.
But if my organs were fine, I would not be one. Being a med student and having talked to various doctors and having the subject come up. There are various doctors who will check whether or not a person is an organ donor and will be less likely to undergo a risky or a low chance surgery/ set of actions to help a person if they are an organ donor. Instead they will go for transplanting the organs. Maybe I sound like a greedy twat, but if I ever come into a hospital in a terrible condition I want doctors to do absolutely every thing they can to save my ass and not give up on me because I'm an organ donor.
Yes I know it is something that saves lives, and that in real life I will need an organ transplant for my kidneys but the idea that someone wouldn't try to save my life but instead opt for someone else is just horrifying to me.
And before someone jumps down my throat, yes I know not every doctor thinks like this, I've met enough that do think like this that I wouldn't want to take my chances.
A genetic disease in the kidneys could cause problems for donation of the KIDNEYS. But that is all. Hypertension is a common ailment, and does not affect donation in any way.
Sorry, you are wrong, my kidney disease also can cause damage in the liver, pancreas, and in some cases (though somewhat rare, but from my impression not rare enough that I get a yearly battery of tests) the heart and brain. That combined with hypertension which causes damage to your heart/eyes in general and various blood vessels you are looking at a handful of organs that are highly questionable.
Since you did not mention why you were turned down for blood donation, I can only speculate, but the common reasons are high risk activity, such as recent piercings, tattoos, or a sexual lifestyle that would indicate an increased risk for viral infection.
I was denied because of the medications I was on, they said that if I used a certain set of medications and my hypertension was under control when they took my BP it would be fine.
You say you are a "med student", which I find that claim to be highly suspect, as you would have known the specifics of hypertension and kidneys in relation to transplantation, as well as the fact that hypertension does not deliver a "beating" to many of the organs that can be transplanted.
1) I pretty offended by this, primarily since going into medicine isn't easy, I've had to bust my ass for a great deal of years, take out large loans to pay for school, and have to bust my ass for a lot more years to get through med school and being an intern before I see a dime of profit. And secondly because you go about it in such an arrogant and condescending manner to not only point out something you disagree about but instead attack the poster's credibility.
2) Maybe you are under the wrong impression from watching too many medical dramas but the title of med student is a hard thing to nail down, in just a few years so much info has to be crammed down. You make the assumption that a med student should know everything. Guess what, I am a first year med student, and we are currently working on the thorax. We started in osteo, moved to CNS, head and neck and now thorax. Maybe in your world med students are like in Scrubs where they are handling patients in the first month of their first year and diagnosing diseases on real people, but that isn't how the real world works.

Now, I don't know about other countries, but in the US it is highly unlikely for any doctor to deny treatment, or give substandard treatment, on the basis that you are a organ donor.In the US, the UNOS system assignes donation priority, not the doctors themselves. Doctors are nothing more than the deciding factor in whether an available organ is right for their patient, and the surgeons who actually remove/transplant the organ. They have no say in who gets which organ, other than the ability to refuse an organ. There is no logical or financial benefit for a doctor to willfully allow an organ donor to die.

Furthermore, on a statistical basis, the organs from an organ donor usually only extend a recipients life by a short amount, and that's assuming there are no complications. The idea of allowing one relatively healthy person to die, so that a handful of ill people can theoretically live a few more years on average, makes absolutely no sense.
Might want to go back and read what I posted. The English language is one of fine details, that you either ignored or missed. I specifically said in the case of a risky or a low chance surgery/ set of actions or if I came into a hospital in a terrible condition (meaning if I sustained some sort of life threatening injury or was screwed up in some terrible way).
I do not see any point in my first post about doctor's deciding who gets what organ, or about assigning the priority of who gets what.
My post addressed a completely theoretical case in which I was in such a condition that I had a pretty good chance of dying, the surgeon would try but might not go that extra mile to try and save me because it is clear that I am an organ donor and the beneficial thing to do would be to prep and get those organs and the recipient ready.
I'm not talking about some one coming in with a broken arm and the doctor taking them in the back and choking them to death because they are an organ donor. In no way did I say a doctor is going to kill a completely healthy person for a few sick people.
I'm talking about a very rare situation and theoretical situation which I, if I was an organ donor, would feel uncomfortable about. And actually have been somewhat paranoid about since years ago when I got stabbed in the back and went into the emergency room, one of their first questions was "Are you an organ donor?" and my thought was wtf does this have to do with anything, I'm bleeding out, I need to be stitched up.

In the future, please do not spread misinformation and urban legends about donation, as it may affect the decision to donate by others, and thus rob the potential recipient of a chance at a longer life.

Incidently, I work in organ and tissue transplant, hence the name Semitendon, after Semitendinosus, a tendon which can be used for transplant.
In the future, please don't be condescending and a complete jerk about a post you disagree with, you clearly have an agenda and are fairly biased and aggressive in a forum where it is asking people why or why they aren't organs donors. If I was a person standing out side a hospital screaming at people not to be organ donors then yes I would agree you have every right to browbeat them. Also you claim to work for "organ and tissue transplant" yet you seem to think that there is no genetic kidney disease who affects other organs and you seem to be oblivious of the stress hypertension puts on the eyes/heart and why a person with hypertension might be denied for donating blood. Might want to rethink that work or you might want to go back to school to learn a bit more since, as you put it, misinformation can rob a potential recipient of a chance at a longer life, or in this case giving a person a bad organ can harm them.
 

hebdomad

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May 21, 2008
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dragon_of_red said:
Im not one
Im too young i think...
I cant see why you wouldnt be an organ donor, your dead, you dont need it anymore.
Why not look it up?

I signed away my organs (when I die) when I was 17, even then I'm sure your parents can sign for it...


... After all, you don't need'em when your dead. Give them to some one who isn't and need'em.
 

Bluebacon

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May 13, 2009
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Been an organ donor for several years now, though obviously I've still got all of them for the moment. It makes sense to sign up, it's not like you can take them with you where you're going...
 

Desert Tiger

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Apr 25, 2009
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Generally, no. Mainly because I know the NHS would gladly hand over my lungs to chain smokers and my liver to a drunk, so I'd rather they died than have a second chance only to waste my organs and move onto someone else's.
 

Meggiepants

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Jan 19, 2010
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dochmbi said:
Why isn't everyone an organ donor by default? It's not like you need them since you are dead...
This is probably rhetorical, but what the hell. Some people have religious reasons for not wanting their organs harvested after death. That is just one reason why everyone isn't a donor by default.

OT: I can certainly understand the trepidation some people have with donating organs. If a loved one is in a terrible accident, and is left brain dead, often the hospital will ask about organ donation at that time. But it can be a difficult decision to make when you've just learned your loved one is gone. Some people just aren't emotionally ready to make that decision at that time, and despite the fact that you sign a donor card, your family still needs to give consent.

I am donor, because I don't really care what happens to my body when I'm gone. But I wouldn't judge others based on their choice to donate or not. It's a personal choice, and it wouldn't be my place to question what you want to do with your body.
 

Hawgh

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Dec 24, 2007
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meganmeave said:
dochmbi said:
Why isn't everyone an organ donor by default? It's not like you need them since you are dead...
This is probably rhetorical, but what the hell. Some people have religious reasons for not wanting their organs harvested after death. That is just one reason why everyone isn't a donor by default.

I am donor, because I don't really care what happens to my body when I'm gone. But I wouldn't judge others based on their choice to donate or not. It's a personal choice, and it wouldn't be my place to question what you want to do with your body.
I most certainly will judge others on their decision to probably killing others through inaction, due to their silly superstitions. I will judge them as selfish and another few choice words.

OT: I am an ordan donor, no reason to keep what I'm never going to use.
 

katsa5

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Aug 10, 2009
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I plan to be an Organ Donor, but I'm still talking with my family about it. My father is against it. He thinks that if you become an organ donor, it would make it easier for someone to legally farm organs. That's a myth, I know, but it only takes one objecting family member to halt the donation process.
 

megatron2.0

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Feb 18, 2009
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yes i am. I look at it this way: when your dead you see your organs get put to use. a five year old girl is dying and needs a heart and you give her yours. makes you feel good when you save a life, eh?
 

Do4600

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Oct 16, 2007
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Semitendon said:
Incidently, I work in organ and tissue transplant, hence the name Semitendon, after Semitendinosus, a tendon which can be used for transplant.
Thank you for clearing that up.

I'd still be slowly dying on dialysis if it wasn't for organ donors.

I'd like to thank all the organ donors here and assure you that your generosity will make a profound positive difference in many lives.
 

muffincakes

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Nov 20, 2008
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I'm not an organ donor. It's not that I'm against it, I've just heard from certain knowledgeable parties that if you are severely injured, organ donors are less likely to be saved by the EMTs(not that they won't help out, they'll just do enough to preserve your organs). I know it sounds a bit off, but really only the EMTs would know and an outsider couldn't prove it otherwise, so for know, my organs are my own.
 

Disaster Button

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Feb 18, 2009
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Turing said:
Disaster Button said:
Yep. I plan to be a blood donor too.

While we're talking about it, sort of, does anyone know why gay people can't donate blood? And does anyone know if it applies to bisexual people?
Wait, what? What kind of backwards fascist hellhole do you live in?

On topic, I am indeed a donor, I have no use for my earthly remains when I've passed on and I'm a big fan of recycling
..*sigh* the UK. I only recently found out they can't donate blood myself.