DONATING BLOOD • BLOOD DONATIONS in Costa Rica

Getting people to DONATE BLOOD (or organs) in Costa Rica is NOT an easy thing to do so the BLOOD BANKS at ALL the hospitals are ALWAYS in DESPERATE NEED - ESPECIALLY during high party holidays seasons!!

This is a GREAT WAY for YOU to give back that does not cost you ANYTHING (actually, there ARE some perks for you in it!!  More on that lower down!!!) and is SOOOO NEEDED - ESPECIALLY if you have O-negative or O+Positive!!!!!!!!!!!

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WHAT BLOOD TYPES ARE REGULARLY NEEDED THE MOST:

CIMA:
O- • O negative (the hardest to find - BUT - it’s the BEST to use with the other ones)
O+ - the most common used


(this is an interesting articlethat explains the different blood types
LaughingSquid.com/scishow-explains-why-we-have-different-blood-types


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BLOOD DONATING PROCESS FOR VARIOUS LOCATIONS:

(more being added in the future as the need here comes up [unless someone wants to volunteer to help compile this information for the other blood banks/hospitals??!!  Spanish speaking is REALLY HELPFUL!!  Contact me at LivingLifeInCostaRica@gmail.com)


CIMA:

WHO CAN DONATE?
ANYONE - with or withOUT residency
(I mention this because I’ve heard [but have not verified yet] that ONLY residents can donate blood to the national blood donation system.  I’ll check that out this week)

GAY MEN:
NO men that have had sex with other men
(CIMA follows the commonly recognized American Association of Blood Banks standard)


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PREREQUISITES•RESTRICTIONS•LIMITATIONS:

•  UNDER 60 years old/young 
•  WEIGHT - at least 110 lbs•50 kilos
•  GOOD HEALTH in the PAST WEEK
•  NO ASPIRIN in past 3 days (it makes the platelets go non-functional)
•  NO ALCOHOL within 24 hours
•  NO funny stuff•“Drugs” in your system (I’m not sure how long they stay in but if you’re doing pot, etc. you’ll probably know)
•  NO LOW Blood Pressure
•  Not much MEDICATION (if you’re on prescription drugs, you’ll need to be evaluated to see if you can donate)
•  NO CANCER in past
•  NO on certain illnesses•diseases (it’s a long list - you’ll find out when you get there) - like hepatitis, vaccinations (1 month after)
•  NO STD’s in the past (well that really eliminates many people that grew up in the 1960’s to 1980’s hehehehe.  Actually, they will test you so as long as it was treated and cleared)

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PROCESS:

•  Come with an empty stomach or a small breakfast that is low in lipid content (ideally no dairy•fat).  Fruits are best. (here's a good article on what to/not to eat before/after:

Souhridam.com/what-to-eat-before-and-after-donating-blood

•  Bring some form of official id (original Passport, Cedula, Drivers License)

•   Fill out a detailed Donor Questionnaire (health - recent or years ago)

•   Then you’ll be interviewed for more explanation

•   Then they take a little pinch with a little needle to get a small amount of blood (9 milliliters) to test to make sure your blood is “safe” to use and you have no blood transmitted diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, Chagas Disease (that’s a parasite in the blood often found in Central America)

•   Then they’ll check your Blood Pressure

•   If all is good, then they’ll make you comfy and draw your blood (450 milliliters.  Drawing time is about 20 minutes [that in part depends on your veins and how fast your blood flows in part])

•   After you get a little snack and some juice till you get your strength back.

The WHOLE process takes about 1-1/2 to 2 hours

CRUCIAL INSTRUCTIONS!!!
You MUST AVOID HEAVY PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES for about 24 HOURS.


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WHAT YOU GET IN RETURN:

•  A little snack (sandwich, juice, fries [ahhh - Tico’s and their fries??  Unhealthy as fries are!])


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DONATIONS:
If you’re donating specifically for someone, REMEMBER TO GIVE THEIR NAME!!


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HOW OFTEN CAN I DONATE BLOOD?
You can ONLY donate every 3-4 MONTHS - or - 3 TIMES A YEAR


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WHERE:
CIMA Hospital in Escazu
MAIN BUILDING - facing lobby - follow the Lab sign about 10 meters.



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NOTE about CIMA donations
CIMA is a U.S. owned hospital so your results WILL be shared with the International medical system - which might not be good if you have any Pre-Existing Conditions as it could prevent you from getting insurance)


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HOURS:
Monday-Friday - 7am-1:30pm
(currently ONLY these days/hours)


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APPOINTMENTS OR OTHER QUESTIONS:
FYI - EVERY time I've called
2-208-1084 • 2-208-1253  •  2-208-1000 xt 1084-main CIMA #
(tell Jose Vicki with the blog sends a hug!!)

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BRINGING A GROUP OF PEOPLE:
If you are bringing 20-30 people at the same time, it’s best to make an appointment so they’re prepared for you and it goes faster!



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WHAT ARE YOUR WISHES ON WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR BODY AFTER YOU'VE GONE?

This is a topic MOST people don't want to go to but we're ALL going to go sometime!!  A large % of the people in my life that have passed away, did so from sudden accidents caused by someone elses negligence and pretty you.  WE DO NOT KNOW when it's our time to go!!!!!
PLEASE - as SOON as possible - #1 - make your wishes KNOWN to those that will make decisions for you and GET IT IN WRITING!!!!!!!!!!!  MAKE IT OFFICIAL (this is a VERY SENSITIVE subject to me after my daddy clearly stated he wanted to be cremated but his mother interfered and he was buried [my grandfather was the mayor of the small town this happened in]).


One thing that's GREAT is you can have ALL your expenses taken care of when you die by
DONATING YOUR BODY TO SCIENCE!!
Check out the article at:

LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2013/10/DonateUrBody2ScienceCR.html

SOON I'm going to do a story on where you can get discounts on burials and cremations and LOTS more on this IMPORTANT TOPIC we can NOT bury our head in the sand over - to leave for those we CLAIM to love to deal with (and TRUST ME - it's a NIGHTMARE!)


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QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:

IF THIS IS A DONATION, WHY ARE THE RECIPIENTS BEING CHARGED SO MUCH FOR IT?
For MANY years I donated blood as well as platelets regularly in the U.S. (I’ve not had much $$ to give to charity but I CAN “give” my blood and a little time).  Then one day I’m like “HEY WAIT!!  If I’m “Donating” my blood, why are the recipients being charged to much to receive it????” and I quit donating (except for when someone I knew needed it).

I’m glad I made a comment about this as I know MANY other people are not keen on “donating” BECAUSE of this - BUT - today Jose at the lab REMINDED me - there are LOTS of expenses involved to ensure your blood is safe and process it let alone to store and get it to the recipient so I’m going to start giving again!!!


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THANX to their MicroBiologist Jose Baltodano (JBaltodano@HospitalCIMA.com) for taking ALL the time and patience he did with me to help me create this detailed description for you!! 


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PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW IN COSTA RICA that might be able to help!!
LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2014/05/DonatingBloodInCR.html