Hi Polly,

As regards blood donation, I would think most of the drugs we take would rule this out but it is worth ringing them to check.

I don't know what would happen about organ donation, probably corneas would be ok and other organs as long as there is no damage?

Doreen xx

organ donation from the NHSBT Organ donation site.....



Phone number....0300 123 23 23

Cant find an answer to bloods on a UK site .. but looks like you have to have been free from Dmards for a length of time , and on a red cross site states it is 3 months clear for Leflunommide .Not just the actually drug being in the blood stream being the issue .. but the cost for the screening of the blood , since the drugs we take give many false positives in the screening process ..and so it is too expensive to take the blood and pass the screening.

Best Option .... telephone ....0300 123 23 23 .. one phone call will give a definitive answer to both questions :)

Rich :)

I checked with organisation Rich suggested (had never heard of them before..) and yes they don't want our blood if we've gone beyond using NSAIDs to control the RA. However, they don't seem to be concerned when it comes to organ donation. I guess because the actual decision is made at a different point, and they can decide then whether the RA poses too much of a risk. Polly

i too was told no more blood giving,i have my bronze badge for donating, i can see the point,i did ask about organs when there and told me it depends on the organ health at the time,when my husband died i made a very hard decision and agreed to let them have his organs but not his eyes, i was told sadly when they checked the organs nothing could be used due to the meds he had been on as all the organs were scarred too bad for use,so its up the state of us at the time i think,dorothy

Hi Dorothy o so sad about your husband - with sympathy to you.

I didn't manage to get to the post office at the weekend, but will send the dvd very soon.

Best wishes - Sylvia xx

I had a think about the question of blood donation.

I don't think I would want to give my blood even 'though I am Rheusus negative and I know

it is rarer. Because since having R.A I would not trust the inflammation levels etc, in it, to be

given to anyone else if disease free blood is available.

If I had needed a blood transfusion prior to the R.A I would not have wanted an R.A person's blood.

There I've said it and it really would have been true, as I had seen what R.A could do.

I would have been afraid to have it. I would have prayed for a doner who was not sick themselves.

Until every last detail of this disease is understood how can we be sure that our blood would be safe

to use in transfusions.

Maybe this is just me being silly, but upstairs I have a lovely pair of red summer sandals. I can't wear

them as they are not right for my feet, but they are brand new.

I would love to be able to offer them to my daughter as they would suit her. However, they rubbed my heel

badly and my blood got onto the heel of the shoe.

I would not give them to her now because some of my R.A blood is on them.

Am I being obsessive about this?