Are we able to be organ donors? | Arthritis Information

 

I haven't been able to find an answer on the web (although admittedly my brain doesn't work very well these days) and thought maybe one of you, especially those in the medical profession, might know.

Personally, I feel it is important to gift my organs upon death if I am able to.  I realize this is a very personal issue and that everyone needs to decide for themselves.  However, with both my medical conditions and my medicines, I am unsure if my organs are even giftable, at least for transplant (maybe for research?).   Obviously any damaged organs would not be usable, but does the RA/meds alone mean that even the healthy ones are usuable?

 

I am signed up with my state's registry for organ donors as well as have signed my driver's license for it and included it on my wallet card.  However, if they would not be able to use my organs, I would like to gift them for research.

 

Anyone know anything about this issue?

Good question!I was checking it a while ago.. while we can not be  blood donors, we can donate at least some parts of our bodies. i want to donate my body too!   i know you have to plan to do this and make arrangements in advance but with my body they would learn so much because it is so screwed up.  i was under the impression they cannot use any of our body for donors.  i believe you need to be healthy and probably drug free.  not on drugs for 25 years.  what part of me would they want to put inside someone else.   ha ha    every part has been affected by RA.[QUOTE=kathy_in_wlsv] [/QUOTE] Great question.  I've always checked organ donor on my drivers license and feel strongly about it.   I checked one website  - link pasted below.  Looks like it's still very likely, so will continue to check that box when renewing. Thanks for the link Cathy.  It says one of the exclusions is system infection, and I'm wondering if systemic inflammation would be equally bad.  But was hoping maybe they could use skin tissue, eyes, the few parts that are working.  Especially since at least one of the drugs I'm taking is actually used for transplantation (Imuran).   Looks like there might not be an easy absolute answer.  What I'd really like to do is donate whatever organs can be used and the rest to medical research, but the site says researchers/schools usually need them whole.

 

If anyone has any other specific information, I'd love to see it. 

We recently went through this due to my uncle needing a liver transplant.  Basically, the dr. said that very few illness completely exclude you.  They will look at the organ itself.  Ex: nobody would touch my eyes.  Way to much eye involvement with the RA.  But other organs-who knows?  I always wondered about this myself and wondered about donating blood, too. I did donate prior to my RA diagnosis - do you think it impacted the recipients??? I really hope not because I would hate to be the cause of this pain for someone else. :(I deal with Lifeshare pretty frequently and will ask them the next time i talk to them.  I Sign the donor card and let them sort it out if the need arises.  Seriously - if someone is in dire need of a heart, kidney, etc and their only option is a pre-owned model from an RA patient or an untimely death, let their medical team make that decision.  It's not like your medical history will be a secret; there may be circumstances where an RA heart/kidney/etc is better than no heart/kidney/etc at all. You might give someone a chance at life.  Someone on dialysis several times per week might be willing to risk RA somewhere down the line if it means saying good by to the renal clinic. Maybe this will help a little. Jas, I would agree 100% except that if no one can use my organs, I'd like to be used for research, and it seems you have to set that up in advance and one likely precludes the other based on the "whole body" thing. when my mom decided to donate her body a representative from the Med School came and talked to all of us.. (8 kids plus spouses and adult grandkids) a very interesting topic!!  thanks!

Unlike many people I encounter, I am very comfortable talking about death and organ donation has always been important to me.  But what moved me into action a few years ago, to find out more and to seek out the state's registry, was watching the movie John Q and the documentary included on the DVD.  A must-see for anyone on the fence IMHO.  Now I just want to make sure that whether it's for transplant or research, that my body serves a purpose after I'm gone.

This sheds some light: maybe we CAN donate....

http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/984001017.html
Anyone can be an organ donor and the organ donation company screens each and every patient before the death occurs if they are hospitalized. Everyone is asked upon admission is they are organ donors. The way I understand it, there are parts of us that can be used such as our eyes, skin, bones etc even if our organs are not able to be donated so it is a worth while thing to do (if you are personally ok with it). I want my body to go to our university and I have already instructed my family on that. I have been signed up as an organ donor and in my will, for a cadaver - specifically for the DES research.  But I know the organs are not donatable anymore.  Way too old, diseased, and in ill health.  I cannot morally donate blood any more because I sincerely believe this is infectious in nature.  The idea that I'd pass this on to somebody else horrifies me.  Since these diseases are systemic - donating my organs would be pretty much the same thing, a life sentence for somebody who has to be on immune suppressants for the rest of their lives just so the organ won't be rejected.  Yes, they may choose to take those extra few years, but I'm not going to be alive and if a doc doesn't give full disclosure, or they still don't think this is infectious in nature by then, then the person getting my organ will not have all the info to make an informed choice.  Actually Sarcoidoses can be transfered during organ transplant. I do not know about RA. But someone said you can not give blood. An organ would be the same as giving blood. I guess i will look this up also.When my sister was diagnosed with leukemia a year ago, I asked if I could donate bone marrow and was told NO, that having RA made it impossible to donate any part of my body.  (As it turned out, my sister passed away within a few weeks, long before there would have been any question of bone marrow transplant). i agree with pip.  i am pretty sure they will not take our organs.  they would probably love to have our bodies.  and no they do not want our blood.where I work they are always doing blood donations, I told them I was on MTX & Remicade. they said as long as I wasn't on antibiotics I could donate.I attempted to give blood a couple years back and was deferred because I was just a hair under their minimum hematocrit level (not low enough to be classified as anemic and in need of iron supps, though).  I was told that RA by itself was not a disqualification, though some medications used to treat it are.  I've not attempted to donate since then, as my iron levels tend to hover just above the anemia mark.  I used to donate blood back when my iron levels were higher, but in the wake of the husband's cardiac issues we hardly ever eat red meat, and my iron has dropped off just enough to make blood donation an issue.  Likewise, my husband still donates blood, even though he has had a heart attack, has heart failure (Class I, which means he has no symptoms but it shows up on EKG, echo, etc) and takes several medications including Plavix, aspirin and fish oil - all of which prolong bleeding time. I had heard RA was a disqualification from donating blood because it is believed to be infectious.I donate blood on a fairly regular basis, so apparently RA is not considered to be a disqualifiying issue in my area.........................

 

Edited because I still can't spell, type and talk on the phone well....and because I want to be accurate..........I only recently started donating blood again since I've been feeling better.  I had a problem with keeping weight  on before I got my RA under control.

Lynn492008-12-29 16:13:29I think with people with RA you can donate blood then it's separated to get the plasma and only the plasma and not the whole blood is used. That is my understanding which may or may not be accurate.

I don't donate blood because not enough is understood about RA to be sure blood transference is safe.this is the page for the Red Cross blood donation guidelines

Thanks Buckeye.

Malaria
Wait 3 years after completing treatment for malaria. Wait 12 months after returning from a trip to an area where malaria is found. Wait 3 years after living in a country or countries where malaria is found. Learn more about malaria and blood donation. would this disqaulify a person on Plaquenil? [QUOTE=inflamedOnline]Malaria
Wait 3 years after completing treatment for malaria. Wait 12 months after returning from a trip to an area where malaria is found. Wait 3 years after living in a country or countries where malaria is found. Learn more about malaria and blood donation. California and large urban areas use 'antigen' (or maybe antibody - I'm beyond exhausted, Chicken Lev could take me if he wasn't such a chicken) reduction so AI disease people can donate.  In MI they wouldn't take my blood because of RA.  I'm assuming it's a protocol developed for the various areas. Pip, I'm in California and have been told by both my rheumatologist and by my sister's oncologists that I could donate neither blood nor organs because of my RA and Lupus, as well as because of my medications (most notably the rituximab treatments I've received). I appreciate all the info and opinions, even if I'm no closer to figuring it all out.
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