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"I am wondering why this indivual attempted to donate again a mere 2 weeks later. I am thinking they knew something was up and was using the screening done by the blood bank to confirm."

It wouldn't be the first time.

I've heard of people who used blood donations as a "free HIV test". Scares the crap out of me, and it's one big reason I refused transfusions for close to a week, as medicos from two hospitals browbeat me (literally) day and night.

I developed a "this'll shut you up" technique that I used to reply to their insistance that I was being silly because it was so safe.

I asked, is it really safe? They of course smiled and said of course it's really safe.

I said well that's good to know, but I just have one more question. What, I asked, would you do if while you were injecting that donor blood into my arm, a drop of it managed to splash onto your arm?

The respons was always the same: "I'd stop what I was doing and go scrub down, of course!"

I then replied, "Hmm, so let me see if I have this right: the donor blood is 'safe enough' to put into my veins, but it's too dangerous to let even sprinkle onto your skin? I think I'll pass."

My little sister, a USAF RN, has informed me that she would refuse a blood transfusion herself and has suggested if one is ever recommended to me that I should look into the following as alternatives:

saline solution
dextran
Haemaccel
lactated Ringer's solution
Hetastarch (HES)

Could someone in the know comment on the efficacy of these substances?