Organ Donors Wanted

Organ Donors Wanted

ORGAN DONORS WANTED

Federal legislation directs the Secretary of the

Treasury to place an organ donor card and pamphlet in every envelope containing an income

tax refund check. Up to 70 million Americans receive such checks, so this should really

help spread the message that organ donation saves lives.

Think about it. If something sudden were to

happen to you, your posthumous gift could bring life and independence to several others.

The wait is long for donated organs, and the current supply is about one fourth the

demand. You can make a difference!

You don't have to wait for a refund check from

Uncle Sam, to indicate your willingness to participate. Many states have a simple form on

the back of their driver's license. That's a start.

But if you want to participate, make your

intentions known--now! Tell your doctor. Tell your family members. Tell your lawyer, your

priest, your rabbi, what you want to do! There is great need, and it would be sad if

something happened to you, and donation could not proceed because they couldn't find your

wallet. Your "next of kin" or authorized representative will have to sign a

"document of consent" to allow posthumous organ donation--so it is critical

these people know what you intended. Tell them!

Below are some questions you might have, and the

answers:

1. Will it cost my estate anything?

Organ donation is free of charge. Any billing of

donor, donor's family, or estate is illegal.

2. Will it delay the funeral?

No. The process is completed within hours of

death.

3. Will it alter my appearance?

Not in any way. Any "viewing" can take

place in the normal manner.

4. Can I change my mind?

You can alter or revoke this decision in the same

manner as you can your Last Will.

5. Where can I learn more about this?

There are many sources, agencies, and websites.

Start with your doctor. The Coalition on Donation, 1100 Boulders Parkway, Suite 500,

Richmond, VA 23225; telephone: 1–800–355–7427; website:

http://www.shareyourlife.org, has information and materials on all aspects of donation,

both live and posthumous. Uncertain how to tell your family? They have advice for that

too.

Q: I've had diabetes for years now, and all that

jabbing of my fingers (for the blood tests) is making them go numb. Is there another place

I can use to get an adequate blood sample?

A: I have some concerns about your numb fingers.

Are you sure it's from the testing? Persons with diabetes can develop problems with nerve

function, that can cause numb fingers. Are all the fingers numb, or just the ones you use

to take blood samples? Any numbness of the toes? Has your doctor evaluated this problem? A

simple test of nerve function in the toes is the monofilament test, and that test can be

carried out by patients themselves. Information about this test can be found in

"Diabetes Forecast," or by calling the American Diabetes Association. Could this

numbness be a manifestation of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? It seems important to decide what

is causing the numbness.

Despite my uncertainty as to the cause of your

numb fingers, I also have concerns about using the fingers for testing. Certainly, I've

seen persons who test a lot with rough, callused, and scarred fingers. Not only are there

more sensory nerves in the fingers than in most other parts of the body, but the fingers

are certainly more in contact with the environment than are most other parts of the body.

As I am a physician frequently in contact with persons who may have infectious diseases, I

have concerns about any penetration of the protective barrier the skin provides. Careful

hand-washing and glove use can minimize exposure to infections such as hepatitis or HIV,

but it has seemed prudent to further minimize exposure where possible.

I have used the area just above the knee for

blood sampling for years. It is much less painful than the finger, and appears to be

accurate. About five years ago, I decided to test that assumption.

I ran an experiment to see if blood tests from

the knee area were as accurate as those taken from the finger. My experiment consisted of

40 blood sugar tests, done in triplicate. Each test consisted of a sample taken from the

area just above the knee, another sample taken from a finger, and then, within ten

minutes, a venous blood sample from which a plasma glucose was done in the Western Montana

Clinic's clinical laboratory. I wished to compare the accuracy of the knee sample with

that of the finger-stick sample, and I used the laboratory as the referent, a "gold

standard." The results showed excellent agreement between the knee and finger, and

both knee and finger compared closely with laboratory (venous blood) results. The area

just above the knee is an accurate, painless site for blood sugar testing.

There are some problems with knee testing. Women

seem to have more trouble than men getting an accurate sample. Skinny persons such as I am

can get a fold of skin to squeeze it to milk a drop of blood to the surface easier than

can persons whose skin is more tightly filled. Some meters do not allow the tester to

invert the meter over the puncture site and touch the reaction pad to the drop of blood.

I've had excellent results with the Precision QID and the AccuChek Advantage (using its

Comfort Curve test strips).

As an inconvenience, there is sometimes the

tendency for a bit of blood to ooze, after the test, and this may stain the knee of your

trousers.

Blood sampling from above the knee can provide an

accurate and painless alternative to finger-stick blood glucose monitoring.