Drug testing for donors

[sugapea]

Does anyone know if they drug test donors? I assume they do. I ask because my sister and one of my friends are considering being a donor for me but they both smoke weed and are worried about testing.  Also can someone who smokes regular cigarettes be a donor?  Thanks for any info you may have

[goofynina]

YES YES YES and YES,  that is information that was told to me by my social worker (you know how they come out to you and ask you 50 billion questions)      It's all in the blood work

[Joe Paul]

Doctors , they cope with things they understand, I cope the way I understand. What I do SHOULD NOT be of any interest to anyone. If they test me without me knowing, I think its something to think about.

[goofynina]

OK, i confess,  when the social worker asked me if i had done any drugs in the past 6 months, i told her i smoked some weed (strictly for medicinal purposes) and i only did it once, HONESTLY, i get really bad cramps that time of the month and someone told me to try it (for the cramping) and it worked    anyways,  after talking to her about it, she "advised" me that they (UCSF) ask me if i did drugs, and if i say yes, they might consider me a drug abuser and deny me any services.  She told me to call my neph and get something prescribed so i wouldnt resort to doing that again.  She also told me that even if i say "no i never used them" they are going to check me anyways.   Happy to say i havent touched the stuff since that one time, YEARS ago,    

[Sluff]

I thought weed leaves the system rather quickly doesn't it?

[goofynina]

I was told it could take 9 days or longer, BUT, now,  they can test your hair,  it stays in your hair i believe 6 months?? please correct me if i am wrong.  That is how they are doing alot of the drug testing for jobs now.   Geeze, the things they come up with huh? 

[okarol]

This is from www.lifelinkfound.org/alivinggift.pdf:
Can I be a donor if I smoke?  What about if I smoke marijuana?

Each transplant center has its own policies about whether smokers can
donate a kidney.  Be sure to ask the transplant coordinator or doctor.
At some centers, the surgeons or physicians will make a decision on an
individual basis.  They will look at how much you smoke and the condition of
your lungs.  In any case, it is a good idea to stop smoking before surgery for
your own safety, even if it means delaying the surgery.  When you stop
smoking, you decrease the risks of going under anesthesia and of complica-
tions after the operation.  And of course, you won’t be able to smoke for the
time you are in the hospital. 
Use of marijuana, alcohol, or other drugs may not automatically rule you out
as a potential donor unless you are currently an active abuser of street drugs.
Again, different transplant centers may follow different guidelines.  The
important thing is to be completely honest with the doctor or transplant
coordinator about your alcohol or drug use.  They want to look out for your
health, so they need to have all the relevant facts!

Living Donors Online is the best place to ask questione -
they have a message forum at http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi

The general intro page for info for all organ donors:
http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/general.htm

The beginning of the kidney specific pages:
http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/kidney/kidney.htm

The kidney donor FAQ:
http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/kidney/kidneyfaq.htm

Donors' stories, grouped by organ, starting with kidneys:
http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/experiences/experiences.htm

[paris]

During transplant evaluation, the nurse asked if I smoked, used drugs or had tattoos.  I said no, but it sounded like a good "to do" list!

[angieskidney]

Wow this is a good thread! Thanks for that article Karol! 

This is something that a LOT of people are afraid to ask so I am glad you guys are talking about it here! 

[sandman]

I thought weed leaves the system rather quickly doesn't it?

From what I understand, the effects of weed dilute enough in the system after about three days for it to not show up in a blood or UT screening.


And thanks okarol.  Great post. 

[goofynina]

I thought weed leaves the system rather quickly doesn't it?

From what I understand, the effects of weed dilute enough in the system after about three days for it to not show up in a blood or UT screening.


And thanks okarol.  Great post. 

Dont forget they cut a piece of your hair and check that too,

[Wizard]

It really depends on the person getting the transplant.  You know in advance when your transplant evaluation appointment is you've got to quit smoking anything by then and get clean so that you can get off the machine.  They NEVER took a snip of my hair.

[stauffenberg]

It is interesting how medicine as a science becomes infected with totally non-scientific social values, which medicine then treats as if they were objective, scientific issues.  Thus the Nazis always desribed their program to prevent Jews and non-Jews from having children as "racial hygiene" and "guaranteeing purity of the blood," but of course the off-spring of such matings are in no way biologically deficient.  A survey of American medical students in 1959 showed that the majority believed masturbation was harmful and should be prevented at all costs, and indeed, some children in the 19th century had to wear special devices to prevent them from masturbating. Nicholas Grabar, a right-wing think tank researcher, used to publish articles in the 1980s arguing that Communism caused early death from the way its associated lifestyle promoted hardening of the arteries, but since the fall of Communism, we see life expectancy in those countries falling, so Grabar has shut up.  The list goes on.

So the notion that if you use recreational drugs you must be a poor candidate for a transplant just expresses this same illegitmate conversion of a social prejudice into a purported medical 'fact.'  Transplant coordinators, in my experience, tend to be small-minded people with a small job which, unfortunately, lets them play God with other people's lives, and they exploit this power to the fullest.  One way to do this is to deny people transplants just because the coordinator does not like their lifestyle choices.

[paris]

Wow - you haven't met my transplant co-ordinator and the rest of the team. I am sorry you have such a harse outlook on life. If I didn't have my team - I would be dead, plain and simple.  Peace to you on this Christmas Eve.

[angela515]

My transplant coordinator is great. I would HOPE she evaluates and tests my possible donors to the fullest and make sure they are the best possible candidate. I would want them to be healthy for the sake of the kidney working for me, and for their health for the future. If their life-style is that of using recreational drugs then they may not be such good candidates as the drugs could be damaging to many things, however my coordinator would still test them like any other candidate. So, don't judge everyone coorindator the same way, because mine is great,