Blood Safety

[Lady Amenti]

Blood carries many diseases, and contrary to the mythos perpetuated by Hollywood, Vampires are NOT immortal, and we can get sick and die. We are NOT immune to bloodborne diseases. A good thing to remember is that if something is contagious in any form, whether it be through blood, sneezing, sexual contact, coughing, touch, anything, it can be passed very easily
through sanguine feeding. Here are a few of the more common diseasesthat can be passed through the blood :

AIDS, Brucellosis, Chicken Pox (Varicella), Chlamidia, Colds,Diptheria, Food Poisoning, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis (A-B-C-D-G, yes there are 5 types of hepatitis), Herpes, Influenza, Legionnaires' Disease, Malaria, Measles,
Meningitis, Mumps, Rubella, Scarlet Fever,Shingles, Spotted Fever, Strep Throat, Syphilis, Toxic Shock Syndrome, Tuberculosis, Typhus, Warts, and I am sure there are others as well.

The danger is not only through the blood. Donors can end up with scars, nerve damage, infections, anemia, etc. Both donors and vampires should get tested. The tests to request from your Doctor are: CBC, Chem 20 (chemical profile or SMAC), VDRL (STD profile), and HIV.

The Red Cross does not allow you to donate more than 1 pint every 8 weeks. This breaks down to 2 teaspoons per day (ongoing). If a donor donates more than this, they are risking their lives.

If you are Sanguine (or a donor), always look out for the health of your donor (or yourself if you are the donor), and watch for symptoms of anemia, fatigue, problems concentrating, vampiric tendencies (does not mean they are a vampire, just means they have been over fed from), mood swings, loss of consciousness, irritablity, poor coordination, dizzyness, headache,
nausea, pale skin, etc. Remember, severe blood loss can cause brain damage, organ damage, coma, and or death.

Blood is a natural emetic, in other words, it will make you throw up. Also, it is possible to have antibodies in your bloodstream that will make you very sick if
you consume blood from a particular individual(s). Every donor has a different makup, you may be allergic to the blood of one donor, but not that of another. Listen to your bodies. Watch out for severe stomach upsets from
even minute amounts of your donor's blood. You can kill yourself by drinking blood incompatible with you. Allergic reactions rarely happen the first time you are exposed to the allergen. An allergy can crop up at any time, even after years of being exposed, so always trust your body's signals.

Only a small percentage of the community NEEDS to feed this way. There are other much safer ways to feed. Psy feeding and Elemental feeding are the
safest methods, as there is not risk of disease. You must be sure to filter the energy you get from others, and as always, be ethical. Ask permission if you are going to do a deep feeding. Ambient feeding (feeding off the energy cast off by many people, such as at a Church service, or in the mall) is ok, if the method works for you. Elemental feeding is fairly easy as nature and its energy is all around us. In other words, if you do not NEED to Sang feed, DON'T!

This was taken from the old NOX site and was posted by Lillith Dreams.

[Craze]

I disagree that there are only a small percentage of the community that NEED to feed through blood.
Sure, psy feeding and elemental feedng are great, bbut if you are a sang at some point you will HAVE to sang feed. If you rely only on psi (psy) or elemental feeds, your thirst WILL come back, your vampouts WILL be stronger, more frequent and more violent.
Thats not just my experince, either, I've heard and seen the same thing from just about every vamp I know.

[shadowpsi]

moved to hunger also i believe this was covered in the hunger area under blood safety.

[Eclecta]

Ok... There was a time when I beleived myself to be only sang... But, I learned how to psi feed, and only did that for a time. Yes, the hunger came back, and frequently too. But, eventually, I got to the point where I no longer need to sang feed. It still comes back, but I havent sang fed in years. I only psi feed now, if I have too, but mainly I ambient feed.

I know several who tell me that sang is the only way for them... Years ago I would have agreed. But in my case, it was a matter of survival. I learned how to make it without... as many do... by not sang feeding.

[Camazotz]

Some Tips For Bloodletting Safety
Written by Sipesh

For those of us who are Sangs, and for those of you who donate to Sangs, safety in the practice of bloodletting should always be foremost on our minds.
I know that in times of desperation and the heat of the moment, sometimes we are apt to forget about things such as infection and serious wound prevention, but it is something that we need to strive to be aware of.
Here are some tips about safely attaining a feed from some of the more common bloodletting methods:

Cutting- Many prefer this way of feeding, finding it to be quick to learn and do, and many donors actually find this experience erotic and pleasurable. There are some risks involved in this method, but they can be minimized with some simple steps.

Never Reuse A Cutting Surface-Used blades can carry the risk of spreading blood borne diseases (HIV, Hepatitis, etc.) and for this reason alone should ALWAYS be disposed of after a single use. Also, razor and knife blades dull somewhat with each pass through skin and tissue. As they dull, the force needed to cut will increase, thus raising the risk of serious injury and infection.
Before using a new blade, wipe it off with a cotton ball or gauze pad soaked in alcohol. Inspect the edge for any nicks or bends, and make certain that there is no rust on the blade (some cheap brands will rust quite easily).

Always Clean The Area Before Cutting-Something as simple as washing the area to be cut with soap and water, or wiping with alcohol can significantly reduce the risk of introducing bacteria into your donors body. Infections are the most common consequence of feeding by cutting and can, in some rare cases, become life threatening. If you intend to feed from a wound by applying your mouth directly to it, it is VERY important that your mouth be as clean as possible. Rinsing with Listerine before feeding will greatly reduce the numbers of pathogenic bacteria in your mouth.
After feeding, clean the would again, to help remove any contaminates that have been introduced, and applying a thin layer of a triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin) to the area is a good idea.

Know Your Donor's Anatomy-I'm not saying that you have to be a medical student, but do what you can to familiarize yourself with the locations of larger veins and ANY arteries before cutting someone. A good way to avoid areas that have major blood supplies is to go for areas of the body that are away from the underside of limbs, such as the back, shoulder area, or hips. Fatty parts of the body usually have the vessels deeper, and can also be a safe place to feed, such as the inner thigh.

Never Cut Too Deeply-Only cut a milimeter or less into your donor's skin. Any deeper and the rate of infection skyrockets. There are usually plenty of capillaries broken by shallow cuts to allow for a sufficient flow of blood. One sure fire way to ruin your evening is to send your donor to the emergency room for sutures.

Lancets
Use A New Lancet, EVERY Time-First and foremost, disease prevention is the most important point to be made. Lancets are inexpensive, and there is no reason to risk spreading life ending diseases between people just to save a few cents. Just as with blades, the risks of reusing lancets outweigh the benefits of using new ones everytime. Lancets dull quite easily, and with just a few uses, they become hopelessly dulled.

Clean The Area-Follow the tips above for cleaning a site and your mouth as set forth in the cutting section, and you can prevent dangerous infections.

Phlebotomy-This method can yeild the greatest amount of blood in the shortest time, with the least visible injury to the donor. However, the techniques and supplies involved are not readily avalible to most outside of the medical profession, and therefore, I will say little on this subject except, if someone wants to get your blood in this manner, they MUST open new, sterile syringes and needles before your eyes, and they better have a certificate showing that they have successfully completed a Phlebotomy course. If they can't do this, then walk out. Your life isn't worth the risk.

[Camazotz]

just thought I would bump this thread... anything else that others would like to contribute to the discussion?

Cama

[Master_Thaddeus]

Preach on!
Like a friend of mine says, you better watch out or you will get something ajax wont get out