Hello you all,
I am about to decide where have my sex reassignment surgery but I read that in Thailand there's a lack of RH negative blood (necessary in case of blood transfusion that may occour in this kind of surgery).
In the page about SRS Protocol on Suporn's site it is written that no blood transfusion is used (but I am a bit confused about this thing... although it wouldn't be a matter of life or death, as far as I know, may be used).
Do you know more about this subject?
Anyone of you has RH negative blood?
Thanks you in advance!

It is rare to need a blood transfusion during/from GRS. But I have to admit I had my surgery in Australia where there was a full ICU if needed.

But I have a little paranoia about surgery!

Not so rare... some friend of mine needed it... so it is an event to be considered. RH negative blood is very rare among asian people (~0,3%... for 4 blood groups).

https://english.redcross.or.th/node/49
At present the demand  for Rh-negative blood in hospitals  is increasing by about 40 units/month while supply of the blood is only half of the demand.

I'm a haematopathologist!

I'm aware of your concern.

That is why I went to a facility that had everything I may have needed.

Thank you Cindy, your feedback is very important for me. I am from Italy.

I think you'd be best contacting the surgeons to ask about this. They all use different facilities as well, so that may influence what that have easy access to.

Dr Chett operates out of his own clinic, Suporn from a large local hospital, and Dr Sutin at PAI is in one of the top hospitals in Thailand.

I've never heard of a blood transfusion being required.

I can't realize how can blood transfusion being not necessary at all in Thailand while in Italy and other countries (for example Spain) may be.

Of course I can ask them about this topic, but I want to have third neutral opinion. I tried to search on Google about RH negative blood transfusion in Thailand and I read that the blood supply is very difficult... so obviously I will be worried in having a surgery there.

Hi losteli,

As it is a concern for you, you should be able to negotiate with your surgeon to donate a few quarts of your own blood beforehand. You'd obviously need to take that into consideration in your over all plan as you'd need a few days to recover what was donated.

Speak to you as soon as I do the washing up

Huggs
Catherine

Thanks Catherine this is a chance, anyway I think that they take just a few blood each time, so the procedure have to be repeated for some weeks.

Quote from: losteli on November 07, 2015, 10:44:00 AM
Thanks Catherine this is a chance, anyway I think that they take just a few blood each time, so the procedure have to be repeated for some weeks.

Well there should be ways around this:
-donating locally beforehand and having it sent there
-asking for some of it to be available there, from a hospital or wherever... they should have the possibility to import some if necessary...

here might be a few more points to consider:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,193067.msg1721458.html#msg1721458

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,185600.0.html


hugs

Quote from: Cindy on November 07, 2015, 03:42:58 AM
It is rare to need a blood transfusion during/from GRS. But I have to admit I had my surgery in Australia where there was a full ICU if needed.

But I have a little paranoia about surgery!

The last thing I heard while going into theatre was them saying they didn't have enough blood. Someone had delivered 2 bags instead of 3. They said it would be fine they would get a 3rd bag brought over if needed.

Type O negative

Quote from: Serenation on November 07, 2015, 06:08:37 PM
The last thing I heard while going into theatre was them saying they didn't have enough blood. Someone had delivered 2 bags instead of 3. They said it would be fine they would get a 3rd bag brought over if needed.

Type O negative

Where did you have surgery?

Quote from: Laura_7 on November 07, 2015, 01:38:41 PM
Well there should be ways around this:
-donating locally beforehand and having it sent there
-asking for some of it to be available there, from a hospital or wherever... they should have the possibility to import some if necessary...

here might be a few more points to consider:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,193067.msg1721458.html#msg1721458

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,185600.0.html


hugs

Thank you, of course there are a lot of things to be considered when deciding the surgeon.

I considered Suporn (but although he is really a great surgeon, I am a bit worried about is technique, the post op is really hard compared to others) and PAI (the penile skin inversion with skin graft) in Thailand.

Of course here in Italy a small amount of surgery are performed each year but I know that the penile skin inversion with skin graft is a technique used also by some surgeon here (in Turin and in Trieste) and in the last years the results seem improved from the past.

Quote from: losteli on November 08, 2015, 03:11:32 AM
Where did you have surgery?

Australia, it was in a really nice private hospital in a capitol city so no real worries about getting blood in quick.

Thanks for your feedback.
Here in Italy a surgery is not performed if there are not enough blood reserve. But I don't know what is the protocol in other countries.

When I did my VFS, Dr Kim told me I was A- and the blood type is rare but they have a blood bank on standby just in case. You can get O- or your exact blood type.