Comments on Crazy Days and Nights: Do They Give Happy Endings With A Detox?

not only am i an organ donor, i also have the box ...

2008-02-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

not only am i an organ donor, i also have the box checked to donate my body to science. the asshole i married the first time wouldn't allow me to sign the organ donor card.
my family knows how strongly i feel about both, especially my body... my doctors have been scratching their heads for years wondering why someone my age has arthritis (not rheumatoid) to the extent i do. maybe they can find something to help other people (if there's any original bone left by the time i croak!!).

jax, honey, i'm sorry to hear you went through such a terrible thing. i wonder if there is a difference on how things are handled between here and canada.

zene, you don't educate people by beating them over the head. EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE. scale it back a bit, and don't be opening folk's raw wounds, 'kay? oh, and what catherine said.

Jax,funny that - George Best immediately sprang to...

2008-02-15T00:36:00.000-08:00

Jax,
funny that - George Best immediately sprang to my mind, too! There's just no helping some people.

I got a 'register as an organ donor' letter in the post this morning. Hmmm. I used to carry a card, but it fell apart lo these many years ago. Maybe I should look at that letter. Not that anyone would want MY 50-year-old battered organ collection... ;-)

Hey, don't hassel the Hoff.j/k...hassel away.

2008-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

Hey, don't hassel the Hoff.

j/k...hassel away.

Zene readind and supposedly "educating" yourself i...

2008-02-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Zene readind and supposedly "educating" yourself in no way equates to real life experience of how the system works.

zene thanx for your kind words but don't bother ne...

2008-02-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

zene thanx for your kind words but don't bother next time if it's going to be followed up with your patronizing response about me getting educated on it. ya i just sat there for 3 weeks and twiddled my thumbs while someone i loved died.

i'm done here...next post.

Zene- sorry you are giving out the bad info! I ha...

2008-02-14T13:44:00.000-08:00

Zene- sorry you are giving out the bad info! I happen to be an ICU nurse and have worked my butt off daily saving ODs/suicide attempts that get an organ in a few days. Bc they do not have chronic dz (and were not previously) and they are so acutely ill they go right to the top.

There are MANY MANY problems with the organ harvesting situation. However, it is a good thing for some people. And it is worth having to save those few people.

zene - I signed my organ donor card - it's on my l...

2008-02-14T13:27:00.000-08:00

zene - I signed my organ donor card - it's on my licence.

Unfortunately, by law, family can overturn your decision, so it's wise to let them know your wishes beforehand.

While I'm sorry for your loss jax, education is th...

2008-02-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

While I'm sorry for your loss jax, education is the best way to understand. It's what I did. HIV positive patients have organ transplants routinely now, medical and time concerns are the issues. The numbers show they have the same survival rate as non-HIV+. There's just NOT enough donors. An option is to get a living donor for a partial liver transplant. But more people need to register as one. It takes a minute when you renew your license but most people get squeamish thinking about it.

zene i watched a family memeber die becaseu he was...

2008-02-14T12:53:00.000-08:00

zene i watched a family memeber die becaseu he was not on the top of the list due to being HIV and in dire need of a liver so dont tell me i have BAD info sweetie.

i know more about this than i care to.

'the overdoses and suicide attempts get pretty muc...

2008-02-14T12:48:00.000-08:00

'the overdoses and suicide attempts get pretty much first shot' 'HIV gets the bottom of the list' BAD info people. Bad, irresponsible & dangerous if it convinces a possible donor from not signing that little piece of paper. Living donors can donate to whomever they choose, usually a family member or friend. But harvested organs are controlled as is the list of eligible recipients. There are so many factors affecting placement. Active alcoholics/druggies are at the bottom though.

Is anyone here an organ donor? Is it on your license?

From my friend who's been in the transplant arena for twenty years: I've worked for many years in the transplant field in the US and while there certainly are flaws in the system at the "front end" (i.e., where the person is initially listed), it is impossible to manipulate the system once you are listed.
Hard to believe, yes, but the waiting list in the US is maintained in a centralized database at UNOS (you can read al about it at unos.org). Although there are plenty of controversial issues about how organs are allocated, wealth and fame, fortunately, are not related to those problems. Of course at a broader level--regarding access to health care in the first place--there are huge and disturbing disparities across economic strata. But once a person is actually listed in the system, there is nothing they can do to "move up" over anyone else. I have heard of only one case where someone with great wealth allegedly attempted to manipulate the system, and the hospital and staff associated with the case got into very deep and well-deserved trouble.

Ent, my friend works in Detox (in Minnesota) as a ...

2008-02-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

Ent, my friend works in Detox (in Minnesota) as a nurse. This happens all the time. Drunks just use it as a way to clean up for the job on Monday.

Hoff gets in because he's a celeb and he's charming, and he gets bumped to the head of the line. I feel bad for all the people who need Detox that are worse off than him and are actually motivated to change.

Hoff's an issue simply because of his Baywatch mon...

2008-02-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

Hoff's an issue simply because of his Baywatch money, which is substantial. Else, we wouldn't even be talking about him. Disgusting.

Ha, you know what is worse. Since the recipient l...

2008-02-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

Ha, you know what is worse. Since the recipient list is based on how ill a patient is, the overdoses and suicide attempts get pretty much first shot. Isn't it strange that someone who has already shown to have no regard or wanting of life, get it.

See George best for a similar account...HIV positi...

2008-02-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

See George best for a similar account...HIV positive pople get he bottom of the list (which is BS) and the Hoff should be just below...if you need a transplant due to substance abuse tough shit.