The Importance For Knowing Your Blood Type For The EveryDay Prepper.

The Urban Prepper not only lives and works in the City / Urban area, but 90%+ do some type traveling in their life time and this information could save their life or the life of someone they are traveling with. Whether you go to the park or go on weekend get a ways to the mountains or on an extended business trip out of state you do not have readily access to your medical records and this one little thing could save your life. Not every town in America has a Hospital around the corner

Most recently I went to find out what type I was and believe it or not, most medical professionals no longer keep these records nor do they do these type tests. I went to the clinic I go to, no Type on file and referred me to the local hospital where I just had emergency surgery, no Type on file. I was told it was on my Birth Certificate, Not on mine. I was then referred to the surgeon who did the surgery who had copies of all my records, guess what? No Typing Test performed before surgery. Are you kidding me?

This truly blew me away and why I wanted to write this article. What if I was on a business trip out of the state, I am sure someone would Type my blood if I needed a transfusion but that takes time and what if I didn’t have that time. Having something on me in my wallet or back pack with my Type on it would save emergency medical treatment times.

Here is an exert from a recent article I read: DR. SHEILA WIJAYASINGHE - SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL - MARCH 26, 2017,

The question posed was: How useful is it to know my blood type? What can it tell me about myself?

The answer: It can be helpful to know your blood type for a number of reasons. Let's review how your blood type is determined to understand why it's important and how it can effect your health.

Your blood type is inherited from your parents and is determined by two factors: the ABO grouping system and the Rh factor.

The ABO blood typing system groups your blood into one of four categories:

· Type A has the A antigen.

· Type B has the B antigen.

· Type AB has both A and B antigens.

· Type O has neither A nor B antigens.

Starting with the ABO system, there are four blood groups: A, B, AB and O. The type of blood you have is based on the presence or absence of antigens and antibodies in your blood. Antigens are proteins that stick to the surface of your red blood cells, while antibodies are produced in the plasma or liquid portion of the blood. The type of antigen you have tells us what your blood type is. For example, if you have A antigens on your blood cells, your blood type is A. If someone has both A and B antigens, they are type AB. And if you do not have any antigens, your blood type is O. For each antigen on the blood cell, the opposite antibody is produced in the plasma. For example, type B blood has anti-type A antibodies.

In addition to the ABO typing system, your blood type is also determined by the presence or absence of another antigen known as the Rh factor. For example, if you are Rh-negative and have A-type blood, you are A-negative; if you have B-type blood and are also Rh-positive, you are B-positive. While there are more than 20 blood-type systems, ABO and Rh are the most important ones.

The importance of knowing your blood type is to prevent the risk of you receiving an incompatible blood type at a time of need, such as during a blood transfusion or during surgery. If two different blood types are mixed, it can lead to a clumping of blood cells that can be potentially fatal. Thankfully, prior to doing a blood transfusion, your blood type is tested and cross-matched against the donor blood, which minimizes the risk of transfusion reaction.

Knowing your Rh blood type is also important for pregnant women. If a women is Rh-negative and pregnant with a baby who is Rh-positive, it can lead to a condition known as Rh-incompatibility. If the blood of the Rh-positive baby mixes with the mother's, it can trigger the production of antibodies against the baby's blood known as Rh-sensitization. In general, the production of these antibodies will not affect the baby during the pregnancy where sensitization occurred, but future pregnancies with Rh-positive babies can lead to a fatal outcome for the baby. To avoid this risk, we always check a woman's blood type early in pregnancy. If she is Rh-negative, she receives a shot called immunoglobulin which prevents antibody production and sensitization.

One of the most valuable reasons to know about your blood type is to help others. Blood Services are often looking for potential donors and will put a call out to the public when there is a need to help others who have been in accidents, are in cancer treatment or need surgery. Sometimes they will put out a call for specific blood types, so when you hear that your type is in need, it's your opportunity to roll up your sleeve and donate to help others.

So, knowing what type you are and placing it with your emergency notification in your wallet, purse or on your back pack while out & about could truly save your life.

Get a FREE Medical In formation Card by clicking on the link in the caption area of the sample card shown below