Finding Out Blood Type
Ever feel like the universe is laughing at you? I felt this a bit in the past month or so of what has become a blood type debacle.
It started with my desire to find out what my blood type is. Why did I want to know what my blood type is? The answer lies in the theories of the blood type diet. I’ve heard about the diet in passing and my interest peaked when I learned more about it in my studies at IIN.
Your blood type determines your susceptibility to illness, which foods you should eat and how you should exercise. It is a factor in your energy levels, the efficiency with which you burn calories, your emotional response to stress and perhaps even your personality.
– Dr. Peter J D’Adamo
This intrigue caused me to pick up the book Eat Right For Your Type by Dr. Peter J D’Adamo. But the book sat on the shelf for months because I was missing the link to it all — my blood type.
I ordered one of the test at home blood type kits, but messed it up, LOL. So after tossing away a good $15, with a sore finger from trying to poke myself and a bit of frustration, I was still unsure what my blood type was.
So in a whisk I made an appointment at Bonfils to donate blood and went in on a Saturday morning about a month or so ago. This was my first time donating, so I didn’t know what to expect.
My husband laughed at me when I told him that I’d had my blood drawn so many times and was fine. This wasn’t just a little blood they took, he said. They filled whole blood bags.
When I walked into the donation center, my stomach turned a little when I saw what looked like hospital beds and very pale people hooked up — What had I gotten myself into?
After waves of dizziness, I made it through the donation process and I finally had my blood type. I am O negative.
Negative Blood Types and Miscarriage
While I finally had my blood type, the knowledge of this was quickly pushed aside when I found out that I was pregnant. (I didn’t know this as I was donating blood — not the best thing to be doing! LOL).
Unfortunately, the pregnancy did not last and I miscarried last week. This prompted me to visit a new OBGYN. My visit at this new office was horrible. I was in the process of miscarrying while I was there and the pains that I was having were awful (only excelerated by my endometriosis).
The nurse that I saw told me she was going to have to give me an exam, though she didn’t tell me that she was going to use the clamps! As I tried to shrink away from her, she shoved the device into me. Thinking about this again makes me cringe. That only set off the pain.
Anyways…. at the end of her vicious exam she told me about the RhoGam shot and that, depending on my blood type, I’d need to get it.
At this point I was hurting and very pissed off at this woman. Needless to say, there was little trust built and I scoffed at her suggestion to take some random vaccine, but she was insistent.
I told her that my blood type was O negative, but she didn’t take my word for it. They had to know for sure — so another nurse drew my blood. They called me back the next day, which was Friday at 4:00 PM and told me that I was O negative (surprise, surprise) and that I had to come in and get the shot within the next hour before their offices closed.
Having remnants of anger at the way I was treated, I told the woman on the phone that I was not returning to their office. She argued that I HAD to have this shot since I had RH negative blood.
Lessons on the RhoGam Shot
I didn’t end up returning to that doctor’s office, but the urgency of the nurse who called me remained with me. Did I really need to get this RhoGam shot?
I started to research it on the Internet and posed the question to my peer coach at IIN and with my endo sisters in a natural healing support group I am part of, in hopes that I’d receive confirmation that I didn’t need to get this shot.
But, unfortunately I didn’t receive this assurance. Everyone told me to get it. Even those completely against vaccinations. I continued to search, but couldn’t find a good reason for me not to take the shot. In fact, if I didn’t get the shot then future pregnancies could be at risk.
After my hours of research, this is what I learned….
Issues arise with my negative blood (termed RH negative in the medical field) when the baby has positive blood (or RH positive) that mixes with mine. This could happen after a miscarriage.
My negative blood type could develop antibodies to attack this foreign, positive blood in my system. Once these antibodies develop in the body, they could remain in the body.
If I am “sensitized” and develop these antibodies then future pregnancies are at risk if the developing baby has positive blood. The remaining antibodies will start to attack the positive blood of the baby. This could lead to additional miscarriages or other issues with the baby like anemia or heart issues.
There was a possibility that the fetus had a negative blood type like mine (in which case it was fine). Or there was also the possibility that my husband’s blood type is negative like mine, in which case the baby’s blood would surely be negative as well and there would be no issue. Unfortunately, we didn’t know what my husband’s blood type is.
The RhoGam shot makes it so the body does not get sensitized to these antibodies. It contains a small amount of antibodies which kill any RH positive blood cells and prompt the immune system to develop its own antibodies so that if this enters the system again, it doesn’t go on a full scale attack.
After learning all this and mulling over the potential risks of me discarding the RhoGam shot the stress in me grew and grew. It was the weekend and all OBGYN’s offices were closed. I called the on-call doctor at the horrible office I visited and she didn’t have a solution for me, outside of visiting the ER.
I called around Saturday morning to my primary care physician and even Planned Parenthood, but no one could help me.
So I sucked it up and went to the ER. And guess what? They tested my blood…. again. They said they had to have it on their records before they could give me the shot. Low and behold…. still O negative 🙂
What to Eat For Your Blood Type
In celebration of the end my blood type debacle, I picked up Eat Right For Your Type again and have been reading up on the blood type diet the past couple of days. I find this theory of blood typing very interesting.
Each blood type contains the genetic message of our ancestors’ diets and behaviors and although we’re a long way away from each history, many of their traits still affect us. Knowing these predispositions helps us to understand the logic of the blood type diets.
– Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo
Based on the origins of our ancestors with our blood type, Dr. D’Adamo has come up with a diet plan including what each type should eat, what supplements to take, how to exercise and ways to combat stress. As I read more about the diet for my type, I admit, I became more intrigued, as I seemed to fit the bill.
The O blood type is the oldest blood type, tracing back to our earliest ancestors who primarily consumed meat, nuts, vegetables and some fruits (high protein, low carb). The O blood type does not do well with dairy or gluten and really any type of grains.
The A blood type trace back to changes that happened in the food supply with agricultural practices. If you are an A blood type then you do best eating a vegetarian diet (high carb, low fat). A blood types don’t do well with meat because the body doesn’t assimilate it well. A types also don’t do well eating dairy.
The B blood type is the most flexible of the blood types and does well with a varied diet including meat and dairy products. The B blood type is the only one who can tolerate dairy.
The AB blood type have the same benefits and intolerances of the A and B blood types and has the friendliest immune system of all of the blood types.
On the Positive Side?
Because of my blood type I’ve been experimenting more with eating meat and yesterday went as far as to have a big juicy burger! (I haven’t had red meat in at least three years). I admit it was absolutely delicious 🙂 I should add that the beef was local, grass fed and organic — all important components in eating responsible meat and healthier meat.
I feel like with winter around the corner and cold temperatures outside, that my body needs more meat right now. I don’t do well with a lot of raw foods in the winter and I can only eat so many beans! LOL.
I cut out red meat initially because it wasn’t making me feel well. It stopped me up and made me bloated and yuck. Since this time, I’ve learned the importance of chewing! LOL. I didn’t feel the same negative effects after eating the beef yesterday and have had things moving out of me today, so all in all — success 🙂
What about you? Do you know what your blood type is? Have you had to get the RhoGam shot because of it? Do you follow the blood type diet? Success? Or not so much? I’d love to hear from you…..
Until next time….. I will be catching up on more blood in my Vampire Diaries marathon 🙂 LOL.
