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Besides the obvious (I hope) risk of becoming infected with a Bloodborne
Disease there are other risks involved as well both mental and physical
to your and your donor that you definitely should be aware of. Those wishing
to be "turned" especially should take note of these two pages.
To get the blood you need there are pretty much only three ways to do so: Cut
another human being (donor), via menstruated blood, or via blood from a slaughter
house. And the physical risks vary with each as well. The common factor being
there is no way to procure and drink blood that is completely risk-free. What
goes for sex applies here to, the only true safety is to abstain. But, that
aside, what are the risks behind each one?
Warning! The information below is not pretty nor glamorous, and I would not
recommend eating anything while reading. It is, however, the truth which you
as drinker, donor, or interested party should very much be aware of.
PHYSICAL RISKS
Donor Blood
Blood procured from another human being via a wound either made or already
existing on the body.
To the donor is the obvious risk of the wound, if not cleaned properly before
and after drinking it can easily become infected. The human mouth is far from
the cleanest thing on this planet. The bacteria can cause abscesses (pus filled
pockets) at the least and motor paralysis at the other extreme if the cut
is close to a nerve that becomes infected. This can be avoided somewhat by
cleaning the wound very well before and after drinking with some isopropyl
alcohol, bactine disinfectant and a little hydrogen peroxide. The wound should
also be treated against scarring (Vitamin E creams help this somewhat) and
bandaged for at least a day to keep out infection. Even all of this, though,
is not a fool proof preventative.
Also to the donor is the risk of cutting at the wrong point. A person inexperienced
in physiology can cut wrong sever a nerve or major vessel in no time flat.
Nerves do not regenerate and thus, once severed, can cause paralysis, loss
of feeling and eventually a possible loss of limb. Major blood vessels are
large enough that they do not quickly clot. Yes, you will have more blood
then you (the drinker) know what to do with, but your donor will also be at
great risk for bleeding to death... try explaining THAT to the ER nurse.
To the drinker is the risk of drinking too much (yes, this can be done).
This can result in Iron over dose, (possibly) Toxic Porphyria, and bloody
stools. Moderation should always be the key. You may want to drink two or
three times a week, but it is far better to limit yourself to what you need.
This cuts back on all the above mentioned problems to you and your donor.
Drug Interactions
Though possibly falling somewhat under blood-borne disease, it is probably
better mentioned here. That of the risk of drug interactions through your
donors blood. In a world where everything is treated by a medication, chances
are pretty good that at some point your donor will be taking a medication,
or possibly even an illegal drug. Both of these drugs can cause allergic reactions
in people. "But, I (the drinker) am not taking the drug, my donor is"
you might argue... in blood you are getting whatever it is that your donor
is taking. Medications and drugs do not just magically appear to the area
where they are needed, they circulate in the body for extended periods of
time. If you have never had contact with these medications or drugs, you may
not know you have allergies until it is too late. Penicillin reactions can,
and do, result in death, and that is just a single drug. One must also take
into account drug interactions if both you and your donor are taking medications.
People in general are seldom aware of the possibility of one drug interacting
with another in the body, usually with adverse effects. Illegal/legal drug
interactions can cause this same adverse reaction, often with even greater
irregularity due to the inconsistency of illegal drugs. Drug interactions
can result in anything from minor stomach upset to death. Obvious a very great
risk, and one that is not always completely avoidable.
Menstrual Blood
This method does mostly eliminate the hazard of creating a wound, but the
possibility of infection is still present because of the unclean and bacteria
ridden nature of the human mouth. To the donor it can result in pyrometriosis...
a rather nasty, smelly, and painful infection of the uterus which results
in it being filled with infected pus. Treatable through leutalyse injection
(causes contraction of the uterus and expulsion of the infection with side
effects of nausea and diarrhea. Not all people respond to the injections either
so, more commonly, hysterectomy is the recommended treatment. Neither treatment
falls under the category of "cheap, easy, and painless". The disease
also often causes future infertility. Infection of the cervix, oviducts, and
all other parts of the reproductive and, actually, this can extend to the
bladder and kidneys as well. Sound disgusting? You bet, but it is a very real
risk. Cervical and uterine infections both increase the risk of future uterine
or cervical cancer as well.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
There are also some STDs while not blood-borne, can become problems for
the drinker when taking drink in this method. To mind first comes Herpes,
which if infected to the mouth can cause infectious cold-sores. Also Candidia
(a type of yeast) while normally present near the female reproductive tract
is not a common oral bacteria and can cause the tongue to swell and a white
growth in the mouth. Candidia is a curable infection, Herpes as yet is not.
Other STDs are also a risk, but are discussed more on the Bloodborne Diseases
page.
Parasites
And here is a rather nasty one I bet you had not considered... worms.
Hookworms, flatworms, heartworms and other such parasites are everywhere.
Usually we don't think of it because of the nice, clean, sterile world around
us but they are still a present part in our society. Often traveling fecal-oral
routes... and, nasty but true, if you are drinking menstrual blood, you are
very near the anus where eggs of these parasites can be found. All can cause
digestive problems in the least, and heart worms live in the blood vessels,
choking the heart eventually causing death if not noticed and treated.
Slaughter House Blood
First of all, in some states it is illegal for the butcher to sell blood for
consumption. That right there should clue you in that it is not a particularly
safe practice. Even domestic animals can carry cross-species infectious disease
as well as the risk of those diseases often associated with spoiled food (such
as salmonella). If the slaughter process is sloppy, partially digested animal
foodstuffs can contaminate the blood. This partially digested food is just
loaded with bacteria, some of which our body has no clue how to work with.
The meat can be rinsed and washed of these bacteria but one cannot do the
same with the blood.
Prion Contamination
Along similar lines is the risk of a sloppy slaughter resulting in prion
contamination of the blood. Prions are infectious proteins that cause "Mad-Cow
Disease" among others... Kuru, Krutsfield-Jackob (more genetic), Scrapie
(in sheep) and a multitude of wasting diseases. Generally, the protein only
resides in neuronal tissue (brain, spinal cord, etc.) but sloppy butchering
can cause contamination. The prion its self causes mutation of the bodies
natural brain proteins to a non-digestible form. The proteins build up in
the cells and causes lysis (breakage) and cell death. This eventually leads
to "spongiform encephalopathy" (spongy brain) where you brain is
riddled with holes and you begin to mentally degenerate. Not pleasant.
MENTAL RISKS
These are risks that while not physically noticeable, often arise, either
ethically, religiously, or morally. In general, drinking blood is hard on
the mind. It's not a "normal human" thing to do. It can cause depression
from loneliness, being ostracized by friends, loss of loved ones, mental anguish
at the pain caused to others (either physically or emotionally), and an "outsider"
feeling. For some, this isn't a big deal. Some are more loners by nature then
others, but for a majority we need companionship and friends we can talk to
and relate with. Ethically, we often find ourselves look at "is it right"
or "is there a true justification behind what I am doing". These
are questions you have to answer for yourself, and not easy ones either. You
alone can make that decision for you. Other situations will come up in your
life where there may be no right answer, where you have to weigh options...
this is normal, welcome to real life. For us though we wind up often in much
larger holes. Can you deal with the guilt of looking at a friend bleeding
and thinking of drinking before you think of helping? Can your mind survive
having to realize day in and day out that no matter how big a crowd you are
in, you are most likely alone? Sometimes it is better to be human, and be
like everyone else... "{vampire}I want to learn how to turn a human into
a vampire {Response by human}Only if you will teach me to turn a vampire into
a human." (From Sanguinarius' Vampiric Community Board) It's a one way
street, people, once you are here, you can't go back. It is much better for
you to simply look down the road, and then walk on...
This article is presented as part of an ongoing effort to present other views outside of, as well as within, the online vampire community. Those of us who consider ourselves vampiric don't always look at things from the same viewpoint due to our life experiences. As such, the views and opinions contained in this article are entirely those of the author(s), and may not necessarily be shared by SphynxCatVP. The webmaster is not under obligation to update or otherwise keep current the contents of this article. Most importantly, only you can decide for yourself whether this article or any of the author(s) other views are useful or applicable to you - you are responsible for using your own reasoning and judgement, so judge wisely.
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