Hi Reesacat - I was working as a transfusion Scientist but I also would not want a transfusion unless it was a life or death situation. The main reason being that there is a good possibility that the donor may have eaten something that I react to shortly before donating the unit of blood. Some of the things I react to include MSG, aspartame, caffeine, soy, milk products. These are all wide spread in the diets of most people. A lot of the transfusion reactions that I have investigated had allergic type reactions and it is acknowledged that this could be due to something the donor had eaten prior to donating. (It is extremely rare for a reaction to be due to incompatible blood by the way and when this does occur it is usually due to a clerical error e.g. giving Joan Smith's blood to John Smith. For this reason the rules around sample and patient identification are very strict).

I am in the same boat as Aaltrude-I react to any and everything.
My criteria for going to the hospital/anesthesia are:
Unconscious
Not breathing

At that point I am willing to risk the side effects.

I wonder if the health issues you are having are making you more susceptible to react this way to anesthesia WellnessMom. I know the way I react to even supplements now as a result of my MCS makes me scared of being anesthetised or even going into hospital.