DEAR ABBY: Your recent article on knowing your own blood type has prompted me to write.
When I was pregnant for the first time at age 36, my obstetrician performed a routine blood test, including blood typing. I was informed that my blood type was "O Negative" - whereupon I told the nurse that there must have been some sort of lab error because I already knew that my blood type was "O Positive." The test was repeated, and to my surprise, my blood type was in fact "O Negative"!I had always carried a card, given to me by my mother, that stated my blood type was "O Positive." My pediatrician had tested my blood when I was a child back in the early '50s, and that card was part of my medical file along with my immunization records.
I discussed this discrepancy with my doctor, who informed me that, although accurate for blood type, tests performed during the '40s and '50s were often incorrect for the Rh factor. In fact, an error rate of 10 percent or more in the Rh factor was typical of the old blood-typing tests!
So, Abby, your readers should rely on only the relatively recent blood-typing tests to determine their blood types. - PATRICIA WEEKS, LONG BEACH, CALIF.
DEAR PATRICIA: I am informed that when it comes to blood typing, nobody takes anybody else's word for anything; the blood is tested again just to be on the safe side, whether a person is giving or receiving blood for a transfusion.
DEAR ABBY: When I saw the letter about blood types, I had to write.
Three years ago, our son left this small Kansas town to drive, alone, to California. He called us the first night, the second night - then nothing!
My husband contacted the Highway Patrol, and one by one, I was asked for: a recent picture of our son, his driver's license number, his blood type and the license number of his car. Each question hit me like a physical pain. Some of the answers I did not know, and in the condition I was in, I could not even think logically enough to find them.
Thirty-six hours later, our son showed up on our doorstep! (He had changed his mind and returned home.)
Now, all of the information for each member of this family is safely tucked away in my desk - labeled and easily accessible. - JANE HATHAWAY, ST. JOHN, KAN.
DEAR JANE: Fortunately, your story had a happy ending, but there's a lesson in it for everyone. Thanks for sharing.
DEAR ABBY: When I was 18 years old, I was raped by a man I trusted. I never told anyone what happened to me.
Now, six years later, I have fallen in love with a wonderful man who has asked me to marry him. I'm sure he thinks I'm a virgin and I'm afraid if I tell him the truth, he won't marry me. What should I do? - SUFFERED ENOUGH
DEAR SUFFERED: Tell him you were raped by a man you trusted when you were 18 years old. It's the truth. If he decides not to marry you for that reason, you're better off without him.
Everything you'll need to know about planning a wedding can be found in Abby's booklet, "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." To order, send a long business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054. (Postage is included.)