[Nicole28]

--> originally posted on the Adoptee Support forum, but I figured it couldn't hurt to post it in a few places!

I am in the process of methodically dissecting my non-identifying information for usable "clues" that may lead me to a new place in my search. I know that I will have more questions as I continue to go through my "stuff" but here are a couple to kick things off - -

On almost every page of info. provided by the hospital where I was born is written "SSNK." I am assuming that this stands for "Social Security Not Known," as there is no social security number in my hospital records. Has anyone seen this on their own information? Or have a guess at what it might mean?

There is what appears to be a social security number on some of the hospital records. It is blacked out on some pages and not on others. According to some Internet research that my boyfriend did for me, social security numbers beginning with 800-999 were [are] invalid and were never issued or used. So, I am wondering if this was a generic number used to either ID my biological mother or maybe even me? But, if it is not an IDENTIFYING piece of information, why would it be blacked out on some pages?!

According to one website, the first 3 digits of a SSN represent the "area number," the two middle digits represent the "group number" and the final four digits represent the "serial number." This is all Greek to me, really. I remember reading somewhere on the forums a few years ago that one set of digits were related to the hospital where you were born, and one set correlated to the county you were born in...or something to that effect, but I can't remember exactly. Anyway - I am wondering what the aforementioned number may mean, and why it would be blacked out on some pages but not touched on others.

Also - there is a number that looks like XX-XX-XXX on the copy of my fetal monitor strip. Just wondering if there is any significance to this number.

I also have a page within my hospital records that seems to indicate that cord blood was taken and perhaps stored. All it says is "cord blood" and then there is a copy of my [or maybe my biological mother's] hospital bracelet [with the aforementioned possible SSN not blacked out] and a note that says "RPR Non-Reactive," which indicates that I did not have syphilis at the time of the cord blood testing - [according to my web research] RPR apparently stands for Rapid Plasma Reagin. The more I look at this, the more I am convinced that it is just a copy of the lab reports and not an indication that cord blood was stored. I'd imagine that, in the event of an adoption, that maybe is not an issue that is brought up with the relinquishing bio-mother, but again, I have no idea.

There are also two different numbers, each six digits, and starting with the same two digits, included on every page of my medical info. Some pages have one number and some pages contain the other - these two numbers are typed on each page. I think [based on one particular page] that this is my hospital ID number. I just realized that one number was MY ID number and the other was my biological mother's hospital ID number. I wonder if this would ever be at all useful?! My boyfriend found information that suggests that individuals use their hospital ID number, rather than their SSN, to be identified in hospital records. On the copy of the letter that I sent to the hospital [which was sent BACK to me with my non-ID] someone wrote my hospital ID number on the top corner with a "Maybe?" written underneath, which makes me assume that they looked at my DOB and then pulled the records of the only baby girl born that day and relinquished for adoption...I am guessing that they did not use my SSN [which I included in my letter of request] to pull my records, since I did not receive a SSN until I received a BC, which was not until 1986.

I also have her fingerprint. I imagine that it would cost me a pretty penny to have someone [a PI? The Police?] run it through a database. Is that even legal? I also have her blood type. Funny, because I don't even know my own blood type.

It's interesting to note how many little new things I find when I really study my non-ID info, and I have had it for almost five years now.

Thanks - any help is appreciated.