Donating plasma?

offroadcmpr · Oct 3, 2005

A friend and I were thinking of giving plasma this week. Has any body done it here? What did you think? I've donated blood with no problems afterward, is it similar?

I heard from a friend that you get payed to do it!:huh2: That seems kinda weird.:shrug: Any one know why?

analogguy · Oct 3, 2005

offroadcmpr said:
A friend and I were thinking of giving plasma this week. Has any body done it here? What did you think? I've donated blood with no problems afterward, is it similar?

I heard from a friend that you get payed to do it!:huh2: That seems kinda weird.:shrug: Any one know why?

I used to donate platlets quite often, and I believe the process is similar. A needle is inserted into a vein and whole blood is taken. The blood enters a centrifuge where the plasma is separated from the other blood components (ie.-red cells, white cells, platelets) and collected into a separate bag. The other blood components are then returned to your body through the same needle, or through a needle in your other arm. A rather more involved process than a whole blood donation.

Frangible · Oct 3, 2005

offroadcmpr said:
A friend and I were thinking of giving plasma this week. Has any body done it here? What did you think? I've donated blood with no problems afterward, is it similar?

"Donating" plasma is less stressful on the body, many people do it 2x a week for an extra income source. It carries a small risk of death that's fairly insignificant per donation, but I certainly would not want to do it full time. Long term effects that you are guaranteed to get include blood vessel scarring, scarring of the skin, and a loss of antibodies which compromises your immune system.

I heard from a friend that you get payed to do it!:huh2: That seems kinda weird.:shrug: Any one know why?

Because your plasma gets resold at a very great profit by the corporation that harvests it. Paying people a small amount of the profit they get increases their profits more than trying to get free donations only.

chimo · Oct 3, 2005

Frangible said:
Because your plasma gets resold at a very great profit by the corporation that harvests it. Paying people a small amount of the profit they get increases their profits more than trying to get free donations only.

I have done over a hundred plasma donations, a bunch of whole blood donations and one platelet donation. I donate in Canada, where the system does not pay for any donations (whole blood, plasma or platelets). The "reward" you get here is a framed certificate and a dinner at certain milestones (~100, 150 and 200) and, of course, the felling you get when you do something good

. They issue various level donor cards (bronze 25, silver 50, gold 100 and platinum 200) and you get coffee/juice/donuts after each donation.

I first gave blood with my father when I was 16 or 17. I have been donating ever since. The older I get, the more I realize how much I have learned from him.

Paul

offroadcmpr · Oct 3, 2005

Frangible - I guess that makes sense, I always figured that it was like donating blood, you just did it becuase it was a good thing to do. I did not realize that there was a profit to be made off of it.

Chimo - :goodjob: on the donations. That was always my favorite part of donating blood, the free food afterward. :rock:

It sounds like it will take a little longer than givng blood, but hey, it will be a good time to study.

Brandon

nemul · Oct 4, 2005

There's no way I'd donate my Plasma (if i had one)! I dream of getting one of them big pretty TV's one day!

Frangible · Oct 4, 2005

chimo said:
I have done over a hundred plasma donations, a bunch of whole blood donations and one platelet donation. I donate in Canada, where the system does not pay for any donations (whole blood, plasma or platelets). The "reward" you get here is a framed certificate and a dinner at certain milestones (~100, 150 and 200) and, of course, the felling you get when you do something good . They issue various level donor cards (bronze 25, silver 50, gold 100 and platinum 200) and you get coffee/juice/donuts after each donation.

I first gave blood with my father when I was 16 or 17. I have been donating ever since. The older I get, the more I realize how much I have learned from him.

Paul

Yeah well, that's because Canada has a more sane medical system than the US

A certain amount of it is certainly needed to help people.

markdi · Oct 18, 2005

when I was in my early 20's I donated plasma twice a week for over 6 years.

my beautiful 19 year old girlfriend worked there.

a 15 guage needle was stuck into each of my arms over 300 times per arm.

I must have been insane.

Frangible · Oct 25, 2005

markdi said:
when I was in my early 20's I donated plasma twice a week for over 6 years.

my beautiful 19 year old girlfriend worked there.

a 15 guage needle was stuck into each of my arms over 300 times per arm.

I must have been insane.

Outta curiosity, what's the residual scarring from that like now?

Donating plasma?

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