Plasma donation. I does it.

That’s right, twice a week I donate my plasma. Not the most pleasant of ways to make $65 a week, but better than others.

  In 1914 the term ‘plasmaepheresis’ was coined by John Jacob Able. Greek for plasma meaning something molded and aphaeresis meaning taken away.

  In 1937 the first blood banks were established. In 1964 plasmaepheresis was introduced as a means of collecting plasma for fractionation, the separation process that allows you to isolate three or more components at a time.

  In 1966 the first European plasmaepheresis center opened.

  In 1972 aphaeresis was used to extract one cellular component and return the rest back to the donor.

  What can you expect should you venture into the world of plasma donation? First you must be cleared for donation. Identity and residence verification can be expected. Then you give an extensive medical history to the Medical Support staff. A short physical and pee in a cup and you are ready to go. This will also happen once a year, as time goes by.

  Once you are screened and cleared to donate you will be screened each time you come to the clinic. You will verify your name and donor number, be checked for cross donation at other centers and then screened for the day. That includes checking your hermitic rate (percentage of red blood cells), protein levels, blood pressure, temperature and then answer some standard questions about exposure to some diseases.

  After that you go to the donation floor and wait to be given a bed and hooked up. The donation floor might look a bit scary with many people all hooked up to machines and tubes and most watching a movie on one of the many flat screens that are suspended from the ceiling. Very Sci-Fi-ish. Last week I watched Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl.

  Once you are given a bed you pick your arm, right or left and then wait while they set up the machine with all new components. Then they hook you up to the machine. Its much like getting blood drawn but with a slightly bigger needle and this time the needle will be left in for about 45 minutes or so. Sit back and watch part of a movie, maybe even half.

  Now you are all done. You can proceed to the payment window where you will be paid, $30 for the first donation of the week and $35 for your second donation in a weeks time. You can donated twice a week with at least one day in between.
  Of course there are some precautions to take, as with everything.

  First : Hydrate! Water is now your bbf! The center will tell you to drink half a gallon the day before donation and half a gallon afterwards. I recommend this highly.
  Second : Eat! The center says at least four hours before donation. I have to have it within two.

  These are the two things that allow me to donate without adverse effects. Especially eating. NEVER donate on an empty stomach. You WILL get sick. I know this from experience. Very sick. Lightheaded. Dizzy. Nauseous. Unable to sit up or stand up. This lasted three hours for me.

  This may sound scary but has only happened once in the two years that donated before and then again last week when I forgot how long it had been since I ate. When I hydrate and eat first I have no reactions except maybe a little dizzy for a few seconds.

  Really the risks are very minimal. Everything is sterilized and health standards and codes are followed at all times. Its nice and clean in the center, nothing like the stereotypes.

  There are a few other risks you should be aware of. Drop in blood pressure is the most common and easily remedied. An allergic reaction to some of the solutions used may also happen, this is more severe but also more rare. And, as I recently found out, there can be a ‘citrate reaction’ causing tingling in the fingers and around the mouth and also causing cramping. The citrate anticoagulant also binds to calcium and may lower your calcium levels. You might want to supplement.

  So what is my plasma used for?

“The plasma that is collected at your BioLife center is manufactured into a wide variety of life-saving products that benefit thousands of people everyday. Plasma is used in the treatment of serious disorders such as hemophilia and immune system deficiencies, and to make products used to help treat and prevent diseases like tetanus, rabies, measles, rubella and hepatitis B.

For example, those who suffer from certain forms of hemophilia lack or are deficient in the natural clotting factors that help stop bleeding after sustaining acute or other injuries. Plasma-based products are used to treat people with this disorder so that they may lead normal, active lives.

In addition, hospitals and emergency rooms all over the world use plasma-derived albumin in the treatment of traumatic injuries such as shock and severe burns.

It is important to remember that plasma is not a substance that can be produced in a laboratory or some other artificial environment.  It can only be obtained from healthy adults.  When you donate plasma, you are helping save lives. ( http://www.plasmazentrum.at/en/plasma-learning-center/how-is-plasma.html )

  So there it is. Plasma donation. I think it needs to thought about very seriously before going for it. But my experience has been a positive one. I did need to take a two year break after two years of straight donation, but that was for an unrelated issue. I had an ovarian cyst among other things and needed surgery and time to get back on my feet. I have, on occasion, been deferred for too low hermitic rate and also for too low protein. They want everyone in optimal health at all times and will send you home if you don’t meet all the requirements for that day. This is rare for me. I’m pretty healthy and keep my hydrated and fed. All in all not a bad way to make some extra cash.