Plasma Donation

Recently, I have had some financials woes due to the fact that a HALF cousin left me high and dry with the bills (after she ran them up for a month). It was a failed attempt to "pay it forward." So a coworker told me about donating plasma as they pay pretty good. I did the math and if I did it twice a week for the rest of the year, I'd be in the clear from all the damage she did to my bank account. At first I thought it was pretty sad that I would have to resort to doing such a thing. Literally selling my "blood" to compensate. But then I realized that there are people out there who really need plasma to sustain their lives. So all around, it's a win-win situation. The process of getting all set up to donate was quite the ordeal! Below is a timeline of what really happened to me. 

5AM--Woke up. I take awhile to get ready!

6:30AM--On the road to plasma center

6:50AM--Stand in the freezing cold for 10 minutes til they opened. I wished I'd stopped for coffee. 

6:57AM--Upset that a man asked someone to hold his place in line while he sat in his warm car the whole time. Shouldn't the longer you stood in the frigid air give you privileges? 

7:00AM--Doors open and I mistakenly drift off to the line on the right because it seems shorter only to be told that all new donors should go to the right. Great...this landed me further back in the line. 

7:10AM--Two people ahead of me, the one employee tells the new donor that her name doesn't match her license. New donor argues with her stating it's the only social security card she's ever had and it's just faded but it's the same name. Employee huffs a little and takes the card to the back. Meanwhile another employee takes over and processes the girl ahead of me and partially processes me. Since I don't know where my social security card is that matches my current name, I was told I could bring in my 2012 W2s. The fussy woman comes back and clears the other woman and finishes processing me. She wanted to argue with me too about what my name says on my W2s. I had to tell her TWICE: "I've had THIS name since 2010. I'm 100% sure it matches my W2s." Her: "I just want to make sure...I'd hate to schedule you when someone else could have your slot." Got her to schedule me in for the last slot of the day for new donors...2PM

7:20AM--On my way home where I stop for coffee at Sonic. 

7:40AM--Back home where I walked the Pep, tossed the apartment looking for my W2s. Apparently 2012 was the only year I didn't file neatly away. 

8:30AM--Found W2s. Huzzah! Took a nap!

1:45PM--Arrived back at the plasma center. Waited for half an hour (15 minutes past my appt time). 

2:15PM--Got called up. They copied my DL & W2s and sent back to counseling room where I read the info and filled out forms. There was some question as to whether I could be a donor considering the thyroid supplements I take. "Is it from the bovine thyroid or just bovine parts???" I was made to do extensive internet research on my supplement. Got sent back to the lobby to wait for them to get further info on it and speak with a doctor.

4:00PM--It was determined I'm good to go as it just says "bovine parts" and not "actual bovine thyroid derivative." Got into pre-screening room where they stuck my finger and asked me tons of questions about my sex life. Most of my answers consisted of: "Not that I know of!" 

4:15PM--Doctor's office for physical where they scanned my pee and asked me more invasive questions about my sex life and medical history. How the hell do I know if I've slept with a man who has slept with another man since 1977? (Just kidding mom & dad!) The biggest concern seemed to be that I'd visited countries in Europe since 1980 but I seemed to be clear. I also had to show her all of my tattoos and piercings. Every comment I made seemed to bring on extra questions. For example, she asked me when I'd gotten my ears pierced. I said: "The first time my ears were pierced was when I was 3 but those have been repierced a few times." Doctor's eyebrows raise: "When were they last repierced?" Me: "I don't know. Sometime in the 80s? My mom had to pierce them a lot because I didn't take care of them." Doctor scribbles this down. 

4:25PM--I was given a protein bar and a bottle of water in exchange for my personal information and troubles.

4:30PM--Man walks me to a machine and instructs me someone will be over soon. I sit down on the table only to be moved to another bed as the machine next to me wasn't turned on. The woman explained the process while getting the machine ready for me. Plasma goes out, gets spun around. Vital nutrients and such get returned to me along with a saline flush at the end to give me extra hydration.

4:45PM--As she is hooking me up to the machine, I tell her not to tell me what she's doing to me, she should just do it. She laughs at me as I have to turn my head and look away. I can't even watch what she's doing and I don't really like seeing my blood in the tubes either. I did, however, enjoy watching my plasma fill the bottle. I was a fast donor. It only took 5 repetitions! It burned a little bit when my stuff was returned to me. Did you know that plasma looks like pee??? And did you know that women's is lighter in color because of the extra estrogen?? And plasma that looks pink has too much fat in the plasma and unusable?? I asked tons of questions to all of the employees every time they passed by me. 

5:30PM--Unhooked from machine and given my money. Treated myself to froyo for my good deed. LOL 

The whole process left me exhausted.

Second time I went to donate, it was a little bit rougher. I got seated in a bed and got hooked up to the machine. Thankfully, the first time I did it, one of the employees explained to me what the lights on the machine meant. Green meant it was going fast; yellow meant it was going slow; red meant it wasn't going at all; and another set of lights showed that it was returning my nutrients to my body after being spun around. After being hooked up, I noticed that my plasma bottle wasn't filling up as fast as the last time. I knew I was fully hydrated, which is something that helps you donate fast, so that couldn't be the reason. Also, I knew I hadn't moved my arm and subsequently the needle. An employee came over and increased the pressure cuff, pushed some buttons, then wiggled the needle in my arm (talk about almost vomiting....) and once again I was donating again. But soon enough, the lights flashed back and forth from red to yellow. The employee came back and did the same thing and I was donating again. But it happened a third time! Finally the girl who hooked me up the very first time I did it, came over, apologized, and said she was going to have to restick me. A bandage was applied to my right arm along with an ice pack and she threaded my left arm. From there, the donating went super fast. I was done in about one repetition! By this time, it was past 6PM even though I was hooked up around 4:50PM. After I got home, I took the bandages off my arm (after waiting about 2.5 hours). I freaked out at my right arm as it had gotten all bruised from the fiddling with the needle/veins. I think I'll be a bit wary of letting that girl thread my vein again. All in all, I will continue to donate plasma as long as I need it because 1. People need it. 2. I could use the money. 3. Having 45 minutes to an hour where no one can bug me is kinda nice!