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{This is copied straight out of my journal....}
Geez oh man....... Donating plasma was an experience! I was totally not expecting the way it all went down. First of all, I got there about 9:10am. I didn't leave until 12:45pm. I was very uncomfortable when I got in there because obviously the other people in the waiting room needed that $20 A LOT more than I did. We're talking some scary looking people. They even have a security guard posted in there, so you can imagine what kind of riff raff they get. There was some creepy guy trying to hit on me... (and I quote "You cute, what yo name?). But, it got better!
It's kind of a long process your first time because they examine you and check your urine to make sure you are in good health. I wasn't expecting that, but it was ok. The nurses there were SO nice that my comfort level went up immediately. Oh, but did I mention that I had to sit in the waiting room for an hour before they even called me? Not expecting that either. Then you go to the screening room where they prick your finger to check for iron and ask you all the sex and risk questions to make sure you're not at risk for AIDS. No, thank you, I am not a man who has had sex with another man since 1977........ Lol! Then you go to another waiting room before you actually get into the bed and get hooked up to the plasma machine.
So, once I got back there, they got me all hooked up. Not bad - there's only one needle in your arm - the machine goes in cycles - draws your blood and seperated the plasma, then once the thingie is full it returns the rest of the non-plasma blood elements back into your arm. That's where the trouble came in...
The incision point infiltrated.... That means that because my veins are small, they couldn't handle the rate of return and the fluid was building up in my tissue. It literally looked like there was a golf ball under my skin - all the nurses said they had never seen it that bad. Great. They pull out the needle and put on an ice pack. Then I get asked if I want to continue by using my other arm. I'd get $5 extra cause they had to stick me twice. Sure, why not? They slowed down the rate of return on the machine and go me going again. Again, I went through 3 or 4 cycles before it happened again! Damn! And, because I did not finish my donation, they would only give me $10 instead of $20, but they did give me that extra $5 for sticking me twice. So basically I wasted 4 hours of my day to get $15 and two swollen, nasty bruised arms. Hmmmmmm.................
So, would I do it again? I guess what's keeping me going is that $180 dollars a month. You can go twice a week at this location - the first time you go in a given week you get $20, the second time you get $25. That's $180 dollars a month, or $2160 a year. Hmmmm... that would pay off those CCs pretty quickly. So, yes, I am going to try it again. The nurses were super nice and $20-25 for an hour or two of my time isn't bad. They told me if I drink a ton of water before I go, I shouldn't have the same problems again. Plus, they can slow down the rate of return even more. So, heck, I am going to try it again and see what happens. If I infiltrate again I will probably stop going - not worth it in my opinion.
So, there you go! That was my experience! Not the greatest, but not so bad that I wouldn't try it again....
Geez oh man....... Donating plasma was an experience! I was totally not expecting the way it all went down. First of all, I got there about 9:10am. I didn't leave until 12:45pm. I was very uncomfortable when I got in there because obviously the other people in the waiting room needed that $20 A LOT more than I did. We're talking some scary looking people. They even have a security guard posted in there, so you can imagine what kind of riff raff they get. There was some creepy guy trying to hit on me... (and I quote "You cute, what yo name?). But, it got better!
It's kind of a long process your first time because they examine you and check your urine to make sure you are in good health. I wasn't expecting that, but it was ok. The nurses there were SO nice that my comfort level went up immediately. Oh, but did I mention that I had to sit in the waiting room for an hour before they even called me? Not expecting that either. Then you go to the screening room where they prick your finger to check for iron and ask you all the sex and risk questions to make sure you're not at risk for AIDS. No, thank you, I am not a man who has had sex with another man since 1977........ Lol! Then you go to another waiting room before you actually get into the bed and get hooked up to the plasma machine.
So, once I got back there, they got me all hooked up. Not bad - there's only one needle in your arm - the machine goes in cycles - draws your blood and seperated the plasma, then once the thingie is full it returns the rest of the non-plasma blood elements back into your arm. That's where the trouble came in...
The incision point infiltrated.... That means that because my veins are small, they couldn't handle the rate of return and the fluid was building up in my tissue. It literally looked like there was a golf ball under my skin - all the nurses said they had never seen it that bad. Great. They pull out the needle and put on an ice pack. Then I get asked if I want to continue by using my other arm. I'd get $5 extra cause they had to stick me twice. Sure, why not? They slowed down the rate of return on the machine and go me going again. Again, I went through 3 or 4 cycles before it happened again! Damn! And, because I did not finish my donation, they would only give me $10 instead of $20, but they did give me that extra $5 for sticking me twice. So basically I wasted 4 hours of my day to get $15 and two swollen, nasty bruised arms. Hmmmmmm.................
So, would I do it again? I guess what's keeping me going is that $180 dollars a month. You can go twice a week at this location - the first time you go in a given week you get $20, the second time you get $25. That's $180 dollars a month, or $2160 a year. Hmmmm... that would pay off those CCs pretty quickly. So, yes, I am going to try it again. The nurses were super nice and $20-25 for an hour or two of my time isn't bad. They told me if I drink a ton of water before I go, I shouldn't have the same problems again. Plus, they can slow down the rate of return even more. So, heck, I am going to try it again and see what happens. If I infiltrate again I will probably stop going - not worth it in my opinion.
So, there you go! That was my experience! Not the greatest, but not so bad that I wouldn't try it again....
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