getting paid for plasma - Page 2

[lilgsmommy]

Originally Posted by sarahtmomof3

Back pre kids in my 'wilder' days I sometimes lived off my plasma donations *bag over head* I never had bruising and since the needle doesn't bother me it was an easy way to make a buck. The only 'side effect' I ever had was being cold from the anticoagulant that they mix with your red blood cells when they go back in.

Hmm maybe I should start 'donating' again (I guess its really selling and not donating)

Our center says "We arent paying you for your plasma, we are paying you for the time you spend donating it." It does take alot longer than a blood donation......but where else can you relax for 1-2 hours and get paid, all while helping hundreds of people

[jeca]

I've thought about doing this as I see the same ad for it over and over again. I guess the only thing that has really stopped me is somewhere in the big of my head I wonder just how "safe" it is. I have a great imagination and it goes into overdrive sometimes. So those that do it completely trust the centers they go to? I can't donate blood because of living overseas so I guess it's just been so long I'm not sure. plasma is different thought right? I can still donate that?

[lilgsmommy]

Originally Posted by jeca

I've thought about doing this as I see the same ad for it over and over again. I guess the only thing that has really stopped me is somewhere in the big of my head I wonder just how "safe" it is. I have a great imagination and it goes into overdrive sometimes. So those that do it completely trust the centers they go to? I can't donate blood because of living overseas so I guess it's just been so long I'm not sure. plasma is different thought right? I can still donate that?

Depends on the company, and where you lived....it varies.

[crazyeight]

lilgsmommy~ i went to a donation center once and got dizzy/lightheaded...they encouraged me not to come again. is that normal? ZLB is the plasma center in tucson that i see and i would like to make some extra money but wonder if they will just discourage me from comeing again. i am over 110 lbs etc but ALWAYS get dizzy..ageing a few years hasn't made that different i know...just wondering what you think.

[turkeygw]

Originally Posted by dhinderliter

lilgsmommy~ i went to a donation center once and got dizzy/lightheaded...they encouraged me not to come again. is that normal? ZLB is the plasma center in tucson that i see and i would like to make some extra money but wonder if they will just discourage me from comeing again. i am over 110 lbs etc but ALWAYS get dizzy..ageing a few years hasn't made that different i know...just wondering what you think.

I got extremely dizzy and ended up falling on the floor(at my house) and hitting my ear hard(which still hurts two months later). It also took them FOREVER to withdraw the plasma from me. I waited a whopping 3 hours, for most people it only takes 30-45 minutes for the actual procedure. I guess it's because I have extremely small veins and AB- blood type. So, needless to say, that was my first and last time for donating plasma. I know they needed me in for the second time, but it just wasn't worth it for me.

[Sharlla]

Originally Posted by turkeygw

for most people it only takes 30-45 minutes for the actual procedure.

It takes me about 45-50 mins (3 cycles) which I was told is really fast, i usually get done faster than people that got stuck before me.

[mnnice]

Originally Posted by blessed

I donated a few times in medical school when I was out of cash and needed to buy food. It wasn't a big deal to go through.

At the center I went to, there were quite a few people who seemed to be supporting alcohol and drug habits by donating plasma. They'd get unhooked, run outside, light a cigarette, and stand off to the side in secretive groups. Later that night you'd see them passed out on the streets in the downtown area.

It made me very conservative with the use of blood products on my patients later on.

While I've never given plasma. (My two experience with donating whole blood were about like neetling decribed plus feeling run down and anemic for a a couple weeks). I do share blessed's concerns. I work in a university hospital in a major city and there was a place nearby that did plasma donations. I thought I'd see more student types since there are 50,000 students wandering around the area. Most of the traffic in and out of the plasma place did not look like undergraduates, but instead a much more hard living group. Kudos to anyone that does it and doesn't find it too unpleasant/worth his/her time. I personally would have to be very down on my luck before I would try it.

[lilgsmommy]

Originally Posted by dhinderliter

lilgsmommy~ i went to a donation center once and got dizzy/lightheaded...they encouraged me not to come again. is that normal? ZLB is the plasma center in tucson that i see and i would like to make some extra money but wonder if they will just discourage me from comeing again. i am over 110 lbs etc but ALWAYS get dizzy..ageing a few years hasn't made that different i know...just wondering what you think.

Light headed and dizzy is totally normal....and par for the course. Its the most common reaction reported by donors. It can be lessened and prevented by staying well hydrated and eating properlly the day before and up to the donation. You can also ask them to slow the donation and return process down a little to see if it helps.

[lilgsmommy]

Originally Posted by turkeygw

I got extremely dizzy and ended up falling on the floor(at my house) and hitting my ear hard(which still hurts two months later). It also took them FOREVER to withdraw the plasma from me. I waited a whopping 3 hours, for most people it only takes 30-45 minutes for the actual procedure. I guess it's because I have extremely small veins and AB- blood type. So, needless to say, that was my first and last time for donating plasma. I know they needed me in for the second time, but it just wasn't worth it for me.

Small veins do make the donation process drag out

Originally Posted by Sharlla

It takes me about 45-50 mins (3 cycles) which I was told is really fast, i usually get done faster than people that got stuck before me.

Hubby says typically on average where he works, 45min-1hr, is a common donation time. There are a few people that take less than that.....and some who take more. Really depends on your vein size, blood flow, and hydration levels.

[gottaknit]

At the center I went to, there were quite a few people who seemed to be supporting alcohol and drug habits by donating plasma. They'd get unhooked, run outside, light a cigarette, and stand off to the side in secretive groups. Later that night you'd see them passed out on the streets in the downtown area.

In the city where I lived, the plasma "donation" centers where all in the same district as the shelters, soup kitchens, and drug dealers.

Considering they are buying body fluids and selling them at a profit (we're not talking about Red Cross here) from a population that is largely untraceable, I wouldn't necessarily trust their level of safety and cleanliness. But maybe I'm just paranoid about being in the same room with bruised up, bleeding Hep C and HIV carriers.

[gwen's mom]

Considering they are buying body fluids and selling them at a profit (we're not talking about Red Cross here) from a population that is largely untraceable, I wouldn't necessarily trust their level of safety and cleanliness. But maybe I'm just paranoid about being in the same room with bruised up, bleeding Hep C and HIV carriers.

Please educate yourself on the practices of plasma donation centers before making such assumptions. Let me point out some facts regarding safety:

•The prospective donor must provide 3 articles which prove a current address including driver’s license, a utility bill and another article of mail. PO Box addresses are not accepted.
•As a first time donor and annually, the donor receives a physical administered by the on-site medical staff. This is part of what determines who is able to donate based on health and medical history.
•At each donation, each donor has to pass a pre-donation screening. During the screening a technician take the donors’ blood pressure, pulse and blood pressure. Blood is drawn to test protein and hematocrit.
•Routine personal and health questions are then asked to make sure the donation is safe to the person who receives the plasma.
•The automated plasma collection machine is prepared with a new and sterile kit. The tubing and all other pieces of the collection device that come in contact with the donor’s blood are discarded and replaced with new, sterile materials so the donor is at no risk of acquiring a disease.
•The plasma center performs extensive screening tests on a sample of every single unit of plasma collected. Each plasma donation is thoroughly tested for various infectious agents including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, as well as testing for liver function.

For those of you who think donating plasma is something you would only do out of desperation, think about this:

The plasma that is collected 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 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 to save lives.

[lilgsmommy]

Originally Posted by gwen's mom

Please educate yourself on the practices of plasma donation centers before making such assumptions. I have donated and I personally know the woman who runs the local center in our area. Let me point out some facts regarding safety:
•The prospective donor must provide 3 articles which prove a current address including driver’s license, a utility bill and another article of mail. PO Box addresses are not accepted.
•As a first time donor and annually, the donor receives a physical administered by the on-site medical staff. This is part of what determines who is able to donate based on health and medical history.
•At each donation, each donor has to pass a pre-donation screening. During the screening a technician take the donors’ blood pressure, pulse and blood pressure. Blood is drawn to test protein and hematocrit.
•Routine personal and health questions are then asked to make sure the donation is safe to the person who receives the plasma.
•The automated plasma collection machine is prepared with a new and sterile kit. The tubing and all other pieces of the collection device that come in contact with the donor’s blood are discarded and place with new, sterile materials so the donor is at no risk of acquiring a disease.
•The plasma center performs extensive screening tests on a sample of every single unit of plasma collected. Each plasma donation is thoroughly tested for various infectious agents including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, as well as testing for liver function.

For those of you who think donating plasma is something you would only do out of desperation, think about this:

The plasma that is collected 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 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 to save lives.

Couldnt have said it better myself! Those are the basics at my center too! Heck my cousin couldnt even donate cause his liver enzymes were too high...they defered him for 6 weeks.

They do run extensive tests on the plasma...it isnt just donated and then put to use. They pull samples for testing, and seal it and freeze it. When it gets where it is going it gets tested too.

Donating is anything but unclean and unhealthy. Yes you do have your donors who are drinking, smoking and doing drugs who do donate....but they alos get defered for weeks, and sometimes forever. Thier plasma if tested comes back with an issue, is marked on the donation and thier file.

Plasma is an awesome product! Like she said, its not something that can just be made in a lab. These donations centers know how life saving this product is, and do thier absolute best to make sure every donation is obtained safely and the donation itself is safe to process and send to the main center. My DH didnt even quite know himself just what the plasma is for until he started doing research. Now he educates the newbie donors and employees about what the plasma goes to do. There are several families on this forum whose lives and childrens lives depend on or have depended on a plasma product.

[GooeyRN]

Originally Posted by gwen's mom

Please educate yourself on the practices of plasma donation centers before making such assumptions. I have donated and I personally know the woman who runs the local center in our area. Let me point out some facts regarding safety:
•The prospective donor must provide 3 articles which prove a current address including driver’s license, a utility bill and another article of mail. PO Box addresses are not accepted.
•As a first time donor and annually, the donor receives a physical administered by the on-site medical staff. This is part of what determines who is able to donate based on health and medical history.
•At each donation, each donor has to pass a pre-donation screening. During the screening a technician take the donors’ blood pressure, pulse and blood pressure. Blood is drawn to test protein and hematocrit.
•Routine personal and health questions are then asked to make sure the donation is safe to the person who receives the plasma.
•The automated plasma collection machine is prepared with a new and sterile kit. The tubing and all other pieces of the collection device that come in contact with the donor’s blood are discarded and place with new, sterile materials so the donor is at no risk of acquiring a disease.
•The plasma center performs extensive screening tests on a sample of every single unit of plasma collected. Each plasma donation is thoroughly tested for various infectious agents including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, as well as testing for liver function.

For those of you who think donating plasma is something you would only do out of desperation, think about this:

The plasma that is collected 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 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 to save lives.

Thank you for posting that. It IS safe. And (most) people don't donate plasma just to get money for their fix. Those people who took the time to donate their plasma saved many lives.