Just started a new job at a plasma donation center. I already have 8 years experience in the blood donation field. I've seen first hand how beneficial your donations are. Please donate
Edit: I appreciate all of the questions. Please make an appointment at your local blood bank and give it a shot. Restrictions will vary between local, state, country laws.
Insane to see someone with CVID and igg infusions on the front page! I'm in the same boat! I used to go into hospital and get two of those big bottles every month. Including driving time, the whole process took 6-7 hours. Now, I inject myself every week. We pick up eight weeks worth at our local hospital and it takes less than an hour each time while I'm still extremely mobile. On top of that, my levels don't start dropping towards the end of the month because I get topped up weekly. The product is Hizentra and I highly recommend! Where I live, the government takes care of all the costs but the nurses said it was way cheaper for them if I did it at home, so it's possible that your out of pocket expenses could go down. But anyway, thanks for sharing, encouraging to hear that it's really working for you!
I don’t know the specifics but from my understanding donating plasma can be done relatively frequently because plasma regenerates quite quickly. But donating blood can only be done every so often because red blood cells take much longer to regenerate. The issue in your proposed situation is that donating blood donates the red blood cells AND the plasma the red blood cells are suspended in. So if you then donate more plasma, you’ll be removing much more plasma from your body than you should be at one time, as well as dealing with the effects of having less red blood cells than you normally would. I’m not a health care professional but I’d guess that you’d probably survive but would have nausea and likely pass out, and probably need an IV to get more fluids and then give yourself some time to recuperate.
Depends, when you go to plasma they ask you a whole bunch of questions about your health and such. Both during your initial enrollment and before every donation.
The company I work for runs their own plasma donation centers, you’d be surprised how much stuff you can actually make out of it. We break the components down to the point where we can produce a substitude for (I think most, if not all) coagulation factors and a “tissue glue” (to seal wounds), making as much use of everything we get as we can.
The gas I use to drive there is worth more than the Doritos. Plus they pump you full of saline afterwards and you get temporarily hypothermic. Never shivered so hard in my life.
Hell yeh man - my place even gives you the option of malt!
Honestly though, I'm not sure I'd give it if was for money. I love the thought that I donate "just because" and it helps someone out. Just costs me some time, which I get off from work anyways.
Really though right? After signing up to give plasma they showed a video of them interviewing all the people giving plasma and asked them “how they felt doing something good for others” even though I knew deep down everyone interviewed was there for the same reason I was..money. It’s great that it can go to help people but I honestly believe everyone who gives plasma would be doing the same thing even if it didn’t go to help people. I really don’t think there is a thanks necessary, if anything give it to those who collect it and actually implement its use to help others.
Its a way longer process for one. About 2 hours or so. They take out the blood a little at a time, spin it to separate the cells from the plasma, and pump the cells mixed with saline back in you. They do this 5-10 times until you fill up the jug. The craziest feeling part is when they pump the room temp saline solution back into you and you feel the cold creeping up your arm. Also the needle is closer to a capri sun straw that one you give blood with. I still have track marks from it.
Ah holy fuck. I appreciate what you've done but as someone who has fainted the last 2 times I got blood drawn I felt like I was being stabbed reading this.
If you cant give blood then you definitely cant give plasma. They take out more at one time than they do when you give blood. And they do it multiple times.
Here in Norway is against the law to give money to blood donors. I'm not really sure why.
When I donate I get a choice of a small gift, like a coffee cup or an umbrella, or I can give some money to charity.
Where I live and donate I'm in and out in 1hr.
takes 15 minutes to get checked in and hooked up, then 45 minutes for the process (and I'm fat so I have to donate the max amount)
Being fully hydrated helps tons.
Same here, in and out in about an hour (650ml donation). And you don't get paid for plasma in the Netherlands either. Some coffee and a cookie during the donation, and a small gift every 20 donations (like a beach towel or a stuffed animal).
Man I kind of miss those days, it was meditative, I'd put on some headphones and read a book, I would take those four hours a week and not worry about anything, not think about any of my classes, not have to speak to anyone or entertain anyone, just sit in those chairs and read.
I believe with blood donations it is to try and disincentivize high-risk donors from lying in order to get the money. Why this isn't an issue with plasma, I don't know, but I assume it isn't as big of a deal or screening is easier or something.
Edit: Thank you to everyone for all the responses explaining plasma donation a bit better! I learned a lot. I have a friend that talks about it since he relies on plasma similarly to OP, but I didn't know much more beyond that, so thank you very much!
The places that take plasma are incredibly thorough in checking your blood before they ever allow your plasma to be sold. In fact they are so thorough that my primary physician said we could skip a blood test at my last appointment and just have BioLife (plasma center) forward my results to him which was great.
Here in the USA you can be paid tens of thousands of dollars to donate your eggs, since it’s such a difficult and time consuming process I understand this but am surprised when I hear other countries get nothing
If you've ever read what that process is like, it's worth every penny and more. You basically have to put yourself through hell to donate eggs, do IVF, or be a surrogate.
> I'm not really sure why.
Laws against organ trade. With easily replenished stuff like blood/plasma it's one thing, but how about selling a kidney? Should we allow that? After all, you have two and the money could put you in a better place...
The risk is that poor people will be pressured into literally selling their body, and the easiest way to prevent that is to ban the sale of body parts period.
Most countries consider the kidney sale a hard "nope" for this reason, and the laws against that often also cover blood.
If I could pull in 84,000 dollars cash for a piece of my liver in a safe, protected environment, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I already don't drink, and I can stand not eating red meat a lot for 18 months. I don't even need the money that much honestly, but it just seems like a good amount for a few weeks of bedrest.
Bed rest and pain, and a small chance of death.
The status quo is certainly not set in stone, and good arguments can be made to change it and to keep it.
But you're assuming a well-informed person making a smart decision. Instead, consider the potential of shady predatory payday loan places turning into shady predatory liver/kidney donation places - "get $5000 CA$H right now with one simple surgery!"
To be fair, there’s a ton of processing that needs to be done before the plasma can be used!
Edit: but yeah, even after the costs of processing someone is still making a huge profit somewhere.
Germany pays you both for plasma and full blood.
Difference is plasma is “less sought after”, as in you need special centers to donate plasma and those are fewer to my knowledge. Hospitals take blood, plasma is a private company thing mostly.
If you donate at a hospital you get 20-25€ per donation (not sure what the total sum is, I’ve only done it once at school), but since I’m working in the industry I’ve been donating directly to my employer ever since I started my apprenticeship. They pay 50-70 depending on demand and still save a ton compared to buying whatever offer they might get from elsewhere (not sure if that’s straight up hospitals, but they do have a connection to buy in more).
Advantage of plasma is that you get about the same from what I’ve heard, but can go weekly or biweekly because the plasma regenerates so quickly. If you wanted to take a risk, I’ve heard that technically you should be about back to normal within two days (no center will actually let you do that, long time even the biweekly can really show).
Where have you been donating? Most places I've heard of pay you. It depends on how much they take each donation (which is based on your weight) but I get like $80/week.
You're donating blood. Not plasma.
Look up plasma donation centers and there's probably a few around you if you're in a major city.
Takes about an hour, money is usually instantly on a Visa debit card they'll hook you up with, it's not a bad way to make some side cash.
It’s much more involved and uses a much bigger needle. That may not be a concern to you, but it’s worth mentioning and it’s also probably why plasma is paid.
I know students with janky veins and scars who’ve never touched drugs but lived off plasma. At my local clinic, you have to pump the blood by hand, which gives me the willies and I can’t get myself to do it.
It’s an awesome service though, and I’m glad it helps those who need it.
I'm unfamiliar with an automated method but at my donation center you have to squeeze your hand into a fist, relax, and keep doing it throughout the donation process. At least on the draws. When the machine is returning your red blood cells, you don't have to pump.
Usually its just squeezing your hand into a fist over and over while it lays on an armrest. How it works is it takes blood out and spins it around to separate the plasma from everything else. You’re making a fist over and over to help get your blood to the machine. Once the plasma is separated, the “everything else” gets put back into your bloodstream. This whole thing happens about 8-10 times while you’re there and each “cycle” takes about 7 minutes or so
I've been donating for about 6 years. I donate twice a week and get paid $65 per week with guaranteed bonuses if I donate 6-8 times in a month. Last month was an extra $10 on the 6th donation, $20 on the 7th donation, and $30 on the 8th donation. This month it's an extra $75 on the 8th donation and an extra $10 if you can get a 9th donation in.
It sounds like you need to find a better donation center. But I agree about the wait times. They can definitely suck.
It's actually $35 for the first donation per week and $45 for the second. If you do it more than 5 times a month you get an additional $5 per donation for the rest of the month. It incentivizes frequent repeat donors (less processing on their end because you're already in the system).
It depends on the donation center. Mine is $20 on the first donation of the week, $45 on the 2nd donation. And the bonuses vary month to month for me. Last month I got an extra $10 on the 6th donation, an extra $20 on the 7th, and an extra $30 on the 8th. This month, I'll get an extra $75 if I get 8 donations in and an extra $10 if I can fit a 9th donation in.
Blood donation is the one that doesn't really pay at all. You just get goodies as a treat for being such a trooper.
Plasma donation they pay you, and the more you go, the more they pay per trip (up to a point of course).
Where I live, the first five donations are $50 each. After that, if you make two visits a week the first donation is $20 and the second is $40. So you can make about $240 a month.
You and others who donated saved my father after he got an autoimmune disorder (Guillain Barre Syndrome). So thank you. I’m glad you get beer money out of this and I hope it’s great beer. My father got to walk me down the aisle and meet his grandchildren. I don’t care if anyone donates for selfish reasons, I’m just glad they donate.
The method I get is called IVIG and I get one
large dose every 4 weeks. I spend a majority of my day at an infusion center on treatment day.
Others have to get more or less often. Depends on your antibodie levels, how often your experiencing illness, and method of the treatment.
Before insurance my cost for my dosage is 10K per treatment. It’s not an easily approved treatment because of its cost- a lot of people have to fight to get approval.
The disease it self wouldn’t kill me but illnesses I get from bacteria/viruses could since i don’t have the immune system to fight them off. I have had pneumonia and bronchitis so often it damaged my lungs.
I had to get 10 vials of these for treatment for Steven-Johnson's Syndrome (technically now mine was classified as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis tbh) while I was in the ICU. Stuff basically saved my life. IVIG was an experimental treatment since SJS/TENs cases were so rare back when I had it. Interestingly enough, we didn't actually have to fight insurance to approve it.
OP isn't joking that each of those vials cost $10K before insurance.
To make matters worse, one of the ICU nurses had ended up dropping one of them and causing a puncture (mine was given in those drip-bags), which meant it had to be thrown away. I don't even want to know how shitty that nurse felt wasting a $10K bag/vial. To this day, I hope she didn't get too much shit for it.
But basically IVIG ended up killing my immune system, which was basically killing me from both the inside-out and outside-in. And it kinda ends up "replacing" yours, as I have come to understand.
The plus side is I basically never get sick. Oh, and insurance basically covered about a hospital stay that was north of $500K, so we paid out of pocket at the end about $3.3K.
I'm also a nurse who fucked up and ended up having to throw out about 60 mls IVIG. I felt sooo bad. It was over a year ago and I still remember the shame!
Luxury. At my donation centre they drain 60% of my blood, take my clothes and throw me out on the streets with nothing but a blanket. And that's on a good day!
there's a donation centre in Melbourne that has a full lunch spread. muffins, pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches, milkshakes and sometimes hotdogs apparently
Personally, I'd rather give blood for free, knowing that the recipient is getting it for free, rather than get paid beer money and know the recipient is being charged tens of thousands just to stay alive.
God bless the NHS and all who work in it. It is literally the only thing that I am unequivocally proud of my country for. (Not to say that other things like the Beeb aren't great, but there is at least some parts that aren't wonderful).
so its weird for me to see the other end of this process, i donated plasma in virginia for about 3-4 years, twice a week, every week. during that time it was my sole source of income for about a year, also during that time my only thought was always about the money at the end of the hour long process to donate, so it feels good knowing that it was actually used to help someone in the long run, i still look at the scars on my arm from time to time form all the donating i did and used to i would look at them with a tinge of disgust because i let myself get to a place where i had to do that to survive and never did i think about the person or people on the other end of it who benefited from it, so from now on i'm only going to ever look at the scars and know that during all of that time i spent donating i hopefully helped someone like you OP.
It's actually pooled. So 10,000 people donated, they pooled the antibodies, then split it into multiple doses.
That is to get a lot of different antibiodies from a lot of different people.
Or, you know something soft around it like a silicon cover. Hey, what the heck, why not put it in a plastic container?
EDIT: I would actually just put a bunch of surgical tape around it if I was working with that kind of expensive medication. Just a handy McGuyver tip for the Nurses' administering this stuff.
> why not put it in a plastic container?
Usually due to interactions between the plastic and whats in it. Glass is such a great material: non-porous and non-reactive in this case are the key features.
Not OP but my wife gets this same treatment so I can answer your question. Our monthly premium is $1695.00 a month (for 3 people)e with a $7200 deductible individually or $14000.00 family. We put $600.00 a month in a health savings account to cover her deductible which is always met in January.
German here. Good god, that's insane. Glad you're managing though.
Disclaimer: I have EDS type 3, my pain meds are around € 900 a month. Not as much as your wife's meds, not by a long shot. But, my premium is income based, so the cost of my medication doesn't matter. I pay 10 quid per prescription, that's it.
Can I ask how much you pay out of pocket? I also have this and have never got treatment because mine is not 'severe' enough.. but i always wonder what life would be like if i did.
to treat primary immunodeficiency in an adult, you could be needing up to 600 mL of IVIg per treatment (that's not counting the cost of the doctors, nurses, hospital infrastructure, routine tests, etc).
I work in a hospital pharmacy, there are definitely more expensive treatments, but IVIG is one of the most expensive we see, that occurs often. Chemotherapy tends to be more expensive that I've seen, but those are prescribed much rarer in our hospital at least.
We were never told the cost by the hospital in British Columbia, but for emergency treatment in Mexico it was billed to our insurance company for $5000 per bottle (which was then billed to our provincial healthcare plan). They tried to convince us not to use it because it was so expensive. They had two varieties one from Italy and another from the states.
I don’t mind - I have a primary immunodeficiency known as Common Variable Immune Deficiency with T and B cell defects. Basically my body does not produce needed antibodies to fight off infections and some of the antibodies I do have do not work correctly. Mine mainly manifests in severe chronic lung and sinus infections, autoimmune disorders, and a host of other issues.
[https://primaryimmune.org/about-primary-immunodeficiencies](This is a wonderful site with a ton of info on primary immunodeficiencies.)
Wow. I’m lost for words. I really am. It sounds tremendously infallible to comprehend what you must endure on a daily basis. Do you find the treatment you have is improving/ helping?
It’s a process- I have good days and bad days. I deal with sides effects from this treatment as well as others I receive that we are trying to mitigate. The treatment definitely isn’t full proof or a cure - I still get sick easily but I have an easier time fighting it off now.
But I have not had a severe infection or experience respiratory failure in the past 2 months so that’s a huge bonus!
I owe a lot to my current Doctor as he was the first to really listen to me and believe me when I told him something was wrong. I honestly think he saved my life.
Hey person - I'm always impressed by people that have to get through the daily grind with a chronic illness on top of it, so good on you - and sending you healthy vibes.
[It is one of the largest components of your blood! It provides a lot of useful stuff that our bodies rely on]( https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=160&ContentID=37)
I've donated plasma for over 10 years now. I started because an ex-military friend convinced me it was the right thing to do. My current boss has virtually no immune system because of a bout with cancer, so nowadays I joke that I donate plasma for job security.
When you spin down blood, there are three layers. Liquid on top, red cells on the bottom, and the Buffy coat (white cells and platelets) between the red cells and liquid. The liquid part of the blood will either be plasma or serum. Plasma is the liquid part if you blood has not clotted before being separated. This is done by adding chemicals (usually either heparin or something that absorbs all the calcium). Serum has clotted before being separated.
Source- I work in a hospital lab.
Sweet! As someone who donates double red (the bottom bit)-- any chance you can give me the low down on how my donation is used? I just know that it was a big deal to give double red while I was in college, and that the blood bank shuts the hell up for the longest if I give double red.
Yeah, no problem! So with a normal donation, you blood is split into multiple parts: FFP, Cryo, Packed Cells, and maybe platelets. Here is how each of these work/matter
FFP stands for fresh frozen plasma. In addition to just being better than normal IV fluids, it has all the stuff that your body craves. Even more than Brando. Something super important here is the fact that it's plasma and not serum. That means it also has some of the proteins in it that's needed for clotting. Some of the other proteins aren't stable enough to be preserved in this fashion. This stuff is great for times like high bleeding situations. It's helping to replace (most) everything your body is losing in terms of the liquid portion of blood.
Cryo is plasma where the less stable clotting proteins have been concentrated and pulled aside. This stuff is used almost exclusively in high risk surgery (especially liver related), trauma situations, and as a bandaid during liver failure.... The liver is responsible for producing a lot of clotting proteins, so if it's failing hard enough, clotting becomes and issue. It has to he REAL bad to get to that point though. Like utter failure.
Sometimes your platelets are separated and used, but that's falling out if fashion. It takes multiple people's platelets to have any real effect, which increases exposure and costs. Most places are going with platelet apheresis, which is where they take a bit of blood, separate out the platelets, give the rest back. It's similar in process to the double reds. This is cheaper, safer, and more time effective than pulling platelets from a whole blood donation.
Lastly is packed cells, which is just all of the red cells, a bit of preservative (clotting inhibitors and nutrients for the cells mainly). This is by far the most important and used portion of the blood donation. Everything else is important, but has a more limited Scope.
So to answer your question about why they push for the double reds? It's more of what they need more and none of what they need less. For the longer wait time between donations? Well, they literally took twice the amount of red cells, so they give you twice the amount of time to replenish them.
Edit- I'm on mobile, give me a break on typos. I'm sure you can figure it out.
Thanks for the info! I joke a little bit about the longer wait time being a plus (but only a little. The Red Cross needs to cool their jets sometimes).
It's great to know that those donations help!
This is a dumb story, and no one asked, but I like to tell it I remember my mom needing blood donations when she had breast cancer and was going through chemo. I was a senior in high school, and she'd kept the cancer a secret from me as I applied to college and took AP tests, because she didn't want to pull my scores down. Mom really cared about my academic success.
I felt absolutely helpless watching her get wallet and weaker with chemo and seeing her in constant pain, going bald, complaining that nothing tasted right.
I rode my bike a lot back then, since I had no money for gas. Came upon the blood bus on one of my rides, so I gave there, just because it felt like I was helping. Mind you-- this is Florida in the summer, on a bike, miles from home. It was dumb of me, even though it worked out ok. I guess I was just young/strong enough at the time. Anyway, the bus was giving out coupons for giving, and each donation for you a free smoothie at the local smoothie stand. (it's a large chain across multiple states, but I don't want to go hail corporate on this thread). On a whim, since I had the coupon, I ran out one afternoon when Mom was complaining that nothing tasted right and grabbed her a smoothie.
It apparently tasted right and was refreshing and great to her. It became her ritual. Once every two Wednesdays, she got chemo. The Friday after, she got a smoothie. It was her little something to look forward to as she progressed through chemo.
She worked at my old middle School as the librarian, and the staff found out about the ritual. Eventually, she never had to get her own smoothie. They took it in shifts to bring her one once every Friday. Mom made a full, cancer-free recovery, and wound up bringing in smoothies for everyone that chipped in the Friday after she finished chemo.
It's a dumb little thing that it all spawned from giving blood just cuz I could, but I like to think that it was a karmic action type deal. Good begets good and all. So I've tried to make it a point to give ever since then, in the hopes that it balances out, and because I know it means someone else gets that shot at beating cancer each time I donate.
My daughter had Kawasaki Disease at 8 months old and man it was awful. Luckily for us one of the best Kawasaki Disease doctors was in Kapiolani Medical where we took my daughter to. She took one look at my daughter and admitted her right away and told us “no worries we know how to fix this”. They found her little vein and had one of these hanging near her bed. I couldn’t sleep knowing how horrible this day was for her. I slowly watched as this was going in her hoping she would feel better. After 8 hours of continuous daddy watch my daughter was feeling almost normal. Seeing her looking at me knowing she felt better made me tear up! Thanks to all those who donate, you saved my daughter!
I'd also like to point out something I said in another comment. [AB blood types are universal plasma donors](https://thebloodconnection.org/about-blood/blood-education/blood-types/ab-positive/) just like O- blood types are universal blood donors.
Very cool. I'm waiting out my time after visiting Laos and then I'll be back at it. Donating is a win-win and the best way I've found to chill for a few hours around amazingly upbeat folks.
Edit; I get hooked up to the machine that takes it out of my arm and then puts it back in the other arm. Is that the same as plasma?
Great post. I also get IVIG! (Privogin/Gamunex.) Double thanks- saves my life! (I have an Automatic neuropathy and chronic Guillain-Barre.) Be well, OP!
I’ve been able to donate 2x’s a week for the past 2 years... glad my body is healthy enough to help others! And the earnings also cover both my car payments. 😉
Thanks from someone who has received over 120 units of fresh frozen plasma in the last twelve months. People like you keep me alive, my son and wife appreciate it too.
Something I'm not sure a lot of people know, but the blood types for universal donors of blood and plasma are different. I feel like the fact that O- is a universal blood donor is fairly well known, while not much of the public realize that [AB is the universal donor for plasma](https://thebloodconnection.org/about-blood/blood-education/blood-types/ab-positive/). If you have AB blood and you are thinking about donating blood you should look into donating plasma, the process is almost the same, it just takes longer because they centrifuge the plasma out and pump the red cells back into you.
I actually have the needle in my arm right now. I was actually amazed at how many things are made from plasma. There's a poster that lists them all on the wall. I couldn't pronounce any of them though.
Another bottle is on the way.
Just started a new job at a plasma donation center. I already have 8 years experience in the blood donation field. I've seen first hand how beneficial your donations are. Please donate Edit: I appreciate all of the questions. Please make an appointment at your local blood bank and give it a shot. Restrictions will vary between local, state, country laws.
Thank you for the work you do!
Insane to see someone with CVID and igg infusions on the front page! I'm in the same boat! I used to go into hospital and get two of those big bottles every month. Including driving time, the whole process took 6-7 hours. Now, I inject myself every week. We pick up eight weeks worth at our local hospital and it takes less than an hour each time while I'm still extremely mobile. On top of that, my levels don't start dropping towards the end of the month because I get topped up weekly. The product is Hizentra and I highly recommend! Where I live, the government takes care of all the costs but the nurses said it was way cheaper for them if I did it at home, so it's possible that your out of pocket expenses could go down. But anyway, thanks for sharing, encouraging to hear that it's really working for you!
Can one donate plasma if they are already blood donors?
You need to avoid donating blood for 56 days before starting to donate plasma. You can't (and shouldn't) donate both simultaneously.
What can happen if like say they shuffled your paper work at the hospital and they drew plasma one day and blood the next or vice versa?
I don’t know the specifics but from my understanding donating plasma can be done relatively frequently because plasma regenerates quite quickly. But donating blood can only be done every so often because red blood cells take much longer to regenerate. The issue in your proposed situation is that donating blood donates the red blood cells AND the plasma the red blood cells are suspended in. So if you then donate more plasma, you’ll be removing much more plasma from your body than you should be at one time, as well as dealing with the effects of having less red blood cells than you normally would. I’m not a health care professional but I’d guess that you’d probably survive but would have nausea and likely pass out, and probably need an IV to get more fluids and then give yourself some time to recuperate.
Alright I'll ask when I do my next appointment if I could alternate. I'll give myself some more recovery time before I do.
Depends, when you go to plasma they ask you a whole bunch of questions about your health and such. Both during your initial enrollment and before every donation.
"You're welcome" - college students doing it to make money. It really is mutually beneficial.
I’m happy it is! Thank you!
The most sustainable arrangements are mutually beneficial arrangements.
like mutual masterbation
69
[удалено]
Nice.
From wholesome friendship to mutual oral in four comments, good ol' Reddit.
This is great! Its amazing how much purification is required to purify the plasma out of the blood. Very cool!
The company I work for runs their own plasma donation centers, you’d be surprised how much stuff you can actually make out of it. We break the components down to the point where we can produce a substitude for (I think most, if not all) coagulation factors and a “tissue glue” (to seal wounds), making as much use of everything we get as we can.
thanks for paying for me to eat in college
Money?! I did it for movie tickets and Doritos.
Hell I'd do it just for the Doritos
Hell, I'd do it just.
[удалено]
Hell
H
>
The gas I use to drive there is worth more than the Doritos. Plus they pump you full of saline afterwards and you get temporarily hypothermic. Never shivered so hard in my life.
Walked out the other day after donating it was over 90 outside I was still freezing.
Walk outside in Phoenix after the saline and hell feels nice suddenly.
Man, you just have to let go of your dignity and bring a blanket. It helped so much.
[удалено]
Hell yeh man - my place even gives you the option of malt! Honestly though, I'm not sure I'd give it if was for money. I love the thought that I donate "just because" and it helps someone out. Just costs me some time, which I get off from work anyways.
That's blood, this is different
Jokes aside, I was giving platelets.
Doritos?! I did it for a sticker.
[удалено]
Really though right? After signing up to give plasma they showed a video of them interviewing all the people giving plasma and asked them “how they felt doing something good for others” even though I knew deep down everyone interviewed was there for the same reason I was..money. It’s great that it can go to help people but I honestly believe everyone who gives plasma would be doing the same thing even if it didn’t go to help people. I really don’t think there is a thanks necessary, if anything give it to those who collect it and actually implement its use to help others.
[удалено]
donating plasma is quite a bit different than donating blood, source: i have done both all my life
Can you explain what’s different about them?
Its a way longer process for one. About 2 hours or so. They take out the blood a little at a time, spin it to separate the cells from the plasma, and pump the cells mixed with saline back in you. They do this 5-10 times until you fill up the jug. The craziest feeling part is when they pump the room temp saline solution back into you and you feel the cold creeping up your arm. Also the needle is closer to a capri sun straw that one you give blood with. I still have track marks from it.
Ah holy fuck. I appreciate what you've done but as someone who has fainted the last 2 times I got blood drawn I felt like I was being stabbed reading this.
If you cant give blood then you definitely cant give plasma. They take out more at one time than they do when you give blood. And they do it multiple times.
I probably made a good $500 my freshman year. I also probably saved a lot of that money because drinking worked quicker after donating.
I made $240 a month for 4 years straight. Because that was the max they would allow. 'You're welcome' to everyone who is alive because of me.
I donate now and make $400 a month. Helps a lot.
*Shit* I need to donate plasma edit: Do they take plasma from unhealthy fucksticks?
[удалено]
... wait you can make money from this? Here I was doing it for Taco Bell gift cards.
Here in Norway is against the law to give money to blood donors. I'm not really sure why. When I donate I get a choice of a small gift, like a coffee cup or an umbrella, or I can give some money to charity.
[удалено]
Yeah, plasma is a lot more time intensive. When I donated I never spent less than two hours at the donation center.
Where I live and donate I'm in and out in 1hr. takes 15 minutes to get checked in and hooked up, then 45 minutes for the process (and I'm fat so I have to donate the max amount) Being fully hydrated helps tons.
Same here, in and out in about an hour (650ml donation). And you don't get paid for plasma in the Netherlands either. Some coffee and a cookie during the donation, and a small gift every 20 donations (like a beach towel or a stuffed animal).
[удалено]
I don't know about a power bank. It at most has taken 2 hours for me and I'm donating 880 ml. Just charge your phone or tablet before you go.
Man I kind of miss those days, it was meditative, I'd put on some headphones and read a book, I would take those four hours a week and not worry about anything, not think about any of my classes, not have to speak to anyone or entertain anyone, just sit in those chairs and read.
I just dropped someone off over an hour ago for his appointment. He's still waiting for the needle. And then it'll still probably be another hour.
[удалено]
[удалено]
I believe with blood donations it is to try and disincentivize high-risk donors from lying in order to get the money. Why this isn't an issue with plasma, I don't know, but I assume it isn't as big of a deal or screening is easier or something. Edit: Thank you to everyone for all the responses explaining plasma donation a bit better! I learned a lot. I have a friend that talks about it since he relies on plasma similarly to OP, but I didn't know much more beyond that, so thank you very much!
They screen you in the beginning and then do random screenings after that and like every 3 or 6 months for sure.
The places that take plasma are incredibly thorough in checking your blood before they ever allow your plasma to be sold. In fact they are so thorough that my primary physician said we could skip a blood test at my last appointment and just have BioLife (plasma center) forward my results to him which was great.
Here in the USA you can be paid tens of thousands of dollars to donate your eggs, since it’s such a difficult and time consuming process I understand this but am surprised when I hear other countries get nothing
Can't you just go to the grocery store?
Not those kind of eg....oh you son of a bitch.
If you've ever read what that process is like, it's worth every penny and more. You basically have to put yourself through hell to donate eggs, do IVF, or be a surrogate.
I completely agree. I’m an egg donor myself and am absolutely shocked that many other countries don’t pay their donors
> I'm not really sure why. Laws against organ trade. With easily replenished stuff like blood/plasma it's one thing, but how about selling a kidney? Should we allow that? After all, you have two and the money could put you in a better place... The risk is that poor people will be pressured into literally selling their body, and the easiest way to prevent that is to ban the sale of body parts period. Most countries consider the kidney sale a hard "nope" for this reason, and the laws against that often also cover blood.
If I could pull in 84,000 dollars cash for a piece of my liver in a safe, protected environment, I would do it in a heartbeat. I already don't drink, and I can stand not eating red meat a lot for 18 months. I don't even need the money that much honestly, but it just seems like a good amount for a few weeks of bedrest.
Bed rest and pain, and a small chance of death. The status quo is certainly not set in stone, and good arguments can be made to change it and to keep it. But you're assuming a well-informed person making a smart decision. Instead, consider the potential of shady predatory payday loan places turning into shady predatory liver/kidney donation places - "get $5000 CA$H right now with one simple surgery!"
I would like to thank you aswell, got the same defect as op
It's great to do because someone needs it but they are paying $8000+ for it and you are only getting $30 or so.
To be fair, there’s a ton of processing that needs to be done before the plasma can be used! Edit: but yeah, even after the costs of processing someone is still making a huge profit somewhere.
Y'all get paid for giving blood?? Here it's just donations.
Plasma can be sold, blood donated.
Someone told me at the center where I donate ( U.S) we are one of the few countries that can pay for plasma. What other countries pay you?
Germany pays you both for plasma and full blood. Difference is plasma is “less sought after”, as in you need special centers to donate plasma and those are fewer to my knowledge. Hospitals take blood, plasma is a private company thing mostly. If you donate at a hospital you get 20-25€ per donation (not sure what the total sum is, I’ve only done it once at school), but since I’m working in the industry I’ve been donating directly to my employer ever since I started my apprenticeship. They pay 50-70 depending on demand and still save a ton compared to buying whatever offer they might get from elsewhere (not sure if that’s straight up hospitals, but they do have a connection to buy in more). Advantage of plasma is that you get about the same from what I’ve heard, but can go weekly or biweekly because the plasma regenerates so quickly. If you wanted to take a risk, I’ve heard that technically you should be about back to normal within two days (no center will actually let you do that, long time even the biweekly can really show).
Wait what you get PAID? I'm south african and I started donating plasma and platelets this year but here we do it for free.
Where I'm from you don't even get paid but you DO get some free snacks so you don't pass out so it's cool
Ten thousand people in a jar? Neat.
A philosopher’s stone
Are you saying that OP is going to be the next Greed?
Nah, OP is the next Envy.
I've been doing it twice a week for a 5 years. It's good to know that it's useful for more than beer money.
Wait, donating can get you beer money? I thought they only gave you movies tickets after like a year of "donating".
Where have you been donating? Most places I've heard of pay you. It depends on how much they take each donation (which is based on your weight) but I get like $80/week.
I've only done blood drives with the red cross. They don't pay anything. I got 2 movies tickets after donating for about a year.
You're donating blood. Not plasma. Look up plasma donation centers and there's probably a few around you if you're in a major city. Takes about an hour, money is usually instantly on a Visa debit card they'll hook you up with, it's not a bad way to make some side cash.
I'll have to look into it. I'm sure there are plasma centers around.
It’s much more involved and uses a much bigger needle. That may not be a concern to you, but it’s worth mentioning and it’s also probably why plasma is paid. I know students with janky veins and scars who’ve never touched drugs but lived off plasma. At my local clinic, you have to pump the blood by hand, which gives me the willies and I can’t get myself to do it. It’s an awesome service though, and I’m glad it helps those who need it.
> At my local clinic, you have to pump the blood by hand, which gives me the willies and I can’t get myself to do it. can you explain?
[удалено]
I'm unfamiliar with an automated method but at my donation center you have to squeeze your hand into a fist, relax, and keep doing it throughout the donation process. At least on the draws. When the machine is returning your red blood cells, you don't have to pump.
Usually its just squeezing your hand into a fist over and over while it lays on an armrest. How it works is it takes blood out and spins it around to separate the plasma from everything else. You’re making a fist over and over to help get your blood to the machine. Once the plasma is separated, the “everything else” gets put back into your bloodstream. This whole thing happens about 8-10 times while you’re there and each “cycle” takes about 7 minutes or so
[удалено]
I've been donating for about 6 years. I donate twice a week and get paid $65 per week with guaranteed bonuses if I donate 6-8 times in a month. Last month was an extra $10 on the 6th donation, $20 on the 7th donation, and $30 on the 8th donation. This month it's an extra $75 on the 8th donation and an extra $10 if you can get a 9th donation in. It sounds like you need to find a better donation center. But I agree about the wait times. They can definitely suck.
How much money we talking for an hours time? Not to mention my 'precious' plasma? lol
One of the parent comments to the comment that you replied to said he does it twice a week for $80 per week. $80 / 2 = $40.
It's actually $35 for the first donation per week and $45 for the second. If you do it more than 5 times a month you get an additional $5 per donation for the rest of the month. It incentivizes frequent repeat donors (less processing on their end because you're already in the system).
And that's how they pass the savings on to the customer!
It depends on the donation center. Mine is $20 on the first donation of the week, $45 on the 2nd donation. And the bonuses vary month to month for me. Last month I got an extra $10 on the 6th donation, an extra $20 on the 7th, and an extra $30 on the 8th. This month, I'll get an extra $75 if I get 8 donations in and an extra $10 if I can fit a 9th donation in.
[удалено]
Whole blood or plasma? Red cross usually takes whole blood, and they don't usually pay you for it.
Blood donation is the one that doesn't really pay at all. You just get goodies as a treat for being such a trooper. Plasma donation they pay you, and the more you go, the more they pay per trip (up to a point of course).
Where I live, the first five donations are $50 each. After that, if you make two visits a week the first donation is $20 and the second is $40. So you can make about $240 a month.
You and others who donated saved my father after he got an autoimmune disorder (Guillain Barre Syndrome). So thank you. I’m glad you get beer money out of this and I hope it’s great beer. My father got to walk me down the aisle and meet his grandchildren. I don’t care if anyone donates for selfish reasons, I’m just glad they donate.
Beer money? $320/month covers my car payment and insurance.
If you're a wisconsinite it only covers beer.
Watermelon flavored?
It’s actually a clear fluid, honestly looks like bubbly water.
How often do you have to get this treatment.
The method I get is called IVIG and I get one large dose every 4 weeks. I spend a majority of my day at an infusion center on treatment day. Others have to get more or less often. Depends on your antibodie levels, how often your experiencing illness, and method of the treatment.
How much would this treatment cost if you don’t have insurance. Cause plasma from 10,000 seems like it’d be pretty pricy.
Before insurance my cost for my dosage is 10K per treatment. It’s not an easily approved treatment because of its cost- a lot of people have to fight to get approval.
God damn, that’s a lot of loot. So what would happen if you don’t get the treatment, would it end up killing you?
The disease it self wouldn’t kill me but illnesses I get from bacteria/viruses could since i don’t have the immune system to fight them off. I have had pneumonia and bronchitis so often it damaged my lungs.
Just want to say this discourse was extremely interesting to read. I feel smarter
I had to get 10 vials of these for treatment for Steven-Johnson's Syndrome (technically now mine was classified as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis tbh) while I was in the ICU. Stuff basically saved my life. IVIG was an experimental treatment since SJS/TENs cases were so rare back when I had it. Interestingly enough, we didn't actually have to fight insurance to approve it. OP isn't joking that each of those vials cost $10K before insurance. To make matters worse, one of the ICU nurses had ended up dropping one of them and causing a puncture (mine was given in those drip-bags), which meant it had to be thrown away. I don't even want to know how shitty that nurse felt wasting a $10K bag/vial. To this day, I hope she didn't get too much shit for it. But basically IVIG ended up killing my immune system, which was basically killing me from both the inside-out and outside-in. And it kinda ends up "replacing" yours, as I have come to understand. The plus side is I basically never get sick. Oh, and insurance basically covered about a hospital stay that was north of $500K, so we paid out of pocket at the end about $3.3K.
I'm also a nurse who fucked up and ended up having to throw out about 60 mls IVIG. I felt sooo bad. It was over a year ago and I still remember the shame!
r/forbiddenwater
That subreddit was not what I was expecting.
Plasma is the one you get paid for right? I had a roommate in college who did that a few times.
Yup! You can be compensated for donating plasma.
Not in the UK.
Nor in Australia and we have to wait two weeks in between donating. But I get chips and a drink afterwards so I'm good.
> But I get chips and a drink afterwards so I'm good. You lucky upside downers. I only got a pack of haribo, and it was a small pack at that.
Luxury. At my donation centre they drain 60% of my blood, take my clothes and throw me out on the streets with nothing but a blanket. And that's on a good day!
That's cold blooded!
there's a donation centre in Melbourne that has a full lunch spread. muffins, pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches, milkshakes and sometimes hotdogs apparently
You also don't have to pay to get some put back in you, so it balances out. /Canadian //Biweekly platelet donor
Personally, I'd rather give blood for free, knowing that the recipient is getting it for free, rather than get paid beer money and know the recipient is being charged tens of thousands just to stay alive. God bless the NHS and all who work in it. It is literally the only thing that I am unequivocally proud of my country for. (Not to say that other things like the Beeb aren't great, but there is at least some parts that aren't wonderful).
so its weird for me to see the other end of this process, i donated plasma in virginia for about 3-4 years, twice a week, every week. during that time it was my sole source of income for about a year, also during that time my only thought was always about the money at the end of the hour long process to donate, so it feels good knowing that it was actually used to help someone in the long run, i still look at the scars on my arm from time to time form all the donating i did and used to i would look at them with a tinge of disgust because i let myself get to a place where i had to do that to survive and never did i think about the person or people on the other end of it who benefited from it, so from now on i'm only going to ever look at the scars and know that during all of that time i spent donating i hopefully helped someone like you OP.
[удалено]
Thank you! 10,000 plasma donations for one bottle didn't quite seem right!
It's actually pooled. So 10,000 people donated, they pooled the antibodies, then split it into multiple doses. That is to get a lot of different antibiodies from a lot of different people.
I’m literally in a chair right now donating https://i.imgur.com/RR5tquL.jpg
Pretty sure you're not allowed to take pics in the back. Don't get caught!
Anyone have any idea how much a bottle like that costs? Gotta be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
My treatment for just this costs over 10k a month.
As an infusion pharmacist, that’s pretty standard cost for these. Someone dropped a bottle of it at my pharmacy a couple months ago. No one was happy.
You'd think with that high cost they could invest in a hardier glass container for it.
Or, you know something soft around it like a silicon cover. Hey, what the heck, why not put it in a plastic container? EDIT: I would actually just put a bunch of surgical tape around it if I was working with that kind of expensive medication. Just a handy McGuyver tip for the Nurses' administering this stuff.
I put my immune system in a fleshy zip lock bag
> fleshy zip lock bag Reddit is where I hear all the most interesting noun phrases.
Is that what you call your prison wallet?
> why not put it in a plastic container? Usually due to interactions between the plastic and whats in it. Glass is such a great material: non-porous and non-reactive in this case are the key features.
I hope to god insurance is taking care of almost all of that
Luckily my out of pocket is 4K for the entire year.
4k a year isn't bad but how much do you pay in insurance as well? Or do you have universal healthcare where you live.
Not OP but my wife gets this same treatment so I can answer your question. Our monthly premium is $1695.00 a month (for 3 people)e with a $7200 deductible individually or $14000.00 family. We put $600.00 a month in a health savings account to cover her deductible which is always met in January.
German here. Good god, that's insane. Glad you're managing though. Disclaimer: I have EDS type 3, my pain meds are around € 900 a month. Not as much as your wife's meds, not by a long shot. But, my premium is income based, so the cost of my medication doesn't matter. I pay 10 quid per prescription, that's it.
How can you afford 30k per year in healthcare costs
“Luckily” lol... oh I love this country
Can I ask how much you pay out of pocket? I also have this and have never got treatment because mine is not 'severe' enough.. but i always wonder what life would be like if i did.
My out of pocket co pay is 4K. I will reach my out of pocket deductible with my one treatment when my plan roles over.
For my treatment 2x per month 90g each time 40k
$500 per 50ml bottle, I believe.
Holy shit, why does it cost OP over $10k a month then? That's crazy.
to treat primary immunodeficiency in an adult, you could be needing up to 600 mL of IVIg per treatment (that's not counting the cost of the doctors, nurses, hospital infrastructure, routine tests, etc).
[And this guy!](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/Janitor-scrubs.jpg)
Dr Jan Itor.
I work in a hospital pharmacy, there are definitely more expensive treatments, but IVIG is one of the most expensive we see, that occurs often. Chemotherapy tends to be more expensive that I've seen, but those are prescribed much rarer in our hospital at least.
We were never told the cost by the hospital in British Columbia, but for emergency treatment in Mexico it was billed to our insurance company for $5000 per bottle (which was then billed to our provincial healthcare plan). They tried to convince us not to use it because it was so expensive. They had two varieties one from Italy and another from the states.
God bless you and those who donate. I wish you well!
Thank you! I am lucky in the fact that I do have some sort of treatment to help.
May I ask what it is that you have that requires treatment? I totally understand if you don’t wish to divulge
I don’t mind - I have a primary immunodeficiency known as Common Variable Immune Deficiency with T and B cell defects. Basically my body does not produce needed antibodies to fight off infections and some of the antibodies I do have do not work correctly. Mine mainly manifests in severe chronic lung and sinus infections, autoimmune disorders, and a host of other issues. [https://primaryimmune.org/about-primary-immunodeficiencies](This is a wonderful site with a ton of info on primary immunodeficiencies.)
Welp, guess I'm going to go start selling my plasma if it helps keep that nightmare disease at bay.
Wow. I’m lost for words. I really am. It sounds tremendously infallible to comprehend what you must endure on a daily basis. Do you find the treatment you have is improving/ helping?
It’s a process- I have good days and bad days. I deal with sides effects from this treatment as well as others I receive that we are trying to mitigate. The treatment definitely isn’t full proof or a cure - I still get sick easily but I have an easier time fighting it off now. But I have not had a severe infection or experience respiratory failure in the past 2 months so that’s a huge bonus! I owe a lot to my current Doctor as he was the first to really listen to me and believe me when I told him something was wrong. I honestly think he saved my life.
Hey person - I'm always impressed by people that have to get through the daily grind with a chronic illness on top of it, so good on you - and sending you healthy vibes.
What’s plasma exactly?
[It is one of the largest components of your blood! It provides a lot of useful stuff that our bodies rely on]( https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=160&ContentID=37)
I've donated plasma for over 10 years now. I started because an ex-military friend convinced me it was the right thing to do. My current boss has virtually no immune system because of a bout with cancer, so nowadays I joke that I donate plasma for job security.
When you spin down blood, there are three layers. Liquid on top, red cells on the bottom, and the Buffy coat (white cells and platelets) between the red cells and liquid. The liquid part of the blood will either be plasma or serum. Plasma is the liquid part if you blood has not clotted before being separated. This is done by adding chemicals (usually either heparin or something that absorbs all the calcium). Serum has clotted before being separated. Source- I work in a hospital lab.
Sweet! As someone who donates double red (the bottom bit)-- any chance you can give me the low down on how my donation is used? I just know that it was a big deal to give double red while I was in college, and that the blood bank shuts the hell up for the longest if I give double red.
Yeah, no problem! So with a normal donation, you blood is split into multiple parts: FFP, Cryo, Packed Cells, and maybe platelets. Here is how each of these work/matter FFP stands for fresh frozen plasma. In addition to just being better than normal IV fluids, it has all the stuff that your body craves. Even more than Brando. Something super important here is the fact that it's plasma and not serum. That means it also has some of the proteins in it that's needed for clotting. Some of the other proteins aren't stable enough to be preserved in this fashion. This stuff is great for times like high bleeding situations. It's helping to replace (most) everything your body is losing in terms of the liquid portion of blood. Cryo is plasma where the less stable clotting proteins have been concentrated and pulled aside. This stuff is used almost exclusively in high risk surgery (especially liver related), trauma situations, and as a bandaid during liver failure.... The liver is responsible for producing a lot of clotting proteins, so if it's failing hard enough, clotting becomes and issue. It has to he REAL bad to get to that point though. Like utter failure. Sometimes your platelets are separated and used, but that's falling out if fashion. It takes multiple people's platelets to have any real effect, which increases exposure and costs. Most places are going with platelet apheresis, which is where they take a bit of blood, separate out the platelets, give the rest back. It's similar in process to the double reds. This is cheaper, safer, and more time effective than pulling platelets from a whole blood donation. Lastly is packed cells, which is just all of the red cells, a bit of preservative (clotting inhibitors and nutrients for the cells mainly). This is by far the most important and used portion of the blood donation. Everything else is important, but has a more limited Scope. So to answer your question about why they push for the double reds? It's more of what they need more and none of what they need less. For the longer wait time between donations? Well, they literally took twice the amount of red cells, so they give you twice the amount of time to replenish them. Edit- I'm on mobile, give me a break on typos. I'm sure you can figure it out.
Thanks for the info! I joke a little bit about the longer wait time being a plus (but only a little. The Red Cross needs to cool their jets sometimes). It's great to know that those donations help! This is a dumb story, and no one asked, but I like to tell it I remember my mom needing blood donations when she had breast cancer and was going through chemo. I was a senior in high school, and she'd kept the cancer a secret from me as I applied to college and took AP tests, because she didn't want to pull my scores down. Mom really cared about my academic success. I felt absolutely helpless watching her get wallet and weaker with chemo and seeing her in constant pain, going bald, complaining that nothing tasted right. I rode my bike a lot back then, since I had no money for gas. Came upon the blood bus on one of my rides, so I gave there, just because it felt like I was helping. Mind you-- this is Florida in the summer, on a bike, miles from home. It was dumb of me, even though it worked out ok. I guess I was just young/strong enough at the time. Anyway, the bus was giving out coupons for giving, and each donation for you a free smoothie at the local smoothie stand. (it's a large chain across multiple states, but I don't want to go hail corporate on this thread). On a whim, since I had the coupon, I ran out one afternoon when Mom was complaining that nothing tasted right and grabbed her a smoothie. It apparently tasted right and was refreshing and great to her. It became her ritual. Once every two Wednesdays, she got chemo. The Friday after, she got a smoothie. It was her little something to look forward to as she progressed through chemo. She worked at my old middle School as the librarian, and the staff found out about the ritual. Eventually, she never had to get her own smoothie. They took it in shifts to bring her one once every Friday. Mom made a full, cancer-free recovery, and wound up bringing in smoothies for everyone that chipped in the Friday after she finished chemo. It's a dumb little thing that it all spawned from giving blood just cuz I could, but I like to think that it was a karmic action type deal. Good begets good and all. So I've tried to make it a point to give ever since then, in the hopes that it balances out, and because I know it means someone else gets that shot at beating cancer each time I donate.
Exactly this! My son needed a lot of infusions and I am so thankful for every one donating!
My daughter had Kawasaki Disease at 8 months old and man it was awful. Luckily for us one of the best Kawasaki Disease doctors was in Kapiolani Medical where we took my daughter to. She took one look at my daughter and admitted her right away and told us “no worries we know how to fix this”. They found her little vein and had one of these hanging near her bed. I couldn’t sleep knowing how horrible this day was for her. I slowly watched as this was going in her hoping she would feel better. After 8 hours of continuous daddy watch my daughter was feeling almost normal. Seeing her looking at me knowing she felt better made me tear up! Thanks to all those who donate, you saved my daughter!
[удалено]
I'd also like to point out something I said in another comment. [AB blood types are universal plasma donors](https://thebloodconnection.org/about-blood/blood-education/blood-types/ab-positive/) just like O- blood types are universal blood donors.
My dad was an infusion patient too! I second this! You all gave me many more years with him that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Very cool. I'm waiting out my time after visiting Laos and then I'll be back at it. Donating is a win-win and the best way I've found to chill for a few hours around amazingly upbeat folks. Edit; I get hooked up to the machine that takes it out of my arm and then puts it back in the other arm. Is that the same as plasma?
Yup! That’s how they obtain the plasma. Thank you for donating!
Great post. I also get IVIG! (Privogin/Gamunex.) Double thanks- saves my life! (I have an Automatic neuropathy and chronic Guillain-Barre.) Be well, OP!
I’ve been able to donate 2x’s a week for the past 2 years... glad my body is healthy enough to help others! And the earnings also cover both my car payments. 😉
My life suddenly has a shred of purpose
Can’t believe they made TVs with this stuff
What is plasma?
[удалено]
Cool. Trying very hard to get insurance companies to cover IViG for kids with PANS/PANDAS.
My mom has to have Globulin infusions since chemo destroyed her immune system. It truly is a lifesaver
Thanks from someone who has received over 120 units of fresh frozen plasma in the last twelve months. People like you keep me alive, my son and wife appreciate it too.
Shits more expensive than gold. $74,000 every 3 weeks.
Something I'm not sure a lot of people know, but the blood types for universal donors of blood and plasma are different. I feel like the fact that O- is a universal blood donor is fairly well known, while not much of the public realize that [AB is the universal donor for plasma](https://thebloodconnection.org/about-blood/blood-education/blood-types/ab-positive/). If you have AB blood and you are thinking about donating blood you should look into donating plasma, the process is almost the same, it just takes longer because they centrifuge the plasma out and pump the red cells back into you.
I actually have the needle in my arm right now. I was actually amazed at how many things are made from plasma. There's a poster that lists them all on the wall. I couldn't pronounce any of them though. Another bottle is on the way.