Donating plasma

[andrew's mom]

Have any of you donated plasma for cash? I was thinking about doing that for extra cash for Xmas. How long does it take and does it zap your energy? My ultimate question is: is it worth it?
Thanks.

[Jamielane]

My brother used to do it all the time. I have never personally done it. I can tell you this, It takes about 45minutes to an hour to do the actual draw. The needle is HUGE and you have to be in good health and have a good blood pressure. He was allowed to do it a few times a week. They paid like 20.00 the first time and then if you did it a second time that week I think it was 30.00 . Here (in Michigan) you had to go certain days once you started just like a schedule. The later in the week or the later in the day he went the longer he waited and the crowd where he went was pretty unsavory which always made me wonder about the blood supply and pray I never needed a transfusion. I guess is it worth ? Is all relative. He needed the money desperatly. No job or off and on work, a newborn to feed . He did it to survive and pay the bills. So for him it was worth it. I guess if you have the time and arent afraid of the needle then maybe its worth it a few times for a short term goal.

[Telephus44]

My DH donated plasma (no cash payments) for almost a year when he was unemployed. Every other week, I think. The needle is huge and it does take a long time, but I don't think he had any side effects (feel ill or tired) from it.

[savvy_sniper]

You need to be in good health, eat decently, etc. Have you ever donated blood? Donating blood they use a large needle and they take whole blood. Donating plasma, they take the plasma and return the rest to you. That is why you can donate plasma more often than blood.

I used to work in the corporate office of a blood plasma company. There were lots of people that donated plasma long term. It isn't for everybody. But it is a way to earn a little extra money.

[TigerGirl1226]

I did it for a while in college. The center I went to had TVs so there was something to distract you. Some people read books. It can take a while. Not the actual donating process, but the wait. Where I went, you check in and waited, then they did a finger prick to test for something I can't remember then you wait again for a station to be open, then you finally get inside and donate. Again, this may just be my experience, but the technicians weren't the most skilled at inserting the needle. Often it was painful and I had bruises, but I bruise easily. All of that being said, lately I have considered doing it again. For me at the time, the money was totally worth it and even now we could use the money.

[andrew's mom]

Thanks everyone, you gave me a lot of food for thought.

[Grainlady]

I have a friend who runs a plasma center. She gets a lot of college students in and one thing she told me is that the students typically don't consume water and you can tell in the viscosity of the blood and the amount of time it takes to donate plasma. The better hydrated you are, the quicker it goes. This is also true of people who donate blood. Drink LOTS of water the 24-hour period before you donate.

On a personal note, if I had to donate plasma to fund Christmas, NO ONE would get a gift.....so bless you for thinking of making the sacrifice. I have a fear of being "punctured"; while hubby has given gallons of blood to the Red Cross over the years.

But back to financing Christmas (an idea that might serve you next year), we save our $1 bills throughout the year to fund the Christmas/Emergency savings account in the bank. In our family, we keep gifts to a $10 limit, so Christmas is realistic and affordable (cash only Christmas - never on a credit card).

I was at K-Mart yesterday, with Martha Stewart's contract with K-Mart ending (she's moving to Lowe's), they are getting rid of anything with her name on it and "tons" of wonderful things were drastically discounted. I purchased enough things to cover several years of Christmas gifts. They had a huge amount of toys on sale as well.

[frugalfranny]

Have never donated and now that I know the needle is huge I probably never will!

If you decide to do it let us know how it goes.

NEEDLES!!....

[andrew's mom]

Grainlady,
Thanks for the $1 tip (no pun intended) and the hydration one. I will definitely start something like that next year. There are 6 kids in our immediate family and they all ask for pretty expensive things (games, clothes, shoes), so even though we draw names for the adults, the kids take a lot of cash.

I will have to ponder on this one but if I decide to do it, I'll come back with a full report.

Thanks everyone for your input.

[Mummy2]

Just reading this my tummy did the flip flop and I got goose bumps!!
You will never ever see me donating blood or any part of it. I wish you lots of luck and hope it all works out.

[nodmicks]

I did it years back. It was a very nice center. They even had a wonderful daycare. The was nothing unsavory about it. Very clean. There were business people in suits donating as well as college student. You either could take the cash or donate it. My dh still does it once in a while. I just give to the red cross now. The needle is a tad bigger doing plasma or red cross but it is not painful Bigger needle = faster blood draw! All a ok!

I tell you that $ came in handy and I enjoyed reading magazines while the wonderful daycare lady Debbie did crafts with the kids

I felt great! No energy drain. It was also great for my weight knowing someone was weighing me on a regular basis.

[Anythingispossible]

In my home town its 20 the first time and 35 every time after that and you can donate twice in 7 days.

I may consider this! but man do i hate needles!

[andrew's mom]

Hi all,
Upon careful consideration I decided not to go through with it because I realized I was iron defficient and tired all the time. I may have to figure something out for Xmas this year but for next year I'm definitely starting a $1 jar.
Thanks all for your answers.
Mea.