Donating Plasma for Fun and Profit

Mai-Kero

So, I was recently unemployed for about a month and a half. I finally have a new job, and some school money came in, so I managed to survive that period. I realized that I had neglected something that may have helped a bit though, and that is donated my life-fluid. As it is now, I think that an extra bit of money every week will help out a ton with bills, living expenses, and whichever shitty restaurants my friends take me to. Additionally, I can just bring a book and instead of read, get paid to read. I do have a few questions before I start I hope someone can help me with:

1) How can I find a place to donate plasma for money at?

2)

Is it secret?

Is it safe? I mean, I imagine it is, since, medical facility, but it would probably ruin the shit out of my day if I walked home infected with some kind of poor-people virus.

3) I'm 6'4", around 215 lbs, have rather excellent blood pressure, and I regularly donate blood at my school's drives. Will donated plasma feel any worse/different?

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

It's a more intense process than giving blood is. Takes a little bit longer, and while the after effects are essentially the same (fatigue, light-headedness), they're more severe. Apparently some people find the process more painful than giving blood, but I thought it was pretty similar.

You can probably just type "plasma donation [your city] into google and get two or three places.

ascannerlightly

Mai-Kero wrote: »

So, I was recently unemployed for about a month and a half. I finally have a new job, and some school money came in, so I managed to survive that period. I realized that I had neglected something that may have helped a bit though, and that is donated my life-fluid. As it is now, I think that an extra bit of money every week will help out a ton with bills, living expenses, and whichever shitty restaurants my friends take me to. Additionally, I can just bring a book and instead of read, get paid to read. I do have a few questions before I start I hope someone can help me with:

1) How can I find a place to donate plasma for money at?

2)

Is it secret?

Is it safe? I mean, I imagine it is, since, medical facility, but it would probably ruin the shit out of my day if I walked home infected with some kind of poor-people virus.

3) I'm 6'4", around 215 lbs, have rather excellent blood pressure, and I regularly donate blood at my school's drives. Will donated plasma feel any worse/different?

far as i know, the part you're involved in is exactly like donating blood. they seperate it out in what i can only assume to be some huge room-filling centrifuge like fighter pilots use to train in.

and yeah, i think it's safe to make the assumption that the people who are around blood all day every day know clean needle procedures. it's hard enough for them to get people in, if they started having people leave with new blood-born infections they wouldn't have a single drop collected.

dispatch.o

Mai-Kero wrote: »

So, I was recently unemployed for about a month and a half. I finally have a new job, and some school money came in, so I managed to survive that period. I realized that I had neglected something that may have helped a bit though, and that is donated my life-fluid. As it is now, I think that an extra bit of money every week will help out a ton with bills, living expenses, and whichever shitty restaurants my friends take me to. Additionally, I can just bring a book and instead of read, get paid to read. I do have a few questions before I start I hope someone can help me with:

1) How can I find a place to donate plasma for money at?

2)

Is it secret?

Is it safe? I mean, I imagine it is, since, medical facility, but it would probably ruin the shit out of my day if I walked home infected with some kind of poor-people virus.

3) I'm 6'4", around 215 lbs, have rather excellent blood pressure, and I regularly donate blood at my school's drives. Will donated plasma feel any worse/different?

You're not donating, you're selling. Don't confuse the two. Giving plasma takes a lot longer, they spin the blood and seperate it and give you the stuff they don't want back. Otherwise it's mostly the same sort of feeling as giving blood.

As long as they aren't re-using disposable supplies (which all tubing and needles in the huge kits to do this with usually are) you should be completely safe. That being said, it's not unheard of for shady practices to try and clean and re-use things that are single use.

EskimoDave

dispatch.o wrote: »

Mai-Kero wrote: »

So, I was recently unemployed for about a month and a half. I finally have a new job, and some school money came in, so I managed to survive that period. I realized that I had neglected something that may have helped a bit though, and that is donated my life-fluid. As it is now, I think that an extra bit of money every week will help out a ton with bills, living expenses, and whichever shitty restaurants my friends take me to. Additionally, I can just bring a book and instead of read, get paid to read. I do have a few questions before I start I hope someone can help me with:

1) How can I find a place to donate plasma for money at?

2)

Is it secret?

Is it safe? I mean, I imagine it is, since, medical facility, but it would probably ruin the shit out of my day if I walked home infected with some kind of poor-people virus.

3) I'm 6'4", around 215 lbs, have rather excellent blood pressure, and I regularly donate blood at my school's drives. Will donated plasma feel any worse/different?

You're not donating, you're selling. Don't confuse the two. Giving plasma takes a lot longer, they spin the blood and seperate it and give you the stuff they don't want back. Otherwise it's mostly the same sort of feeling as giving blood.

As long as they aren't re-using disposable supplies (which all tubing and needles in the huge kits to do this with usually are) you should be completely safe. That being said, it's not unheard of for shady practices to try and clean and re-use things that are single use.

So they just pump the plasmaless blood back in to you?

MrOletta

EskimoDave wrote: »

So they just pump the plasmaless blood back in to you?

They ice it first.

Raneados

there's also a few rules about who can't give blood

I believe I am ineligible because I have been in europe for 3 or more consecutive months between like 1980 and 2003

EskimoDave

Raneados wrote: »

there's also a few rules about who can't give blood

I believe I am ineligible because I have been in europe for 3 or more consecutive months between like 1980 and 2003

Same for me in Canada, but its just Britain, and the 3 months doesn't have to be consecutive. I was looking forward to giving blood as well.

cooljammer00

Wait, 3 non consecutive months? What if we're just a seasoned lucky traveler who has been out of the country for enough weeks to be at least close to that amount of time away?

Trinis

Haha, they don't ice the blood before they put it back into you, it just gets to room temperature (pretty chilly air conditioned lab environment). That room temp blood feels like ice to your 98 degree body though.

Keep in mind that you will be selling your immune system. I used to sell my plasma at a local stab lab twice a week, ending up with a cold that I couldn't shake for months. I was coughing up large blobs of yellow phlegm every day for an entire winter.

Now if you still want to do this, make sure you set aside at least four hours for your first visit, you'll need a physical and drug test done (no they don't screen for marijuana). You may want to bring a light jacket or sweatshirt to drape over you as you donate - they seriously keep the place down to about 60 degrees F, plus you lacking blood can make it seem very cold.

Call and set up an appointment for your physical, if you just walk in and try to set it up you may spend a couple extra hours waiting.

EskimoDave

cooljammer00 wrote: »

Wait, 3 non consecutive months? What if we're just a seasoned lucky traveler who has been out of the country for enough weeks to be at least close to that amount of time away?

You officially have mad cow, thus you can't donate. ever. seriously.

Quid

ascannerlightly wrote: »

far as i know, the part you're involved in is exactly like donating blood. they seperate it out in what i can only assume to be some huge room-filling centrifuge like fighter pilots use to train in.

Nope, little machine right next to you and then they pump the rest back in with some saline.

Cold, cold saline.

ascannerlightly

Quid wrote: »

ascannerlightly wrote: »

far as i know, the part you're involved in is exactly like donating blood. they seperate it out in what i can only assume to be some huge room-filling centrifuge like fighter pilots use to train in.

Nope, little machine right next to you and then they pump the rest back in with some saline.

Cold, cold saline.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke