Blood Money

Blood money. I don’t mean the traditional sense of the phrase, but a much more literal interpretation. I donated plasma yesterday and got paid $40 for it. Technically, they didn’t pay me for the plasma, just “compensated me for my time.” Okay…

It’s kind of a weird process: They extract about a pint of blood at a time and it goes into a centrifuge-type machine that separates the plasma from the red blood cells. When the container of red blood cells is full, it is pumped back into your system (along with a saline/anti-coagulant solution). This cycles happens several times until they get the amount of plasma needed. I’ve been told it averages about 45 minutes to an hour. At the end, you have a large bottle of stuff that look (I swear I’m not making this up) exactly like urine. Weird.

Apparently the human body replenishes plasma (which is mostly water) quickly – you can donate twice a week. Other than being bored, I had a good experience. I didn’t get dizzy like I sometimes do when I donate whole blood. Admittedly, it is an odd feeling when the machine reverses and pumps the red blood cells back in, but after describing it to Leslie, she said it sounded exactly like having an IV drip. I’ve never had an IV, so I can’t compare. All I know is that it is cold…the saline solution is sitting there at room temperature (which is cold). Having something cold flush through the INSIDE of your arm is just plain weird (notice that I’ve been using that word a lot? It’s not by accident).

So why did I do it? Well, first off…$40. If I go a second time (which is likely), I’ll get another $40. After that it drops to $25. It’s nice to have a little extra “fun money” sitting in my pocket. Other than that, why not donate? In the past, I’ve tried to give blood whenever the opportunity arose (since I’m AB+, I figured it was my duty). When I saw the advertisement for the plasma center, I figured it would be an interesting experience.

My only warning: The first time you go, plan on spending several hours there as there is a TON of paperwork to fill out (the industry is highly regulated by the FDA) and you have to have a physical, get blood drawn for testing, pee in a cup, etc. After the first time, you just go in, sign in on the sheet, and wait for your name to be called. I almost certainly will not be going in twice a week. I don’t want my arms to look like I’m a drug addict. But I figure once a month would be enough for me to buy a game or a book or whatever I have my eye on and not feel guilty that I’m spending money my family needs for everyday living.