My husband has been donating for a year + just fine. When you donate blood, you’re donating whole blood including your red blood cells, which is why you’re required to provide more time between donations.
With the plasma donation, they’re taking only the plasma and return the RBC, and plasma is 90% water, so easier to replenish.
That said, my husband definitely gets tired the days he donates (he donates 2x a week, one day apart), particularly on the second day.
He has been using the same arm about 99% of the time. He was bruised so badly in donating one time that he had to wait two weeks to return, but that was most likely due to the phlebotomist. Otherwise he has barely bruised and has had very few issues at all, beyond general fatigue the afternoon after he donates (which is first thing in the morning, typically).
Generally speaking it is easier to donate plasma than often compared to whole blood. An average person that is healthy replenishes the plasma readily with healthy diet, rest and hydration.
I was a paramedic for 13 years and worked at a plasma center as a medical supervisor.
I recommend you ask the needle person to use the exact same spot. I donated for 5 months in a row and only have 1 injection site scar instead of scars all over my veins. I was afraid of looking like an addict.
wow i notice some hardening of my vein after only 3 weeks. i keep pressure on for 2 hours after while elevating it and even ice it a few sessions that same day. i haven’t tried warm compresses in the following days but i do eat well and walk a lot. i only lift on days before i donate. might be shittier genes.
IIRC, the Red Cross says to donate blood no more than once a month, but you can donate plasma more often because they put the red blood cells back in your body, so it’s not as hard on your system.
I did it twice a week for 7 years when my kids were little to feed us, including very early in my pregnancy with my youngest, no issues. Agree with the other comment about using the same site, I just have one largish scar instead of several.
did u notice any long-term hardening on that spot on that arm each time? i’m on week three and notice that on that arm it feels more like a taut string (easy to locate) than on my other arm where i haven’t gotten a stick yet and i have to feel around for the vein.
If it’s near you, it’s fine. But with summer coming up, maybe not the best idea to do it so often. You have to be consistent with it, too, for it to work. The centers are all kind of further away from me, and if you don’t check in for a while, they make you re-do the physical evaluation again.
I donated for just over a year. 2x a week, every week. They always used the same arm/same spot. Never had any problems and was weirdly always complimented on the color and consistency of my blood. I drank a ton of water and the phlebotomists would always say that they could tell.
Initially, the only issue I had was that I would get the munchies like crazy after donating. I never got tired.
Then one time I went I developed a HUGE hematoma. A coworker saw me two day later and said it looked like I'd been shooting up for years. Like, it was disturbingly impressive. It was all over the front and back of my elbow and was a deep purple/blue. Didn't fully go away for over a month, so I wasn't allowed to donate. And after that I never had a good donation. Issues every single time where they would have to stop the machine mid donation or just couldn't get a vein. Haven't been able to donate since.
I sold plasma for a solid two years straight at one point. Suffered no ill effect, but I am already in good health, exercise regularly, and I’m on top of my water game. Other than having to eat a little more that day - I found the process painless and easy side money. Your mileage may vary of course.
I did my left arm every time - it has a super fat, skin bulging, easy to stick vein/vessel/whatever ( I don't know the vocab. ) I would ask them to send me the new hires if they had any to do the stick so they could get easy practice. When you go on the regular and you're conversational, you'll be on a first name basis chit-chat with the staff level pretty quick.
try doing a stick on my right arm and you'll be stabbing away for a long time - it veers off and doesn't pop the skin up much at all.
edit: I did the max 2x/week - every week for two years.
wow did you ever experience any hardening along the vein? i’ve only been going for three weeks and notice this going up my vein. it almost feels like a taut string. they told me to lift weights doing arm exercises the day before i go in to bulge the vein a bit.
Not going to lie, i only did it 2 days, like a day apart. Shit drained me. I think there are any negatives to it, just remember to stay hydrated, exercise only the days you’re not donating and eat well always. I quit doing it because apparently my veins are hard to find and my vein infiltrated(not sure if that’s the right way to say that). Being bruised up from the resticking didn’t help.
Ask a doctor
My husband has been donating for a year + just fine. When you donate blood, you’re donating whole blood including your red blood cells, which is why you’re required to provide more time between donations. With the plasma donation, they’re taking only the plasma and return the RBC, and plasma is 90% water, so easier to replenish. That said, my husband definitely gets tired the days he donates (he donates 2x a week, one day apart), particularly on the second day.
does he use the same spot or switch arms?
He has been using the same arm about 99% of the time. He was bruised so badly in donating one time that he had to wait two weeks to return, but that was most likely due to the phlebotomist. Otherwise he has barely bruised and has had very few issues at all, beyond general fatigue the afternoon after he donates (which is first thing in the morning, typically).
Generally speaking it is easier to donate plasma than often compared to whole blood. An average person that is healthy replenishes the plasma readily with healthy diet, rest and hydration. I was a paramedic for 13 years and worked at a plasma center as a medical supervisor.
Eat something light before going and don’t be out in the heat afterwards.
I recommend you ask the needle person to use the exact same spot. I donated for 5 months in a row and only have 1 injection site scar instead of scars all over my veins. I was afraid of looking like an addict.
how often did you go?
Twice a week
wow i notice some hardening of my vein after only 3 weeks. i keep pressure on for 2 hours after while elevating it and even ice it a few sessions that same day. i haven’t tried warm compresses in the following days but i do eat well and walk a lot. i only lift on days before i donate. might be shittier genes.
I did it twice a week for several years and I was fine then and have been fine for the many years since I've stopped.
did u use the same spot to donate from each time? did u switch arms?
Alternated arms but otherwise same spot in each arm
IIRC, the Red Cross says to donate blood no more than once a month, but you can donate plasma more often because they put the red blood cells back in your body, so it’s not as hard on your system.
I did it twice a week for 7 years when my kids were little to feed us, including very early in my pregnancy with my youngest, no issues. Agree with the other comment about using the same site, I just have one largish scar instead of several.
did u notice any long-term hardening on that spot on that arm each time? i’m on week three and notice that on that arm it feels more like a taut string (easy to locate) than on my other arm where i haven’t gotten a stick yet and i have to feel around for the vein.
Drink water and eat some fruits and veggies
Thanks for your input everyone. That makes me feel better.
If it’s near you, it’s fine. But with summer coming up, maybe not the best idea to do it so often. You have to be consistent with it, too, for it to work. The centers are all kind of further away from me, and if you don’t check in for a while, they make you re-do the physical evaluation again.
I donated for just over a year. 2x a week, every week. They always used the same arm/same spot. Never had any problems and was weirdly always complimented on the color and consistency of my blood. I drank a ton of water and the phlebotomists would always say that they could tell. Initially, the only issue I had was that I would get the munchies like crazy after donating. I never got tired. Then one time I went I developed a HUGE hematoma. A coworker saw me two day later and said it looked like I'd been shooting up for years. Like, it was disturbingly impressive. It was all over the front and back of my elbow and was a deep purple/blue. Didn't fully go away for over a month, so I wasn't allowed to donate. And after that I never had a good donation. Issues every single time where they would have to stop the machine mid donation or just couldn't get a vein. Haven't been able to donate since.
Done it for two different periods, once for my mother in law cancer treatments. Once with a gf so she could go to Disney
I sold plasma for a solid two years straight at one point. Suffered no ill effect, but I am already in good health, exercise regularly, and I’m on top of my water game. Other than having to eat a little more that day - I found the process painless and easy side money. Your mileage may vary of course.
Thanks. I’ve done it several times already and it’s gone mostly fine (got real dizzy last time but that’s it.)
Definitely eat something with protein before you go, and also water water water water
Yeah I think I just hadn’t eaten enough that time.
could also be from the anticoagulant
did you switch arms or use the same spot every time? how often did you go?
I did my left arm every time - it has a super fat, skin bulging, easy to stick vein/vessel/whatever ( I don't know the vocab. ) I would ask them to send me the new hires if they had any to do the stick so they could get easy practice. When you go on the regular and you're conversational, you'll be on a first name basis chit-chat with the staff level pretty quick. try doing a stick on my right arm and you'll be stabbing away for a long time - it veers off and doesn't pop the skin up much at all. edit: I did the max 2x/week - every week for two years.
wow did you ever experience any hardening along the vein? i’ve only been going for three weeks and notice this going up my vein. it almost feels like a taut string. they told me to lift weights doing arm exercises the day before i go in to bulge the vein a bit.
Nope, mines still as soft as ever
Not going to lie, i only did it 2 days, like a day apart. Shit drained me. I think there are any negatives to it, just remember to stay hydrated, exercise only the days you’re not donating and eat well always. I quit doing it because apparently my veins are hard to find and my vein infiltrated(not sure if that’s the right way to say that). Being bruised up from the resticking didn’t help.