October 8, 2013
There's a pretty large gap between donation number 2 & 3. This is because I tried to donate blood in the summer and was disappointed to find that my iron level was too low. I couldn't donate again for an additional 56 days.
It was too bad, but it wasn't all for not. While waiting to test my iron, I overheard one of the employees talking to a patient about donating plasma instead of whole blood. I don't know why I didn't know about this before... well, I mean I kind of did, but I didn't know the specifics of it.
Donations can be done every week. Only certain blood types can donate (not sure who can't but I'm in!). Women can only donate if they've never been pregnant before.
Because of these things, the need for plasma donors is pretty high so that's what I'd do next time.
The process before the donation is pretty similar. They test the iron, ask the naughty questions (very specific about 1977) and there are forms to fill out.
The process of actually donating is quite different. They put one needle into your arm, just like normal, but it goes into a machine instead of a bag. The machine takes out the whole blood and spins it. Red blood cells are heavier than plasma and the centrifuge separates the two. The plasma is transferred into a donation bag and the red blood cells go back through the tube and into the arm again.
It took a while, but the whole thing was really neat to watch! I pretty much just stared at the machine the whole time. Sometimes I feel pretty woozy after donating whole blood, so this seems like a better fit for me.
Also, plasma looks like beer. So there's that.
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