Donation

[Thunder]

I saw this on Craigslist. Does anyone know if this is legit or not?

http://www.oklahomacityplasmadonation.com/

Also, my brother's girlfriend has been donating (twice monthly limit) at the new place in Midwest City on Reno (formerly Pep Boys) for $50 each. I'm not sure how to do that...walk in or call to set up appointment?

Any other places to donate blood or this mysterious plasma thingy? Would be great to collect some cash. Never done it myself before.

[bandnerd]

Yes, you get paid to donate plasma. You do not get money to donate blood. Call the place where your brother's girlfriend has gone and ask them what to do.

[PennyQuilts]

Is this the pregnant girlfriend??

[BBatesokc]

Its easy. We used to donate plasma and platelets (sp) when I was in college. I've done it since, a few times, for fundraisers. If you don't mind needles and slight discomfort its no big deal.

[Roadhawg]

Is this the pregnant girlfriend??

Wasn't me

[SoonerBeerMan]

Please don't read anything into this or think that I'm doing anything but just stating a point...if donating plasma is anything like donating blood they will screen you out if you have, or had, sex with men. They can't take the risk of infecting the blood supply, or plasma supply, with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. Just an FYI.

[HewenttoJared]

Good point.

[Thunder]

Is this the pregnant girlfriend??

She lost it due to overeating and being satanic.

Please don't read anything into this or think that I'm doing anything but just stating a point...if donating plasma is anything like donating blood they will screen you out if you have, or had, sex with men. They can't take the risk of infecting the blood supply, or plasma supply, with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. Just an FYI.

I'm not gonna be stupid to tell them that. Just FYI, I'm 100% a clean boy.

[kevinpate]

T, plasma is not a mysterious thing. Its the fluid part of your body's blood, the stuff your blood cells and platelets float around in. The plasma donation process draws whole blood from a body, spins it real fast to separate the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets from the plasma, then sends these blood products back into the body through the same tube. The process cycles a few times until the proper amount of plasma is collected in its own container. The amount collected, and thus the amount paid, per donation day varies by a person's weight.

The participant lays there and watches tv, reads, listens to music via headphones, whatever lets him/her be still and remain awake during the process.

Plasma centers generally permit multiple visits a month, but I don't think any permit someone to donate at multiple centers. Typically no more than 2 donations in a week and typically a day or three in between participant visits. The body needs time to recreate more plasma is why there are limits on the frequency.

Your first visit will take longer than any other, due to the initial qualification screening and medical exam. After that, it would require a time commitment (between 1-2.5 hours) per donation day, depending on how hydrated you are, how busy the wait room is, whether it is first come first served at the center or there are scheduled appointments for donors.

As others have noted, there are automatic disqualifiers which will preclude some folks from donating. Certain sexual practices, receiving blood while overseas, at least in certain areas overseas, being too tiny a person, being too heavy a person, certain diseases, certain past surgical procedures, etc. Some procedures are permanent rejections and some are for the time being rejections.

Participants include retirees, unemployed folk, students, and also employed folks from private and govt. sectors alike.
I've known donors with very different reasons for their participation. Some paid their rent, some it made a difference on eating or not. Others covered a car or boat payment. Still others were helping a relative in a tough spot. Some just wanted some extra discretionary money.

Hope that's helpful to you.

[SoonerBeerMan]

I'm not gonna be stupid to tell them that. Just FYI, I'm 100% a clean boy.

1) That's never a certainty, 2) they'll catch it (if there are any disqualifying agents in the collection) when they screen the plasma, and 3) if you even have the SLIGHTEST of chances of having some sort of disease that is transmitted through body fluids you're putting multiple other lives in danger.

[Bill Robertson]

I'm not gonna be stupid to tell them that. Just FYI, I'm 100% a clean boy.

That would be the lowest form of low.

[Thunder]

Thanks Kevin. I will give it a try next year. Its tax free $$$ so it doesn't have to be reported?

[HewenttoJared]

It would be very not cool to lie to a blood bank.

[Roadhawg]

I'm not gonna be stupid to tell them that. Just FYI, I'm 100% a clean boy.

That would be the lowest form of low.

I agree but I don't think that would stop him from doing it.

[Thunder]

I don't like the fact that we are still being singled out and assumed to be deadly. Its 2011 (days away from 2012) and people still believe that we have sex with different men each night.

[venture]

Chances are there are plenty of heterosexual donors that carry various diseases if not worse than most gay donors would. However the rules are such that they won't take the donation for now, but I remember reading that there are plans to finally update the rules which date back to the 1980s HIV outbreak. If they followed the same logic, they would probably ban most African Americans from donating blood/plasma today. They account for a large portion of the new cases and of those it is pretty close to equal between male-male and male-female sexual contact as the method of transmission.

It is something that needs to be addressed when we continue to have low donor numbers. However there needs to be a basic quarantine for donated blood regardless to ensure it is clean.

[Roadhawg]

I don't like the fact that we are still being singled out and assumed to be deadly. Its 2011 (days away from 2012) and people still believe that we have sex with different men each night.

No, people believe gay men have a much greater chance of getting HIV than straight men.

While CDC estimates that only 4 percent of men in the United States are MSM, (Men who have Sex with Men) the rate of new HIV diagnoses among
MSM in the United States is more than 44 times that of other men (range: 522 – 989 per 100,000 MSM vs. 12 per
100,000 other men).

http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/...nal508comp.pdf

[kevinpate]

FWIW, and I've less than zero interest in discussing anyone's past or present practices, it's not a singling out of male/male sex regarding acceptable v/ non-acceptable plasma donors. There are male/female practices and non-sexual conduct areas that could get someone disqualified from being a plasma donor. Some were noted in the prior post. For a complete listing, locate a center and call or see them.

[Hawk405359]

I donated when I was in school in Stillwater. The center there allowed you to donate twice a week (although you got less than $50 a visit, I can tell you that much). If this one is the same, basically there will be a screening process, akin to what you do if giving blood, the first time. Every time after that, you fill out a questionnaire, get your BP and temp taken, and that's generally enough. The process took a pretty long time, compared to giving blood though. So I wouldn't go if you have anywhere you have to be later that afternoon.