I definitely wasn’t inspired by the post by that guy interested in selling their kidney /s

  • Hup!@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’ve donated for a few months at a time back when I was dirt broke. In the short term the extra money can be a lifeline but in the long term it has more health risks associated that I’m comfortable with. There’s a lot of conflicting pressures in the actual donor center too. On the one hand they need you to donate at least twice per month to even get enough plasma that it can go to an eligible donor, and they incentivize you coming back as many times per month as is legal; I think it’s 8-10 times per month. On the other hand donating that much clearly isn’t healthy if you aren’t in excellent shape yourself. Do it too much will will make you more anemic and increase your overall fatigue, weakens your immune system, can lead to scarring in your elbows and a fuck ton of other lower chance but more serious complications.

    • m88youngling@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      Another question: do track marks associated with donating blood look similar to track marks seen in IV drug abuse?

      • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        If you are donating whole blood (say, to the Red Cross), you do it so rarely you almost certainly won’t develop lasting track marks.

    • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Pros: Easy, low effort money. If you care about track marks, don’t treat this as anything but a supplemental income source. Otherwise will you start having to decide between track marks and making rent.

      Track Marks: Make sure you swap the arm getting jabbed every time, and when you notice them start to develop, give it a break for awhile. If you are selling plasma twice a week, you can start to notice them even within a month.

      Plasma Replenishment: Takes a day or so with solid liquids. Make sure you are drinking water regularly. They will pump you full of saline, which replaces most of the water, but it doesn’t always cut it. If your water levels are too low you might get rejected for the day. Also, some places will put that saline in at room temperature; your arm will feel like it’s full of ice cubes for 10 min.

      • axtualdave@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Also, some places will put that saline in at room temperature; your arm will feel like it’s full of ice cubes for 10 min.

        As someone that’s had to have IV saline to treat some medical woes, fuck every place that does this. It’s sooo uncomfortable.

  • loopy@vlemmy.net
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    1 year ago

    So I worked at a plasma donation center and in a hospital. I will tell you that the training at the place I was at was very brief and you are somewhat practice for many new phlebotomists. I will also say I cared for at least two patients that were hospitalized after people missed their sticks at the donation centers and the patients had huge vascular issues after that.

    That being said many people do it and it turns out just fine. It’s easy money if you can tolerate it. But I would not recommend it, as it can eventually cause scarring to your veins and it may be difficult to start an IV when you are older and actually really need that access site.

    • Drusas@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      The marks/scarring thing is real. I need regular blood draws and infusions (iron deficiency anemia), and I look like a drug user just because my elbows always have marks, and I’m pretty sure the left one is scarred after I needed a blood transfusion a couple months back.

      As somebody who has now needed a blood transfusion, thank you, donors! Please donate if you can. In addition to people needing them for injuries and childbirth, some of our bodies are just shit at making our own blood.

  • drewisawesome14@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I used to do it when I was poor as shit just so I could have grocery money. It’s uncomfortable the first few times but then you get used to it. It’s a good time to relax/read and chill out, but it can be a pain. It’s all depends on if the money is worth it. I’d say sub $50, not worth it. Over $50 then take it into consideration

    • liquefy4931@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      What? How? I’ve never heard of any link between blood plasma and human trafficking. Can you share a source or am I reading too much into your comment?

        • Mirodir@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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          1 year ago

          But by donating you’d increase the supply and they’d make less money, so that doesn’t quite check out.

  • FunkFactory@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I donated ~9 times in college, til the one time I had a bad technician person and ended up with a significant subdermal hematoma in my arm. It was painless and resolved itself but freaked me out enough I didn’t want to do it anymore.

    • Sendbeer@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It can vary depending on the area you are in and the demand. I haven’t gone in for a few years and am now getting email with a promotion which would pay out $700 for all the donations for the month. It’s a little tempting to be honest. After I get through the first month I think it was about $70 a week with various promotions designed to encourage you to come in twice a week for the whole month.