How to Make Money by Donating Your Plasma
Donating plasma can be a good way to earn some extra money. The pay rate varies with the plasma center, and it doesn't always seem like a lot when you donate, but it adds up over the course of a month. While not as altruistic as donating whole blood (you're getting paid for it, after all), plasma donation serves an important purpose, as blood plasma is used in treatments for severe burns and hemophiliacs. If there's a plasma center in your area, here are a few things for you to know about donating.
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Instructions
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Before you donate, make sure you've eaten a decent meal earlier in the day. Many first-time donors get dizzy or nauseous the when the donate, and having eaten can prevent this. It is also important that you be well hydrated. Drink plenty of water the day before and earlier in the day, and it's best to avoid alcohol the day before.
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The first time you go in to donate, expect the session to take a few hours. The doctor on the premises will have to give you a checkup, and you'll have to answer several questions about your medical and sexual history. Your plasma is going to be used for medical treatments of other people, and the plasma center has to screen potential donors for communicable diseases like hepatitis, HIV and AIDS. Your plasma will be tested for these diseases in any case, but this is a waste of the plasma center's time and money. The questions also serve to assess the risk of you carrying a disease. If you've recently had any tattoos or body piercings, or spent time in jail, you may have to wait before being eligible to donate.
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After the initial checkup, and each time you donate thereafter, the staff will take your vitals. You'll be weighed, your blood pressure will be taken, and your finger will be pricked and a small blood sample will be taken used to take a protein count. These will determine whether or not you are fit to donate that day. You have to be at least a certain weight (around 100 pounds or so) to donate, and your weight determines how much plasma you can donate at a time. Each time you donate, you will also usually be asked a series of questions, more or less the same questions you answered in the medical exam. A particular finger will also probably be marked, most likely with ink that is visible under a black light. This indicates to any other plasma centers in the area that you have donated at that center and is checked to insure people don't try to donate more often than allowed. Generally you're allowed to donated twice a week, with at least 48 hours between donations.
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The first time you donate, a staff member should explain the entire process to you. You'll be taken to one of the beds, where they'll put a pressure cuff around your upper arm and you'll be given a tennis ball or something similar to squeeze in order to pump your vein up. The phlebotomist will insert the IV into your vein at the elbow. It will sting a bit at first, but the pain usually fades until you hardly feel it. After you've donated a few times you often will hardly feel it.
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Also the first time you donate, and about once every six weeks, a small tube of blood will be taken for routine testing. The first time they test your blood to see if it has particular antibodies. If you have these antibodies, you will often get paid more.
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After your blood sample is taken, your IV will be hooked up to the plasma collection machine and a bag of anticoagulant, which prevents clots from forming in the line. All the tubes and parts that come in contact with blood are disposable and are thrown out after each donation. The machine first draws a measure of blood from you. The blood goes into a centrifuge, which separates the blood cells from the plasma. The plasma is then drained into a collection bottle, and the whole blood cells are pumped back into you. Because you are mostly losing fluids which your body quickly replenishes rather than blood cells, which take longer, you are able to donate plasma much more frequently than whole blood.
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When the machine is drawing blood, the cuff on your arm will tighten. At this time you should squeeze the ball in your hand continuously to help pump blood into the line. When the machine is returning your blood, the cuff will deflate, at which point you should stop pumping. This process will repeat until the full measure of plasma has been collected, which can take up to an hour or more.
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After the plasma is collected, a bandage and some gauze will be applied over needle, and you will be asked to apply pressure as the needle is removed. Afterwards a medical wrap will be applied to your arm. You will need to keep this on for about an hour. The first time you donate you will be asked to sit down for a while to make sure you're doing OK.
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After it's determined you're not likely to pass out on the drive home, you'll be paid for your time. They pay rate varies by the plasma center. Some places may pay you a little more the second time you donate in a week or give you bonuses when you donate as much as you're allowed to in a month, or various other incentives to encourage you to donate regularly. Don't do anything too physically strenuous until you know how donating affects you, and drink a lot of water to rehydrate.
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Tips & Warnings
If at any time you feel dizzy or nauseous, or anything else feels wrong, alert one of the staff immediately.
Bring a book, or iPod, or laptop, or something to keep you entertained. The plasma center will most likely have TVs set up, but if you might not be interested in what's on. Also, since you're going to have one arm immobile, make sure it's something you can do with one hand.
Drink plenty of water the day before and on the day you donate, and make sure you've eaten. This will help prevent you from getting dizzy or nauseous.
You will often get paid more for donating frequently, so it's in your interest to do so if you can.
When you get your finger pricked, the pinky finger is best, as it seems to heal quicker, and you don't use it as much as your other fingers, so it won't be as sore afterwards.
Your plasma will be a yellowish or amber color. If it's a sort of greenish color, don't be alarmed, it's just because you're a woman on birth control. But if you're not on birth control or are male, you should probably be alarmed.
Until you know how donating plasma affects you, avoid strenuous exercise after donating. Also, avoid alcohol for several hours after donating plasma, as it will hit you much quicker. Some people drink after donating for this reason, but it is NOT a good idea.
