Donating Plateletes

[IonDragon]

The other day I felt like getting icecream, but didn't want to pay for it. So, I went into the blood donation place (Blood Source out here, but I don't know if that's national or what). They asked me to donate platelets, I think because I have a common blood type so whole blood isn't as useful.

I was wondering if anyone had more information on the procedure. The information on the page is rather sparse, I feel is more propaganda than for information.

My questions are: From what I understand of the procedure they have to have two needles in your arm. How are they usually situated? Does the blood being pumped back into you feel cold or uncomfortable? And finally, does it hurt any more than donating whole blood?

[Lycan 01]

I've only donated whole blood. A friend of mine donated plasma, and they had the rest of his blood filtered and cycled back into his arm. He said it felt cold going back in, and he could feel it going up his arms. It didn't seem to hurt him or anything, it was just a funky sensation. IIRC, he found it cool... :smalltongue:


Also, nice Pip avatar. :smallcool:

[Jokasti]

I don't know the procedure, but my father has Acute myeloid leukemia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_myeloid_leukemia) and has to get platelets every time they get too low. I think it's a wonderful thing for people to do and wished more did it.

[Ravens_cry]

When I have donated blood (3 times so far and 1 more on Thursday), they just took the whole smash. The plasma, the red cells ,the white cells, everything.
But apparently some kind of centrifuge machine sorts out the platelets, if Wikipedia is accurate. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plateletpheresis#Platelet_donation)

[IonDragon]

When I have donated blood (3 times so far and 1 more on Thursday), they just took the whole smash. The plasma, the red cells ,the white cells, everything.
But apparently some kind of centrifuge machine sorts out the platelets, if Wikipedia is accurate. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plateletpheresis#Platelet_donation)

That's correct. I think it's like a "dialysis" machine? I'm drawing from all the House I've seen :P

I got a chance to see several other people hooked up to the machine, but it's not like they wanted me poking their arms while they were.

@Lycan 01:Thank you! I'm in love with it, but you should direct your compliments to licoot.

[Zeb The Troll]

That's correct. I think it's like a "dialysis" machine? I'm drawing from all the House I've seen :P I'm pretty sure it's called "apheresis". Dialysis is the machine that substitutes for kidney function when those fail.

[paddyfool]

Platelet donation takes a lot longer than regular blood donation and can be done more frequently, so becoming a platelet donor is a bit more of a commitment. There's also a small risk of a negative reaction to the anticoagulant they give you.

On the other hand, it is a much-needed procedure, since the whole blood donations do not supply quite enough platelets for various particular recipients who need a lot of them. Over here, they check for people they particularly want as platelet donors by typing platelets from regular blood donors and contacting those of the type they need. They then invite you in to chat about the procedure, and take a small extra blood sample for a platelet count. If that count's high enough, you'll then be invited to switch over to being a platelet donor. (Mine wasn't, so I can't really comment on what the procedure itself is like).

[thubby]

1) depends on the place. some will have one line in each arm, others will do the process in increments, using only 1 arm.

2) have you ever had an IV? if so, it feels kinda like that. if not, i would say cool, not cold, and the needle is the most uncomfortable.

3) not really, but you'll probably feel exhausted afterward.

[PersonMan]

Now I wish I could donate blood/plasma/platelets, but I can't because I have Mad Cow Disease...:smallfrown:

Well, I was born in London and am in the US now, and as far as they're concerned I have Mad Cow Disease, so I just tell people that whenever I can. :smallcool:

[Xyk]

I've donated red cells once and whole blood once. It wasn't bad, but I do not fear needles. One piece of advice: eat more than usual beforehand. I made the mistake of neglecting breakfast that day and proceeded to nearly pass out after donating.

[UglyPanda]

Donating blood isn't that bad. The anticipation is worse than the actual pain. And the whole "Roll this empty prescription bottle around in your hand so the blood goes to the bag" never fails to creep me out.

You should never not eat something before donating. Otherwise you might faint or feel even more like crap than usual.

[Zeb The Troll]

Indeed. Alarra and I donate every 8 weeks (whole blood) and we specially schedule large breakfast beforehand and still end up sometimes napping when we get home. Good thing we always do it on a weekend. :smallcool:

[Pheehelm]

Is there any particular minimum weight limit involved in donating blood? I've always been under the impression there is, which stopped my underweight-according-to-BMI self from looking further into it.

[Zeb The Troll]

Is there any particular minimum weight limit involved in donating blood? I've always been under the impression there is, which stopped my underweight-according-to-BMI self from looking further into it.The American Red Cross says that you must weigh more than 110lbs. Your BMI has no bearing on it whatsoever. You could be 6'7" and 115lbs. :smallcool: (Though you'd probably get a lot of strange looks.)

EDIT: The website clarifies that this is for whole blood. Other types of donation may have different requirements.

[Serpentine]

A couple of my very skinny friends are regular donors. They always have to get their blood iron checked before they do it.
My sister has hemachromatosis (sp?). Part if its treatment is giving blood regularly. However, as the problem is with her red blood cells (they take up too much iron), they can only use the other parts, if that (I think there's something they can't easily separate from the red cells, or something...).
I've never donated, though I should. But I have really crappy veins anyway, and I've heard so many horror stories...

[Pheehelm]

The American Red Cross says that you must weigh more than 110lbs. Your BMI has no bearing on it whatsoever.Yeah, I referenced BMI just as a way of alluding to my light-weight-ed-ness. Still too light to donate anyway.

Serp -- the iron checking, is that any major hassle?

[Serpentine]

I don't think so. I mean, I think they do it there. But they might have to get a referral from a doctor, then take the proof with them... I dunno, they just tell me one week "Gonna donate blood next week", then the next week "Nah, didn't end up donating. Didn't have enough iron."
Scrawny, scrawny people...

[leafman]

I used to donate blood (donated a whole gallon of the stuff), anyway at the Blood Center in my area they always check your iron level before they ok you to donate. They prick your finger squeeze some blood out and drop the blood in a solution, if it sinks you're fine, if it floats you might not have enough iron. If it floats they spin a few drops in a machine to find your hematacrit level which needs to be within a certain range before you can donate.

I've been asked to do apheresis several times and had the process explained and I think they do warm the blood up a bit before they pump it back into you, but the idea of having my bodily fluids sent into a machine, filtered and pumped back into me, has always creeped me out. I always tell them if they are going to take it out, I don't want it back :smallbiggrin:

[Flame of Anor]

This is a very good cause, but I can't help wondering what kind of mind thinks, "I don't want to pay for ice cream, so instead I'll donate platelets..." :smallbiggrin:

[Zeb The Troll]

Interesting. For us (yes, they check our iron every time and it's done on site) they prick our finger then slide the glass into a machine that takes a reading. Takes about 10 seconds all told. And they test everyone, not just the skinny ones. Women need to be above 12.5 and men need to be above 14.

[Tirian]

I've never donated, though I should. But I have really crappy veins anyway, and I've heard so many horror stories...

I would challenge you to try it once to see what things are like in your area. I've lived places where the blood donation teams were top notch and it was a joy to see them every 56 days for years on end. I think that those people were so awesome that they could get blood out of a stone. Then I moved to a place where the workers were surly and either criminally untrained or apathetic to the fact that they were using my arm like a pincushion, and I stopped even though I think a steady blood supply is a great thing to have in the world.

I won't share my "horror story" because it's not what you want to hear, but the ending of the story still involves a pint of blood that was used to save someone's life, so I can't be too bitter about it. If you can find the courage and the time to try to donate blood, I think you'll find it similarly rewarding even if you decide against going back.

And, sorry to the OT, but I haven't experienced apheresis either since I had rare blood and they wanted the whole product. I gather that the process is an odd sensation but not uncomfortable, and the set-ups that I've seen involve a particularly comfortable chair in front of a DVD player so I imagine it takes long enough that you need to settle in for it. I'd give you the same advice as Serp, though: it's a good deed and worth trying once to see if it's worth making a habit.

[IonDragon]

This is a very good cause, but I can't help wondering what kind of mind thinks, "I don't want to pay for ice cream, so instead I'll donate platelets..." :smallbiggrin:

Oh wow. That probably didn't make much sense to anyone. Blood Source has a promo deal where you donate a pint of blood, and you get a free pint of ice cream: "Give a pint, get a pint." However, as it turns out that was just a promo so it wasn't going on at the time. Since I was already there I decided to go ahead and donate anyway aaaand after doing so felt pretty good about being able to help people by sitting in a chair and relaxing for a little while.

[KuReshtin]

I've never actually donated blood (really should start doing that), but most of the hospitals i've been to or worked at had staff at the blood central that could find a vein in anyone's arm.
it used to be that if someone needed an IV, and the regular staff had troubles finding a vein, they'd call the blood central who'd send down a nurse to get the IV sorted and then be away back to the blood central in about a minute flat.

My veins are really bad. Last time I was in the hospital, it took them on average three tries to find a vein for my IV, and the IV canula had to be replaced three times in a week, cause my veins reacted poorly to the antibiotics they gave me.

[Brother Oni]

I think because I have a common blood type so whole blood isn't as useful.

This is a bit of a myth.

Because your blood type is common, more people who have accidents are likely to have your blood type, therefore there is a greater demand on stocks of your blood type.



3) not really, but you'll probably feel exhausted afterward.

In my experience, there's little to no affect on your actual strength, but your endurance, particularly your cardiovascular fitness, drops significantly until your body can replace the blood cells.
If you're feeling exhausted after donating, you're probably not drinking enough fluid to replace the lost plasma, so you have low blood pressure until you do replace it (which results in tiredness and a tendancy to sleep and be difficult to wake).

On the plus side, you can now get drunk on a pint of beer, which makes for a very cheap night out. :smallbiggrin:


Is there any particular minimum weight limit involved in donating blood?

The British National Blood Service has similar weight limits to the American Red Cross, 7st 12lb (110lbs)/50kg and between 17-65 years old for first time donors.
There are also various medical questions about where you've been, what medicines you're on, have you had any cosmetic surgery recently, etc. There's a donor health check available if you're interested and I think they're pretty much equivalent to the American requirements: Donor Health Check Link (http://www.blood.co.uk/can-i-give-blood/donor-health-check/).


the iron checking, is that any major hassle?

In the UK, this check is done just before you donate and it involves pricking your finger to get a couple drops of blood, then they drop it into a vial coloured solution. If your blood drops to the bottom within a set time (around 15 seconds), then your iron levels are sufficient for you to donate (I keep on forgetting to ask what the solution is).

[ForzaFiori]

I'm bout to donate my 8th pint of blood (1 gallon!). Well, 2-4 hours from now when the blood drive starts.

I've wanted to look into donate platelets or plasma, but the only places that can are out in the big cities, which is a really far drive, so I'll stick to giving whole blood.

Oh, and about the weight: I don't know if it is gonna be everywhere in the US, but around here the weight is going up soon, to 115.

[Ravens_cry]

I asked about the solution. Apparently it is a specific copper sulphite solution. It's all about density. If you blood has enough iron, it is denser, so it sinks. If it doesn't, well, it is less dense and so it floats.
As for having a common blood type, it is still worth it to donate. People with common blood still get in accidents.
I have excellent veins, they practically coo over them when I go in. Last time I went in, the nurse didn't know which one to pick.

[KuReshtin]

The British National Blood Service has similar weight limits to the American Red Cross, 7st 12lb (110lbs)/50kg and between 17-65 years old for first time donors.
There are also various medical questions about where you've been, what medicines you're on, have you had any cosmetic surgery recently, etc. There's a donor health check available if you're interested and I think they're pretty much equivalent to the American requirements: Donor Health Check Link (http://www.blood.co.uk/can-i-give-blood/donor-health-check/).


Slightly busted link for me (an additional http// in there) but once I got to the site I was a bit confounded by one of the questions that seems to have disqualified me from donating blood.



Have you received blood since 1st January 1980?


That seems an awful long time to go back for medical history of someone.
That means that anyone that have had surgery where they've needed some blood will be unable to donate blood. Maybe a regular appendectomy would make you unfit for blood donation. I'm not sure if there's any need for blood transfusion for that if it's a normal standard procedure but it's possible.

[Dispozition]

Thanks this thread for reminding me I need to give blood again. Last I checked O positive isn't that common in Aus, always need more.

[Ravens_cry]

That seems an awful long time to go back for medical history of someone.
That means that anyone that have had surgery where they've needed some blood will be unable to donate blood. Maybe a regular appendectomy would make you unfit for blood donation. I'm not sure if there's any need for blood transfusion for that if it's a normal standard procedure but it's possible.
It may not disqualify you, but it is something they got to be careful about because of disease.

[KuReshtin]

It may not disqualify you, but it is something they got to be careful about because of disease.

When answering yes to the question, I got the following reply:



Thank you for your time...
but it seems that you are not able to give blood.


if I answer No to the question, I later get to a question where it asks me if I've been outside the UK in the past 12 months, and considering I go visit my family in Sweden about twice a year, I replied Yes, and then I get a message that I'm not suitable to donate because of that.
Donating blood is complicated..

[Serpentine]

Actually... Do they let people who are on contraceptives - specifically Implanon - donate? I can see that being an issue.

edit: Well, it's better than the alternative - spreading HIV around to recipiants. Fun fact: true story :smallannoyed: :smalleek:

[Ravens_cry]

Actually... Do they let people who are on contraceptives - specifically Implanon - donate? I can see that being an issue.

edit: Well, it's better than the alternative - spreading HIV around to recipiants. Fun fact: true story :smallannoyed: :smalleek:
I concur, I have heard enough stories about kids getting HIV before they started testing blood to make me to scoff it off.
A friend got Hep C from blood.

[paddyfool]

@KuReshtin,

Those questions are overly pernickety. If you actually go to give blood, you'll be asked the same questions, but saying "yes" won't actually mean they automatically don't want you to donate - they'll want to know why first, and then decide.

[Ilena]

I've thought about it, but im scared of needles, just reading this post has made both my arms feel funny and me feel sick, ive no idea what blood type i actually am though, i THINK im O something, but i cant remember what type is universal and they absolutely want / strap you down to a chair want you in kinda thing. Im pretty sure its O something though :P

[Brother Oni]

if I answer No to the question, I later get to a question where it asks me if I've been outside the UK in the past 12 months, and considering I go visit my family in Sweden about twice a year, I replied Yes, and then I get a message that I'm not suitable to donate because of that.
Donating blood is complicated..

Well, as paddyfool said, those questions are very picky. If you actually turn up, they go through a questionnaire with you (pretty much the same questions) and anything you answer yes to, they'll ask more details about it.

For example that question about travel outside of the UK, one time I answered yes, they asked whether I was in a rural or urban area as rural areas are a malaria risk. I spent the time in a urban area so I was allowed to donate.


I've thought about it, but im scared of needles, just reading this post has made both my arms feel funny and me feel sick, ive no idea what blood type i actually am though, i THINK im O something, but i cant remember what type is universal and they absolutely want / strap you down to a chair want you in kinda thing. Im pretty sure its O something though :P

Well I first decided to donate in order to find out what blood type I was, as getting that done separately is fairly expensive, whereas if I donate, I can find out for the price of a pint of blood. :smallbiggrin:

There are other less important typing aspects to blood, but A B O and Rhesus are the main ones.

Rhesus negative can donate to positive or negative, but only receive from other negatives. Rhesus positives can recieve blood from either positive or negative but can only give to other postivies.
Depending on your ethnic group, you've got about a 20-30% chance of being negative.

O is universal donor, so if you're O neg, there's a good chance they want your blood as often as you can donate as they give O neg blood to patients in emergencies where they don't have time to type them.

Edit: Huh, A B O without spaces is picked up by the censor. :smallconfused:

[Ravens_cry]

I've thought about it, but im scared of needles, just reading this post has made both my arms feel funny and me feel sick, ive no idea what blood type i actually am though, i THINK im O something, but i cant remember what type is universal and they absolutely want / strap you down to a chair want you in kinda thing. Im pretty sure its O something though :P
It will hurt going in. There is no question of that. But your blood could save another persons life, more then one if they separate it into component parts.
And O blood is apparently one they run short of.
(http://www.bloodbook.com/facts.html)I know it takes a lot to get past phobias. But it is still worth it.
At least in my part of the world, they test your blood the first time you donate.

[Dispozition]

Edit: Huh, A B O without spaces is picked up by the censor. :smallconfused:

It's a racial slur often used against aboriginals in Australia.

[Eldpollard]

I've been giving blood since I was 17. Thing is that I haven't been able to donate as much as I'd like to simply because I keep getting the intermittent piercing which required a 6 month wait I believe. Also, here in the UK they only let you donate once every four (or was it three) months. I guess UK blood takes longer to regenerate than US blood.

[Deathslayer7]

all the times i missed out on extra credit cause i could not donate blood because i lived in Germany for over a year. :smallsigh:

[Serpentine]

It's a racial slur often used against aboriginals in Australia.A pleasant surprise they thought to censor that here...

I'm Be Positive :smallbiggrin: Unlike Daria, who's Be Negative...
I had to get a pregnancy test before I went on Roacutane. Seeing as Dr. Mum and I both knew that was a useless exercise, we figured we may as well find out what blood type I am while we were at it.

[Brother Oni]

Also, here in the UK they only let you donate once every four (or was it three) months. I guess UK blood takes longer to regenerate than US blood.

According to the website, it's every 16 weeks, but I definitely remember it being only 12 weeks before. Maybe the donor population went up so they can afford not to suck blood out of the same set of people as often?

[paddyfool]

According to the website, it's every 16 weeks, but I definitely remember it being only 12 weeks before. Maybe the donor population went up so they can afford not to suck blood out of the same set of people as often?

It's complicated. They'll absolutely refuse people who want to donate after less than 12 weeks, and recommend regular donations be spaced out by at least 16 weeks on average, but the odd gap of <16 but >12 weeks is OK. So if you're about to do X, and won't be able to donate for some time after, then you can pop along a little bit early if you want to.

[Ilena]

ya ... i might donate blood in the future, at least find out my blood type, which is really good to know, just thinking about it causes me discomfort/pain in my limbs :S

Im not sure if they would even let me, because a few times ago when i had 2 vials of blood taken for blood tests, i got up and got in an elevator and fainted, now as im aware they take a lot more blood then that would contain so what that would do to me i dont know,

[IonDragon]

ya ... i might donate blood in the future, at least find out my blood type, which is really good to know, just thinking about it causes me discomfort/pain in my limbs :S

Im not sure if they would even let me, because a few times ago when i had 2 vials of blood taken for blood tests, i got up and got in an elevator and fainted, now as im aware they take a lot more blood then that would contain so what that would do to me i dont know,

It's really not bad at all. The first time I tried to donate blood I was 17-ish and passed out almost right after they stuck the needle in. Through determination and the skill of the Phlebotomists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlebotomist), not only was it fine, but it was in fact enjoyable.

Just let them know you've passed out before and they'll do everything in their power to minimalize the stress of the situation for you: cover the lines with paper towels so you don't catch sight of them accidentally, have you paddle your feet which keeps your attention elsewhere, tilt the chair back which helps with preventing passing out somehow. And if you've got someone good, it barely even hurts. Like, less than a pinch. For me, the most uncomfortable part was the needle guard that slides down when they're done to protect the nurse and the donor from getting pricked accidentally was taped to my arm and started digging in.

[Prime32]

I've thought about it, but im scared of needles, just reading this post has made both my arms feel funny and me feel sick, ive no idea what blood type i actually am though, i THINK im O something, but i cant remember what type is universal and they absolutely want / strap you down to a chair want you in kinda thing. Im pretty sure its O something though :PBasically, you can have A and/or B antigens on your red blood cells, an antigen being a marker on the surface of the cell.

Then there are antibodies in your blood - an A-antibody will stick to A-antigens, causing them to clump together.

If your blood type is A, you have A-antigens on your red blood cells and no A-antibodies in your blood. If you're type B then you have B-antigens and no B-antibodies. Type AB has both antigens and no antibodies. Type O has no antigens and both antibodies.

What this means is: if you inject type-A blood into someone who's type B or O, their antibodies will cause it to clot. A type O can donate their "clean" red blood cells to anyone, but can only receive donations from other type Os since anything else will be attacked (universal donor). A type AB can receive donations from anyone since they have no antibodies, but cannot donate to anyone other than other type ABs (universal acceptant).


As for +/- that's the Rhesus factor, which is a third antigen. There are also other, less common antigens beyond the basic blood types.

[Pika...]

Platelet donation takes a lot longer than regular blood donation and can be done more frequently, so becoming a platelet donor is a bit more of a commitment. There's also a small risk of a negative reaction to the anticoagulant they give you.

On the other hand, it is a much-needed procedure, since the whole blood donations do not supply quite enough platelets for various particular recipients who need a lot of them. Over here, they check for people they particularly want as platelet donors by typing platelets from regular blood donors and contacting those of the type they need. They then invite you in to chat about the procedure, and take a small extra blood sample for a platelet count. If that count's high enough, you'll then be invited to switch over to being a platelet donor. (Mine wasn't, so I can't really comment on what the procedure itself is like).


Personally I would do it, even with my huge fear of needles, but here in Florida it is supposedly "non-profit", yet the CEOs and higher ups make a fortune off the blood we donate. It is ridiculous. Hence I have stopped donating all together.

[paddyfool]

Personally I would do it, even with my huge fear of needles, but here in Florida it is supposedly "non-profit", yet the CEOs and higher ups make a fortune off the blood we donate. It is ridiculous. Hence I have stopped donating all together.

As principles go, that isn't one that I'd recommend standing on. People still need blood transfusions no matter what the CEOs get paid. It sucks, but it's likely that all you can do is write a letter to your [political representative].

EDIT: Also, a wordless protest is ineffective. How are they supposed to know that you aren't donating because the CEOs are paid too much?

[Pika...]

As principles go, that isn't one that I'd recommend standing on. People still need blood transfusions no matter what the CEOs get paid. It sucks, but it's likely that all you can do is write a letter to your [political representative].

EDIT: Also, a wordless protest is ineffective. How are they supposed to know that you aren't donating because the CEOs are paid too much?

Because I went in to the main place in Central Florida (I think in Florida period?) and asked about it. Then I told them they can have my blood again when either I get some cash for it too, or they fire those CEOs.

[IonDragon]

Donated today. Wasn't bad, but also wasn't as enjoyable as donating whole blood. They played a movie on a portable DVD player for me but I wasn't able to really pay attention because after about half an hour my arm started to throb. I'm not sure how much of it was normal. I did not have any complications and THIS TIME I got my free ice cream.

After I was done, I went to my IRL weekly Ravenloft session. To top it all off, I just got my convertible detailed FOR FREE. Epic day was epic.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3422/3731485995_c97a979a5e.jpg

[KoboldRevenge]

I don't know you should have asked them

[Melayl]

There are also other, less common antigens beyond the basic blood types.
There are roughly 120+ antigens that are commonly tested for before blood is given to a patient. There are other, more intenisve panels that they test for if a patient has had a reaction to blood products before.


Just let them know you've passed out before and they'll do everything in their power to minimalize the stress of the situation for you: cover the lines with paper towels so you don't catch sight of them accidentally, have you paddle your feet which keeps your attention elsewhere, tilt the chair back which helps with preventing passing out somehow. And if you've got someone good, it barely even hurts. Like, less than a pinch. For me, the most uncomfortable part was the needle guard that slides down when they're done to protect the nurse and the donor from getting pricked accidentally was taped to my arm and started digging in.If you've got a really good nurse, you won't even feel the pinch. And yes, we get really good at keeping people from passing out. :smallwink: