Biolife Plasma Services has donation centers all across the United States and we happen to have two donation centers here in the St. Cloud area. I hadn't donated in over five years, but came in last week to start donating again.
As a returning donor that hadn't been there in awhile, I was required to do another physical assessment. It had been so long that I forgot all of the exact steps to complete this process, but there were staff during each step to help me along. Here's what you can expect:
-At the front desk, they will take your two forms of ID and create a folder/file for you
-They will take your fingerprint as your way of "checking" when you come in to donate
-They will take a picture of you for identification purposes
-They will take you over to one of the donating chairs to take a look at the veins in each arm to see which arm is better to draw blood out of
-They will have you complete a series of questions on a computer which takes about 20 minutes
-They will test your blood and check your vital signs
-They will have you participate in a physical assessment
-They will go over the responses to your questions with you, and have you go over your medical history
Once all of these steps are completed, they will give you a certain area in the center to go to and sit down on one of the chairs where you donate. The areas are listed by color, so the employee will say "go to brown" etc. After you are seated, an employee will prepare all of the necessary materials to begin the donating process.
My least favorite part is when they first stick the needle into your arm, but after that, it's smooth sailing. Typically, each donation takes between 30minutes-1 hour to complete. During the course of my donation, an employee told me "it slowed down" twice, so I knew it would take awhile for me to meet my designated amount (the amount you can give depends on your weight and there is a little chart on the side of the machine that shows you where you fall in this range). You'll have to squeeze your fist when the cuff on your arm is tight and relax your arm when it is not. This helps the blood flow. I looked at the clock at the end of my donation and saw that it took me 1 hour and 12 minutes before I was out of the chair. They wrap your arm with gauze once it's finished.
The next day, I had a small bruise where the needle insertion was and this is to be expected. If you are afraid of needles or the feeling of soreness that may happen after the donation, you may want to reconsider donating plasma. It can take a lot out of you too, so make sure to hydrate hydrate hydrate!
It is an overwhelming and hectic environment, but the staff make sure to take care of you and are very helpful! read more
