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Donating Plasma - Can We?


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Hey everyone,

 

I have a question I haven't seen around here.

 

With things going the way they are financially I was thinking about trying to sell my plasma for some extra money. Can we donate if we are a patient with marijuana in our system?

I know that they do an initial blood test but I don't know to check for what.

 

Thanks for any answers you have.

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yes, you may still donate with cannabis in your system. i know this first hand myself, and have a brother who has been donating twice a week religiously for over 4 years now. we both went to a Bio-Life plasma center. not sure if that makes a difference or not, but when i went in for my physical (you have to have one done before you can donate the first time, and then one every year after that) they asked if i used any street drugs. rather than get into a urinating match with the nurse about the difference between street drugs and prescribed MMJ, i just said "yup, i smoke pot"......... my brother said "no".

 

that was the last i heard of it. they are more concerned with pharm drugs believe it or not. my wife used to be on keppra for her seizures and they would not let her donate. i no longer donate, but my brother is still going strong. he has gone in with both cannabis and alcohol in his system. it does not affect your platelets/plasma or they would have surely turned him down by now. i donated probably 25 times over the course of a year and nothing was ever said after that initial physical.

 

on a side note, donating plasma is good for everyone involved. your plasma goes for research/help to many many people. the rules at Bio-Life were a maximum of 2 donations in a weeks time, with at least one day between visits. $20 for the first visit of the week, and $30 for the second. possible $200/month in an average 4 week month. and every month they have drawings for VERY nice prizes like laptops and big screen televisions for people who donate the maximum amount of times in a month..... either 8 or 10 depending on how many weeks in the month.

 

but yes, you may donate with THC in your system.

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since i have the time :)

 

.............. for those thinking of donating for the first time, or anyone who has no idea what this is all about, it's a good thing. for real.

 

when i donated, i normally did it very early in the morning. i tried to get a frist appointment...... 6am. my grow lights came on at 7am and i wanted to get it done and over and get home. EVERYBODY donates. ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE. at that time of the morning, it was 99% businessmen in suits and ties with their laptops (free wi-fi at the plasma center too) doing early morning work before heading into the office. normally around lunchtime/midday you see the "grease monkey" blue-collar types stopping in on an extended lunch break to donate. many companies that operate in the same city as a plasma donation bank have employee incentive programs to donate...... just like the old red cross blood drives. early evening is soccer moms/college kids. later in the evening is when the boozers/homeless make their way. EVERYBODY DONATES. there is no shame in it...... it is not just for the broke/needy.

 

donating is not only easy and basically painless, it's a great way to stay up on your personal health........... for free.

 

every single time you donate you have a quick battery of tests run. you will have the basics like blood pressure, pulse, and weight checked.. then they prick your finger real quick and check your iron and protein levels as well. as stated in the previous post, you will need to undergo a free "total physical" before you donate for the first time, and then one every year after that. FREE :)

 

setting up your initial physical may take a couple weeks as these places are usually really uber busy. BUT, on the day of your initial physical, they will normally let you donate right after. first $ in your pocket, and first time to help hundreds of other people in need. plasma is used for HUNDREDS of things....... literally. i could go on for days.

 

you can choose to be paid 2 different ways. either instantly on a debit card. its a Visa debit card, usable anywhere, or you can hit the ATM as well.........and the money is on the card before you walk out the door. the other option is to just set up a "savings account" of sorts with them. donate multiple times and after every visit they will tell you what your account is up to. whenever you want your money, they will write you a check for it. my little brother once went 14 months without taking a penny from them. he copped a $3,000 ......... yes a THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR check from them and took his kids on a vacation.

 

donating is pretty easy. once you have the 15 mins worth of basic tests done, you go back to the donation room. there you are stuck in the arm with a small needle. thats it.... no more pain after that.

 

once the needle is in, they hook up a few tubes, and then hook you to a machine. the machine sucks out a pint or so of your blood, spins it around like hell..... thus separating the plasma (clear/tan liquid) from your blood. the plasma goes in a bottle and the blood gets pumped back into your body. then the process starts again. very simple. the amount of plasma that you are required to donate every visit depends on your body weight. dont quote me on this, but i believe 160 pounds was the "cut-off"...... anyone over 160lbs needs to donate the full 880ml. an 880ml donation can take anywhere from one to 2 hours TOTAL from the time you walk in to the time you leave. you can speed up the process by eating high protein foods the night before. fish is good. and drinking lots of water before your visit speeds things along as well.

 

TIP :)

 

i got friendly with one of the nurses while i was donating and she informed me that taking a couple shots of 80 proof alcohol 2-3 hours before donating will dramatically decrease your donation time.

 

they say dont drink before a tattoo because it thins your blood out. very true. and thats why it makes your plasma donation faster....... thinner blood travels much quicker.

 

 

after you have filled the 880ml (or smaller if you are smaller) bottle, they fill you back up with a bag of saline solution. this solution is stored at room temp. much cooler than our bodies core temp...... so you may wish to take a blanket to cover up with during the last 10 minutes....... it can get chilly.

 

other than that, the plasma center is a very friendly and open place. most centers are pretty big with 40-80 people donating in one big room all at once. they have magazines and hand-held games you can use during your visit, or you can take your radio w/headphones or your laptop. many read a book.

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Wow Bubblegrower! You covered everything :thumbsu:

 

Donating Plasma is extremely popular around MSU (East Lansing). There are two different donation companies, CSL (was ZLB last year) and Talecris. My friends and I would go to ZLB twice a week before heading to class and would receive $20 for the first then $35 for the second. ZLB only paid with cash out of an ATM in their lobby after every donation. Near the end of the month, a $5 bonus coupon for a second donation in the same week would be in the MSU newspaper & free community magazines like The Noise. :rock:

 

The only tip I can think out that BG didn't cover is to be Hydrated (water, lots of water). It will make donating easier and faster.

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I used to donate every time I was able during my 4 year electrical apprenticeship. If I remember corectly it was every 54 days I could give whole blood....Then once they made some kind of mistake and I had a (incorrect) positive test for Hep C.......Now I cant donate anymore........HJ

 

Ya DONATE whole blood......Ya SELL plasma.

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. you can speed up the process by eating high protein foods the night before. fish is good. and drinking lots of water before your visit speeds things along as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only tip I can think out that BG didn't cover is to be Hydrated (water, lots of water). It will make donating easier and faster.

 

nah..... i cover it all :)

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That is such great news! Thanks bubblegrower for all the extra info.

 

Thank you for all of the answers. I'm not so afraid to make that initial appointment now because I can just be upfront and honest.

 

Why is this in the grow room you ask?

I had a simply beautiful wake and bake this morning as I was posting. I then noticed myself it was posted in the wrong place, but I got sidetracked playing pot farm on facebook and totally forgot to ask how to move it. Sorry.

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That is such great news! Thanks bubblegrower for all the extra info.

 

Thank you for all of the answers. I'm not so afraid to make that initial appointment now because I can just be upfront and honest.

 

Why is this in the grow room you ask?

I had a simply beautiful wake and bake this morning as I was posting. I then noticed myself it was posted in the wrong place, but I got sidetracked playing pot farm on facebook and totally forgot to ask how to move it. Sorry.

 

Edit:

See, someone already moved it and I didn't even notice! Thank you. Geez I'm medicated.

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