Need Advice on Donating Plasma

Is Donating Plasma Right For Me? - Donating blood and plasma can save lives. But will I be able to? Is it for me?
United States
July 9, 2007 7:52pm CST
I'm seriously thinking about donating plasma, but I'm a bit frightened about it. I'm a weenie when it comes to needles and such. Any time that the medical profession needs to take blood samples, I get woozy, so I would imagine that I'd get pretty woozy donating plasma. Any tips or ideas on how to lessen the effects? Like, should I eat anything beforehand or should I fast? Thanks for any advice you can give.
1 person likes this
1 response
cathiesblogg
@cathiesblogg (753)
• United States
10 Jul 07
I did it once..or, I attempted to do it..I didn't eat..so my blood sugar went down..my husband did it..with no problem..it scared me very bad..that was a lot of blood going in and out..then back in.. everyone that I talked to said to eat a whole lot of peanut butter and drink a good bit of liquids..
1 person likes this
syellen
@syellen (1)
• United States
19 Jun 10
I donated plasma a ton in college and it wasn't bad at all and was a great way to make a little extra money. I did it twice a week for about 5 months. The first needle wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I actually laughed the first time they stuck me (nervous habit) but it didn't really hurt at all. Just a little pinch. During my time donating they actually switched to a bigger needle and I liked that better. For some reason it pinched less. As far as preparing, I would just grab a protein bar and strawberry milk for breakfast and then head on over. I love donating! Does anyone know if you can donate while you are pregnant?