Donating Plasma for fish money?

[lyquidphyre]

For xmas I want to get my boyfriend a 55gal setup.. and I know even a good deal will run me about $400. I have no job what so ever, and I know it will be hard enough on my parents at Xmas time. So, I was thinking about donating my plasma. I get $150-20 the first time.. and like $25-35 the next time.

I think I can donate once a week.... so in a month thats close to $100.

Has anyone donated plasma?
Would you considering doing it to support this hobby?

 

[TomK2]

I didn't know they still paid for blood components. The fear would be that people would lie about their medical history, lifestyle, drug use etc. so they could get paid. I know you wouldn't do that, but a drug addict might. Then there is the risk that blood borne pathogens like hepatitis or aids could get into the supply. Testing could miss someone early in the disease, and there is always a chance that the donor would have a virus they don't know about yet or don't have a test for. I suppose if the plasma is being donated for research, and not transfusion into patients, it would be ok. Whats it being used for? Otherwise, if you want to help the cause, get a little money, and buy fish, sounds like a win - win situation.

 

[talloulou]

Donating plasma is not something you want to do often. You could scar your veins and loose too much iron. Trying to make $400 off your own plasma between now and xmas is dangerous in my opinoin. I would look for alternate ways to make money.

 

[Andos99]

Plasma donation is very painful and doesn't pay as much as you think. I did it a few times in college for drinking money. In my opinion, not worth it. You'd be better off getting him something less expensive....I'm sure he'll understand.

 

[talloulou]

You donated plasma for DRINKING MONEY!!!!!! OMG! 8O 8O 8O 8O That is too crazy. That reminds me of a friend I had in college. I went over to her apartment and she had no electricity. Everything in the fridge was rotten cause she didn't pay her bill but she had smokes and a case of beer!

 

[lyquidphyre]

It was just an idea, and I appreciate all your negative comments about it- it brings me back to earth! It was just a thought.. but I wasn't sure how painful it would be.. and i completely forgot about losing iron (im already borderline anemic).

Thanks for the imput guys!

oh, and donating for drinking money is pretty funny! Thats prolly why we have a plasma center here.. its a college town

 

[TomK2]

If they can draw off the plasma only, and not the red blood cells, I don't think your iron or anemia would be effected. But the usual way to get plasma is to draw off whole blood, then centrifuge it down and seperate the red blood cells and the plasma. Membranes that would take the plasma only and not the red blood cells would be more costly, but that would be the only way you could donate so frequently, unless they are only taking a small amount each time. I remain puzzled, but in agreement with talloulou, not worth it. If just for all the needle sticks.

I thought about this a bit after my earlier post, and realize that I wouldn't do it, so its silly to say to go ahead to someone else. A one time donation, sure, but not that frequently. Unless you feel strongly about the cause the plasma is needed for, but then the cash is secondary, right?. Earlier approval hereby recanted if not supporting a cause you believe in. Thanks for getting me thinking about it Talloulou.

 

[Tiffi]

I just hope your boyfriends knows how much you love him! To donate a bunch of blood just to get him a fish tank is quite extreme!

I think he should definitely be happy with a small maybe 15gal. Even if he already has one - more place to breed fishes!

It should be most important that you are together for Christmas anyway!

 

[lyquidphyre]

Well, he has a 29gal and he says "no more fish tanks" so it would be to replace his 29gal.. so I was thinking 55.

He is just so hard to shop for, this would be a really nice present as opposed to clothes, or getting him something he doesn't like

 

[lyquidphyre]

BTW- this is the aquarium I want to get him-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7713712831&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

its difficult because I don't know if I should pass up this deal in hopes of finding a better one.. or something

 

[severum mama]

My friend used to donate plasma all the time, and now he has a scar right over the vein in his arm. It looks a little gross, kinda like he was doing something he shouldn't have... 8O You probably don't want that.

Does your BF like video games? That's always a safe bet with mine!

 

[lyquidphyre]

He just bought a PS2 and only has one game.. I thought about video games but I don't know what he would like and I hate giving gift certificates

 

[krap101]

if you build something for him it will be even more meaningful

 

[QTOFFER]

Donating plasma is probably alot like donating platelets - they take blood out of one arm, selectively remove what they need in a machine, and pump what they don't need back into you through a a needle in the other arm. It takes about an hour - sitting there with a needle in both arms. I think I'd pass.

My college roommate donated sperm for beer money. 8O He had to pass a thorough psychological profile, and submit to a series of grueling, sometimes embarrasing/invasive physical examinations first. In the end, it really wasn't the quick, easy money he thought it would be.

In grad school, I got $50 for 100 ml of whole blood 3 or 4 times a year. My lab needed human serum for tissue culture. I also had friends who would donate small amounts of whole blood several times a week for cash - not recommended because some of them became slightly anemic!

How about mowing lawns, raking leaves, and babysitting? My nieces and nephews made a small fortune doing those kinds of jobs in highschool and college.

 

[patagonia]

well...this is quite a topic that got me thinking...im a lab technitian myself...which means i draw blood from people...if you are a healthy adult then your body should make up about 500mL of blood a day...but still...i agree with tomk2 and you should do it only if you really believe in the cause your doing it for...there are a thousand better ways to gather money for xmas presents...keep your blood in your system...

 

[Tiffi]

If he loves you, he should be really angry about how you got him the new tank! -Sorry!

 

[TomK2]

You know, the symbolic nature of donating your life's blood for a gift for your boyfriend had escaped me until Tiffi had pointed it out. Touching. He won't care what you give him, as long as it comes from you.

Kudos to you.

 

[Tiffi]

Build hime a really nice looking new stand with matching canopy for about $80(materials from Home Depot), or buy him a game/give him a certificate and then this:

Blow up 100 red baloons, put a little love message or a reason why you love him so much into every baloon. Just something like that !

Last year Christmas (our first Christmas) my husband gave me a (I'm more a girly girl sometimes) a jumper cable, a flashlight (in case I have to stop somewhere in the dark), a tire repair kit and some other "funny" things. From his parents I got a drill, since I'm such a good DIYselfer (we already have two very good drills).
Anyhow I still love my husband even more than I did before (if that's possible). I can tell my kids one day about this funny Christmas. He is really a and I doesn't matter what material things he gives me. I get little notes in my cornflakes, messages on my desk, he brings me little flowers he got from outside etc. - That's the things that REALLY count.

It would be a good symbol in your opinion to give your blood to make him ahppy, but he's not sick and I would be really p%&$#@ ed if my husband hurt himself just to get me an expensive aquarium. I would be really material if I would be thankful then.

 

[lyquidphyre]

I never thought of the symbolism of it until now. I just thought it would be a means to get money to give my boyfriend a gift he would really like.

since we live together I really couldn't build him anything because I thought about making a stand but there would be no place to hide/build it!

This will be our fourth christmas together (our first xmas was our first date) and we are so fortunate to have everything we need.. I just love splurging at christmas time!

 

[willowthepoet]

if you have nowhere to build a stand, where would you possibly hide THAT monstrously large hunk of furniture until christmas?

it's a really sweet idea, but being slightly anemic myself and trying to donate blood once.... NOT something you want to do on a regular basis, trust me. i was sick, had a killer headache for days and threw up for a couple hours afterwards. not fun, to say the least. not to mention the amazingly long-lived bruise covering my entire inner elbow region.


how about you start slowly.... buy him just the actual tank for christmas and then build the stand and canopy together and tell him that you'll stock it for him as well?