I donated platelets for the first time!
Follow up to this post
I did my first ever platelet donation!
This one was a bit more intimidating than the blood donation. For platelets, the donation takes around two hours not counting the onboarding time. Additionally, during the donation, you can’t move either of your arms, as you have needles in both. The blood draws from one arm, goes into a centrifuge where they separate out the platelets, and then your blood gets returned to you in your other arm.
I was a little worried about how it was going to go leading up to the appointment, but I’m very happy to report that everything went fine! All of the needles went in easily and it was a nearly painless process. After that it was actually kind of boring! They had a screen with Netflix on it, so I watched three episodes of a TV show.
My least favorite part of the whole thing was not being able to scratch an itch when one arose, which is not so much a complaint as it is an endorsement. If the worst I can say is that I couldn’t scratch my nose once or twice during a multi-hour process involving multiple needles and my blood leaving and re-entering my body, then I’d say it went really well!
The staff kept checking in to see if I needed a blanket because most people feel cold when donating platelets, but, weirdly, I actually liked the chilled sensation I got? It wasn’t like a regular “cold” feeling; I found it genuinely pleasant.
Also, the whole experience was an interesting experiment in forced attention. I couldn’t check my phone, so I just watched a show, uninterrupted. I can’t remember the last time I did that? I got home and tried to continue watching it and, sure enough, now that my arms were free I was looking at my email and checking messages and the news instead of paying attention to what I had on. The whole donation session had a genuinely nice, calm, almost meditative quality to it. It was a nice way to start out a Saturday.
You can donate platelets separately from blood, and platelets have a much lower “donation cooldown” (you can donate them every seven days). I don’t think I’ll be keeping to that rapid of a turnaround, but I’m going to start doing it once a month. One thing I learned from this is that, unlike blood which can be stored for up to a year (edit: turns out it’s only 42 days), platelets have to be used within five days, so they’re pretty much constantly in demand because they can’t be stockpiled.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my little mini-milestone with everyone here. The novelty of being able to donate as a gay guy still hasn’t worn off for me. I love the idea of being able to do it regularly and support people over time!
Wow congrats! I just donated platelets on Wednesday.
The place I go does draw and return in the same arm. You might be able to find a donation center with that setup. It's much nicer to have some ability to move things around.
I’m really happy with my donation center so I plan to stick with them.
If I’m being really honest, not being able to move my arms was a bit of a blessing! I felt more relaxed than I have in a while. I think if I did it all in one arm then I would just waste two hours on my phone while donating, and I already do that enough.
Awesome, good for you! I was once prevented from donating blood due to my meds, I'm not sure if it's the same for platelets. I'm not a fan of needles, but who is?
It would be the same for any blood product. The main concern is that some of the medication you take remains in the blood products and may adversely affect the person who receives the blood product.
PSA: there has been a major blood shortfall lately. So anyone who is thinking about it, but doesn't want to jump immediately to platelets, give whole blood donation a try. It only takes about an hour out of your time, and the only discomfort is the needle stick for a few seconds and maybe a little lightheadedness for an hour if you don't step up your sugar consumption game.
The average transfusion uses three units of blood (an individual can donate one at most every two months) and someone like a car crash victim may use more like 100.
Less than an hour usually! I recommend scheduling at a permanent blood donation center your first time (and tbh for me every time.) It's less chaotic and usually more "on time" with its appointments than blood drives at schools or churches can get.
If your vitals and iron are good (heart rate, blood pressure and a finger stick for the iron) and you do all the consent paperwork in advance, donation is under a half hour, with the actual needle but being around 10-15min (I donate in about five but that doesn't count the prep and post work on the table)
Also you get apple juice and cookies.
Personally I’ve never felt anything after losing a unit of red, but I’m a healthy 6’1” guy. I used to even bike 5 miles home immediately after.
The Red Cross keeps asking me for platelets and I am just not sure I can do it. I might give it a try this year.
Congratulations, and thank you! So many people are intimidated by platelets. Your courage and patience are much appreciated.
I'll reiterate what @teaearlgraycold said: ask your donor center if they have Trima or other one-arm machines. When I started donating platelets in the 1980s it was a two-arm process, and I got very good at scratching my nose with my knee—a talent that has not come in as handy in life as I had expected it to. In 1994 I moved to New Mexico, where they have one-arm machines, and the difference is huge: I can read. I can take sips of water. I can (when absolutely necessary) reply to a text from a friend. As a regular donor (every 3-4 weeks for um a lot of years) having that arm free for two hours makes a huge difference. You certainly made the best of your enforced period of mindfulness, though!
Thank you again. What you're giving is priceless.