PLASMA CENTER NIGHTMARE!

A “quick and easy” way to make a few extra bucks around here in Rexburg is to go to the local plasma center. You “donate” plasma, but it’s not really donating because they pay you to do it. I figured since I donate blood all the time, that the plasma thing would be no big deal… WRONG! I made an appointment yesterday morning to go in and get my physical and to donate. While I was getting asked a million questions in the physical room, my right contact popped out of my eye! I should’ve known that was foreshadowing of the events to come. Sooo-I get through all the questioning and the physical and I’m called back to get poked with the needle. First off, that man jabbed that thing into my arm so hard I thought he punctured all the way through my vein! It hurt! The procedure of it all goes like this: they suck out your blood, separate the plasma, put the blood back, and repeat until they get all the plasma they want. I was on my third and last rotation of this and all of a sudden I started getting really hot and really sweaty. (and when I say really sweaty, I mean Kobe Bryant at the end of the fourth quarter during a playoff game sweaty!) My vision started getting a little more weird…remember it was already weird because I was a contact down at this point… and I started getting some hearing loss. So I shouted out to one of the workers that I was going to pass out, and he came over and reversed the blood process to put some blood back into my body. They elevated my legs and put an ice pack on my neck, so I sat there and waited a few minutes and then I finished up. I stayed lying down for a few minutes and drank some water, but as soon as I sat up I got nauseated and had to yell out to another worker to get me a trash can! I threw up three times! What a nightmare… but it wasn’t over there. Finally I felt good enough to drive home, and when I got home I had a headache and I had some really bad chills. I took a nap with 6 blankets and a comforter on top of me and I STILL couldn’t get warm! I texted a few of my friends to let them know what a nightmare I had experienced, so after my nap Cliff and Brandon came over to make sure I was alright. They asked me if I needed anything and wouldn’t leave until I told them something they could go buy for me. I told them to pick me up a candy bar because Erica had already gone to Horkley’s (the gas station down the street) to buy me a Powerade. So Cliff and Brandon went to the store and when they got back they had picked me up a funny card, some kit kat bars, an apple (because an apple a day keeps the doctor away) and a carrot (to help with my vision since I couldn’t see after I lost my contact). They are so sweet! I thought it was really funny and it really cheered me up! I still felt crappy all day and I missed two of my classes, but I did make it to the third. I had a headache all day and I never could get warm, but today I’m feeling much better and I’m deciding that all of that misery was not worth the $25. If I go again I get $35, but that’s not gonna happen!

Lesson learned.


this is my arm after two hours.... those jerks...