drengr84 t1_jdz5u7h wrote on March 28, 2023 at 7:00 AM

Reply to comment by lonewulf66 in TIL about Lillan Bloodworth, who donated blood every 56 days for nearly 50 years. By the time she stopped at age 85, she had donated 23 gallons. (The average person's body contains about 1.5 gallons.) by WouldbeWanderer

I healed completely between blood donations; it's only every couple months. Plasma donations are much more frequent. I started looking like a heroine addict with all the needle scars. My employer decided to "randomly" drug test me.

If I remember right, plasma "donations" are up to twice a week (you donate blood and sell plasma). It's a long slow process, over an hour, compared to the 5 or 10 minutes donating blood.

Blood and plasma donation do not affect veins at all, other than a tiny amount of scar tissue from frequent plasma donation.

This isn't directed toward you, just hoping someone might read this who is afraid of donating.

World_in_my_eyes t1_je0qm6y wrote on March 28, 2023 at 4:08 PM

I donate platelets every month and I heal between donations, but I have small dark scars in the crooks of both arms. It’s especially bad right after I donate because it’s a double needle procedure and I’ll be rocking bruises and marks on both arms for a couple of days. The American Red Cross allows platelet donations every seven days, but that’s too much for my body.