This for me is nowhere near a sure thing. The first 5 or 6 times I went in they did not accept me. Either I didn't weigh 110, my blood pressure wasn't above 99 systolic, my iron level wasn't high enough, or my pulse was too high. They do all those tests every time you donate, so I never know if I'm going to pass. They just say to come back tomorrow if I fail, but I have had to do that many many times now.
The worst thing that happens there is the machine malfunctions. It's happened twice now since I've started going there - Talecris. The machine somehow does not do what it's supposed to and does not return my blood. Then they tell me not to come back for 56 days. That's 2 months! That's about $550 dollars I can't count on. And donating plasma is the only thing I can do when I am unemployed. My experiences at this place has, however, changed my reaction when bad things happen. In the beginning I would get so upset! Now I don't get upset. There is just nothing I can do about it if I failed the test today or the machine kept my blood. Instead I start thinking of a lot of "what ifs" that I never used to, which I'm sure is not a good way to think either. If I had come in earlier, later, been seated one chair over, failed the test today, passed it yesterday, etc. I might not have to forego the plasma donations for 2 months.
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