I've bought the brussels sprouts for Christmas lunch.

 cc_rider wrote: 
We all have our own versions of that story... mine involves Serrano peppers and a very, very, very, very, very long shower I took in my clothes at a friend's house while his wife kept inquiring through the door if I was alright.

 cc_rider wrote: 
LMAO.  I may know the rest of the story already.

 CafeRacer wrote:  Indeed. It is a good thing my current (and planning to be the last) love interest both love garlic, onions, and jalapenos. But be warned: if you did the cooking, that is, you washed/seeded/chopped the jalapenos/serranos/habaneros/Guatemalan Death Peppers, you must be VERY CAREFUL where your fingers go the rest of the evening...

No, I am NOT going to tell 'the rest of the story'.

 islander wrote: 
LOL.  I thought my wife and I were the only ones to make sure we ate garlic, onions or jalapenos together!

 triskele wrote: 
Just be sure you both eat them. And get the ones with garlic *and* jalapeno.

they give you really bad breath.....
but garlic stuffed olives make a very healthy snack!

 rosedraws wrote:  No, it's pretty much the same deal. I didn't try to read the whole post, but it's basically the procedure I listed. Plasma and platelets are not the same thing: plasma is basically the 'carrier' for the blood: red blood cells are too 'thick' to be transported without a lot of liquid (plasma) to thin it out. Platelets are basically the clotting agents in blood: people like hemophiliacs need platelets to help their blood clot, but healthy people generally can use LESS platelets, particularly if they're at risk for heart disease and the like. Giving blood, or plasma, or platelets, is the 'mechanical' equivalent of taking that baby aspirin every morning: it's a simple thing to reduce the thickness of the blood, which can help with blood pressure and other cardio issues.

The actual amount of material removed from the blood varies: with plasma they apparently take a good amount, but with platelets, you lose only a small amount of blood volume.

I'll stick with giving whole blood, they can use it however they want. Last time I donated, they said one pint helps AT LEAST two people, so the math works out okay for me. And mine is by far the most common blood type (O+), so I'm pretty much assured it's gonna get used.

 hippiechick wrote: 
Might be better to just link to this much info... you can't "reply" for some reason.

Anyway,  looks like Red Cell Apheresis is a separate procedure from Platelet and/or Plasma (which I still can't tell whether it's the same thing...)

 dionysius wrote: 
No, we donated whole blood. We were staggering from the HEAT. Now where's that drink?

 brandog wrote: 
My husband received 45 pints of plasma through plasma pheresis when he had Guillen-Barre syndrome from West Nile virus. He would not be healthy today without this treatment. Thank you to all who selflessly donate blood products to help others.

I donate plasma often; basically, the process goes like this:

1.  About a pint of blood is drawn.
2.  The plasma is spun out.
3.  The red blood cells are returned.

The process is repeated until (in my case) 880 ml of plasma has been harvested - the amount of plasma taken is a mathematical function of body weight.

I like donating plasma - it helps me lose weight (my body has to work to make new plasma), it helps other people.

LaaaLaaa Laaa Laaa Laaaa............................all this creeps me out!     next thread.

 rosedraws wrote: 

What is Apheresis?

http://www.heartlandbc.org/edu_progs.html

 cc_rider wrote:

Same procedure as plasma.  Maybe an interchangeable term?

 cc_rider wrote: 
Hey, C! Didn't you and the girlfriend donate plasma during Batfest? I seem to remember the two of you staggering out of the trailer or something. And I was going to buy y'all a drink, too.

 rosedraws wrote: 
I've never given plasma, so I can't say. And different places use different techniques for platelets. But the basic procedure goes something like this:
- Blood is drawn. Say a pint, maybe two, I don't know. While you're still hooked up:
- Blood is centrifuged to extract the platelets. Additional liquid is added to the blood to improve the process, which also cools the blood. This may take 15 minutes (?)
- Your filtered blood is pumped back into you. This is pretty much the unpleasant part, since the blood is cool. I got pretty bad chills, but apparently that's not unusual. I felt like I was freaking out pretty bad, but the folks running the place didn't seem to think my experience was out of the ordinary.

Some places put a line in each arm, some just use one line. I recall the whole thing taking about an hour, but I definitely did not feel too terrific afterwards. I would not plan anything too strenuous for the rest of the day.

Since I've become a total wuss about such things, just writing it made me queasy. But I've had trouble giving blood before too: I'm that guy who says he's all tough and fine, then gets woozy and close to passing out. If you have no problem giving blood, which years ago I didn't, you will be just fine.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, just the opposite: it's a life-saving gift. I just don't want you to go in thinking it'll be like a simple blood donation, 'cause it definitely ain't that. AND I highly recommend taking a healthy (safe) dose of Xanax or Valium or something about half-an-hour before giving: your doctor should be happy to provide a pill for the occasion.

Keep us posted, and THANK YOU for donating: it may be unpleasant, but it is NOTHING compared to what those folks who need platelets go through.

Peace,

c.

 cc_rider wrote: 
Is giving platelets different than giving plasma?  I used to give plasma in college... $15 per drain.

My vivid memory is seeing a yellowish-clear goop in the tube coming from my arm... cholesterol??  No one seemed alarmed.  And, back then, I was probably eating 3-4 eggs a day for breakfast. 

 cc_rider wrote: 

There was a person giving platelets while I was there, and it didn't seem any different from what I was doing, just a lot longer. I guess I'll find out.

 BillJ wrote:
  It is an unpleasant procedure. Not saying you shouldn't do it, just be prepared for it to be much different than merely giving blood. I gave, years ago, and decided I'd rather just give whole pints instead. Speaking of which I need to go for another draining: I gave at BatFest this summer, so I'm prolly past due.