What is the connection?

[utgrrl82]

I have endometriosis. I have noticed that every time I donate plasma which is maybe once a week, occasionally twice a week (its actually healthy and plasma fully rebuilds itself within 24 hours). I have noticed though, every time I donate plasma.... my sides where I have the pains from the endometriosis starts to hurt. It always does. So tonight I have been trying to figure out why, and what the connection is.

They spin the bottle so the blood seperates from the plasma and they put the blood back into my arm so I am not losing any of that.

This is really bugging me because I cannot figure out what the connetion would be. Does anyone have any ideas or links?

I am honestly stumped on what this process or donating plasma would have any affect on the endometriosis.

[Italian Friend]

i am just mading this up right now but it could be due to some stress hormons such as cortisol or prostaglandins released in respons to the "shock" of the donation (even if you refill the red blood cells and recompensate the plasma lack with saline it's still something your body can feel as "invasive") and since endometrial tissues is hormon sensitive.. maybe some active methabolit af those stress hormons can go and activate your endometriosis.
at this point i am very curious to know as well

[calmwaters]

Beats me, but that sure seems like a DARN GOOD theory Italian friend!

[Italian Friend]

lol is just pure speculation though!!!
anyway utgrrl i was just wondering if it's ok to donate that often.. i am allowed to donate plasma maximum 4 x year!

[ShyChicagoGirl]

I don't know about the connection question, but I do think that it's ok to donate more frequently than 4x a year. When we were in college, we donated plasma 2x a week for extra "party" cash!

[calmwaters]

LOL, I just had a funny thought. TOo bad the donation of our life saving bodily fluids (blood, plasma) isn't tax deductible! THen again, it isn't really a DONATION if you're getting paid for it... but still.

[Italian Friend]

you get PAID to donate blood in the US???? the only thing we've got down here is a free breakfast and the day off (in some case just half of it!) LOL
if the blood bank paied to donate blood 99% of the italians adult would be anemic lol

[ShyChicagoGirl]

Ops, we get paid to donate plasma, I don't think you get anything (maybe a cookie) for donating blood.

We used to get like $20 for the first donation of the week and $30 for the second if I remember correctly. It was something like that, you got more if it was within the same week, but they had to be a couple days apart (like Monday and then Thursday).

It's not a ton of money, but for a starving student who wants to go out on the weekend or go shopping, every little bit helps

[utgrrl82]

Its the same here. Since your plasma restores itself within 24 hours you can donate it twice a week. The first time in that week, you get $30, and the second donation of the week you get $35. I sometimes wont take the money but if I need it I will.

Italian Friend - That is a realllly good theory!!! Wow. It makes sense!! Do you think I would still be ok to donate then or will they tell me I should stop?

[Betwixt]

I used to donate plasma when I was near homeless, and it would make me SO sick feeling. I thought about donating again because we're so screwed right now, but I remember how it would make me feel. And, I've had a tat done within the last 6 months.

I'd get all nauseous and light headed. I don't remember pain though.

They mix the blood with a saline solution still, right? Could that be part of it?

[utgrrl82]

Yeah they mix it with saline. When the machine is putting the blood back for the last one, they also put in some other stuff to make sure you dont get dehydrated. I forget what its called actually. Hhm. I am going to try to donate again today and I will ask. If the pains start again though I will ask them to stop. I really need the money and dont have any other way at the moment! If I need to though they will stop it and still pay me.

[Italian Friend]

just wondering... do you feel the pain during the donation or after?
hey it's still at least fifty a week.. that makes two hundred a month..
it can really make the difference!!!

[utgrrl82]

It is sometimes during the donation and sometimes after. Like I had to this morning. And today it started after the dontation was done. About an hour after. When I was there last week, it was during the donation.

Right now the money is really helping me. I am in such a bind that I kinda need to but since my surgery is on Friday it may be like 3 or four weeks before I can go again

[lachicarubia]

I used to donate plasma when I was in college, too. I ALWAYS took the cash, I needed the $$.

They base how much they take on your weight. I was overweight, so it seemed like they sucked a lot out of me. They don't put much back in, just the RBCs, and maybe enough saline to help put back the RBCs, but not enough saline to replace the plasma that they have taken. They also mix your blood with an anti-coagulate. I can't remember the exact name. Something citrate? It might be this anti-coagulant that is having an effect on your endometriosis.

[utgrrl82]

It could be that as well. But I would think that it would only affect the blood still flowing through my veins, not the already bits of Endo in the pelvic region. Hhmm.. I can see how that and above could make sense.. but at the same time it doesnt. Eek! Its all too confusing!!