What It’s Like To Donate Platelets
In short: Bladder management.
Several weeks ago I received a call from my local blood center asking if I could donate platelets in the next few days. This was unusual, but I was a match to a specific patient in need.
Platelets in your bloodstream help your blood clot. They’re nature’s way of keeping a paper cut from becoming a medical crisis.
For most people.
There are individuals who can’t make or don’t have enough platelets. For them that paper cut can turn into a serious situation.
A major reason for low platelets: Cancer. Platelets are made in bone marrow, something routinely destroyed by certain types of cancer and, ironically, certain forms of chemotherapy.
Just like blood donation, a needle is inserted into your vein. Unlike a blood donation, which collects directly into a bag, platelet donation — called apheresis — feeds your blood into a centrifuge that spins it down, extracts the platelets, and returns the rest back into your arm. You actually don’t lose any significant amount of blood in the process.
I refer to it as “borrowing” my blood.
In years past it involved two needles, one in each arm. One for blood going out, and the other going back to you. These days there’s just one…
