What do you check before donating?
As a first step, we will review any medications you may be taking and ask you some questions about your medical history. Next, we'll measure your pulse, blood pressure, heart rate, and weight and perform a finger prick test to measure your blood protein levels.
As a final step, we'll perform a quick health screening, which is an abbreviated version of what you may be used to receiving annually at your doctor's office. During this we'll check basic motor skills, listen to your lungs, look at ears, eyes, nose, and throat, and take a look at your arms.
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Can I donate on my period/while menstruating?
Yes, as long as you are feeling well. We will check your iron levels prior to each donation, so this is something to be mindful of depending on where you are in your cycle. We recommend staying well hydrated and consuming a meal high in iron and ...
What do you check my blood for?
Because plasma is used to make life-saving medicines, safety is our top priority. We carefully screen every donation for infectious diseases like HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, and other viral markers to help protect both you and the patients who rely on ...
How do I check my card balance?
You can view the available balance on your Parachute Prepaid VISA card by tapping on the ‘Wallet’ icon in the navigation bar. Your card balance will be displayed on the top right corner of the card image. Please note that due to delays in merchant ...
What is a Protein Sample Visit?
A Protein Sample Visit (sometimes referred to as a Sample Only Visit) is a short visit to a donation center where a vial of blood is drawn to test and confirm that a donor's protein levels are within the FDA's required range for Plasma donation. ...
What’s the difference between donating plasma and blood?
While the donation processes are similar, the biggest difference is that we use a special machine to collect your plasma. The machine gently separates your red blood cells and returns them back to you along with a saline solution to maintain ...