Woman goes to donate plasma, feels uneasy, then wakes up 20 seconds later surrounded by doctors: ‘Wish more people would talk about their experiences’
Your first time donating blood could go either way. It could be good or bad. Unfortunately for TikTok user @katiepettine, it was the latter, and she is sharing the story of what happened that day, which made her never want to donate plasma again.
A week ago, Katie Pettine posted a TikTok video recounting the horrors she faced while donating plasma. She started the video by saying that the day before, she saw a TikToker who donated plasma as a “side hustle” to make extra money, and she was inspired by it because she wasn’t afraid of needles and had checked details about the procedure on ChatGPT, which didn’t scare her. Fast forward to the day of the donation: Katie arrived at the location and went through several screening tests required before donating plasma. After that, she sat down to donate, but the nurse couldn’t find her vein in the first arm, so she switched to the other arm, which hurt Katie badly. Several steps later, just 2 per cent away from reaching her full plasma donation capacity, Katie fainted and woke up twenty seconds later surrounded by hospital staff.
TikToker @katiepettine had an unfavourable first-time plasma-donating experience
In her TikTok vide Katine Pettine reveals that she was looking forward to earning some easy money by donating her plasma, but it was when she went to do the actual thing that she realised the job wasn’t as easy as it seemed. As previously mentioned, Katine had fainted while she was just 2 per cent away from reaching her maximum capacity for donating plasma and found herself surrounded by doctors and nurses. As she states in the video, Katine had also tried to warn the nurse attending her, but the nurse was far away and believed she couldn’t hear “The I am not okay” she was mouthing.
Describing what she experienced after she woke up, she said she was “dripping” in sweat even in places that she didn’t know could sweat. She also revealed that there were ice packs all around her, and the people attending to her asked if she knew her name and where she was. Katine then remembers asking for a vomit bag because she was feeling nauseous, but the person sitting opposite her had sympathetic vomiting and ended up vomiting instead. Katie then had to sit out for 50 minutes to feel well enough to drive home, during which the nurses and doctors continuously monitored her vitals. Upon returning home, she revealed she received three-fourths of the amount she was supposed to get for donating her plasma, although she thought she wouldn’t receive any, as she believed the blood had to be put back into her to revive her.
Several people have extended their good wishes to TikTok user @katiepettine
Many people have commented under @katiepettine’s video, where she shares her first-time experience donating plasma. User @thehungrynutritionist wrote, “This is very common and they train the staff at every Plasma donation center. I worked at Red Cross and the hospitals and nearby clinics are on it if this were to happen. So glad you are okay! I wish more people would talk about their experiences so we could all go informed.” User @chloes_chronicles said, “This is pretty normal. Happens to me when I donate blood. It’s a vasovagal response.”
Despite Katie’s “bad” experience, many are interested in donating plasma. User @josesierra01815 commented, “I’m scared but 500 sounds good in this economy.” User @rocky.pebbles.bowxx added, “So what I’m hearing is, if you donate plasma you get a free health screening.”
Is it common for people to fall unconscious while donating blood?
Vasovagal syncope is a type of fainting that happens when your nervous system overreacts to something painful or stressful, as explained by Good Rx. While it’s quite common, affecting about 1 in 3 people, it tends to occur less often during blood donation and is more common among first-time donors.
There are several reasons someone might experience vasovagal syncope during blood donation. It could be due to fear of needles or blood, stress about the process, dehydration, or pain. To help prevent passing out while donating blood, you can try staying well-hydrated, staying calm before and during the process, and practising the applied muscle tension technique (by tensing major muscles like your legs, abdomen, or buttocks) to help increase your blood pressure.
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