Apheresis Dating

Valerie and I visit the vampires pretty frequently. Recently, we decided that we would try an apheresis (Wiki) donation. The vampires tell us this is more useful to them, but it is somewhat more time consuming for us (two hours vs. one for a regular blood donation). Time isn't really an issue since we go on the weekends, so we set up the appointment.

Today, I thought I would do a little Googling to learn a little more about the process, and why it's so much more desirable than a regular donation. Got some good links, but one of the Google paid links was hilarious. I wonder if they get many hits....

In short, a lot of a "normal" blood donation isn't terribly useful to the vampires. But, since the donor gives up a reasonably large percentage (10%) of their total blood supply, he or she has to wait eight weeks between donations for the body to fully recover.

However, in apheresis, blood is removed from the body, processed to remove the elements the vampires need, and the remainder is returned, all while you sit there in the chair. According to the web sites I read today, your body is able to recover within three days. They get more from each donation, and the donor recovers faster.