Bone Marrow Donations

O

Orleander

OH JOY!!!!
Valued Senior Member
Anyone here ever donated bone marrow?
I was thinking of joining the registry, but I kinda want to know how painful a donation is. Well, mainly how long does it hurt?
 
It doesn't hurt at all, it just makes you feel crappy like most days. Yeah, i donated my left kidney and spinal fluid for research too. it was a bundle donation. Those spinal taps are fun.
 
probably, bone marrow biopsy is supposed to be very painful
how much do they remove?
what are the pre-requisites for a donor, does weight influenciate it like blood donation?


I've always wanted to donate blood, but i'm 5kg below minimum "(
 
peta9 said:
It doesn't hurt at all, it just makes you feel crappy like most days. Yeah, i donated my left kidney and spinal fluid for research too. it was a bundle donation. Those spinal taps are fun.
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you gave your kidney for research?
 
Varda said:
probably, bone marrow biopsy is supposed to be very painfulhow much do they remove?
what are the pre-requisites for a donor, does weight influenciate it like blood donation?


I've always wanted to donate blood, but i'm 5kg below minimum "(
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it is very painful, my husband didnt donate but he had to supply a bone marrow test and he said it was VERY painful
 
peta9 said:
It doesn't hurt at all, it just makes you feel crappy like most days. Yeah, i donated my left kidney and spinal fluid for research too. it was a bundle donation. Those spinal taps are fun.
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Huh? What if something goes wrong with the kidney you have left ? It's just dangerous to do that :eek:
 
do they have to hammer it in? And wouldn't they put you under for it....or something?
And how long does it hurt after?
Will I hane a scar on my bone?
 
Orleander said:
do they have to hammer it in? And wouldn't they put you under for it....or something?
And how long does it hurt after?
Will I hane a scar on my bone?
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Whoops, nevermind. That's the old school way to do it. Apparently, now they can just take some of your blood and then filter the stem cells straight from it... so it seems it's just like donating blood.
 
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bone-marrow/CA00047

How do you prepare for bone marrow stem cell donation?

Before you can donate your bone marrow, doctors give you injections of a medication to draw the blood stem cells out from your bone marrow and into your bloodstream. That way they can be easily filtered from your blood.

The medication, filgrastim (Neupogen), is typically given as an injection once a day for four or five days before your bone marrow stem cell donation. Doctors will monitor your blood counts to see how your body is reacting to the filgrastim. They'll also be looking to see if you have an optimal number of stem cells circulating in your blood.

How is bone marrow stem cell donation done?

During bone marrow stem cell donation, a machine collects your blood stem cells through a process called apheresis. Blood is drawn from your arm and runs through a machine that filters out the blood stem cells. Then your blood is returned to your body through your opposite arm.

Apheresis takes four to six hours. You'll typically undergo two to four apheresis sessions, depending on how many blood stem cells are needed.
What can you expect during bone marrow stem cell donation?

Removing blood stem cells from your blood during apheresis doesn't hurt. However, the medication you're given to coax the blood stem cells out of your marrow may cause bone pain — similar to the aches you might feel if you have the flu. On rare occasions the pain may be so severe that you might discontinue the injections. The bone pain goes away once you stop receiving the injections. Other common side effects are fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and tingling around the lips, mouth and fingers.

Risks of bone marrow stem cell donation

Bone marrow stem cell donation is generally safe. Side effects associated with bone marrow stem cell donation include:

* Bone pain
* Headache
* Muscle pain
* Fatigue
* Insomnia
* Nausea and flu-like symptoms
* Sweating
* Loss of appetite
* Tingling

These side effects go away once you complete the bone marrow stem cell donation. If you have small veins in your arms or you have veins with thin walls, your doctor may need to insert a catheter into larger veins in your body — including those in your groin and your neck. This occurs most commonly in small women. Placing a catheter in your larger veins rarely causes side effects, but complications can include:

* Air trapped between your lungs and your chest wall (pneumothorax)
* Bleeding
* Infection
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Yeee-Haa!:yay: I can do that. I could do it the other way too, but I was just wondering how long I'd be gimping around.
Thanks Ashura!! :thankyou:
 
I would only consider doing this if it was for one of my family members who needed it.
 
shorty_37 said:
I would only consider doing this if it was for one of my family members who needed it.
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What if your kid needed it and you didn't match? You would need someone from the registry.

I might feel the that way about a kidney, but I have bone marrow to spare.
 
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