Bone Marrow Donation
 

Has anyone donated bone marrow before? What were your experiences like?

There's a bone marrow donation campaign launching on campus, and I'd like to know a little more about what it's like.

I registered for it when I lived back home in Ireland.

It's quite rare for someone to come up as a positive match, so the more people who register the better. The larger the registry of donors, the bigger the chance of a successful match for a patient.

The transplant itself takes place in hospital under general anaesthetic. I believe they remove a small amount of marrow from your tibia (thigh) and hip bones. You as a donor spend a couple of days in hospital afterwards and I think you need to take it easy for a few days after that. I'm told there is some discomfort involved.

However, bone marrow patients eventually die without a transplant. Once you agree to act as a donor (if you're a match), the patients marrow is destroyed and if you back out of the whole process, the patient dies within days.

Registering as a donor is a brave and noble thing. Actually donating is more so.

I encourage you to do so, as you are perhaps saving someones life, and applaud you if you do.

Mr Mephisto

Sledge, let me clear something up (well a few things actually).


The campus drive will only involve a blood draw. They will use your blood to do something called HLA typing. Marrow donors are selected for specific recipients based on the degree of match in their HLA types. Generally when someone needs a marrow transplant, their siblings and other family are checked first as donors. After that, if they're not a match, the lists are consulted.

By being HLA typed you are not in any way obligating yourself to do anything further.

There are now 2 ways to do a "marrow transplant". The more traditional way is to do multiple bone marrow taps from your hips. You can have either general or spinal anesthesia, and here in the States you go home same day, albeit with a sore backside. The second, newer way which is becoming more common, is called a stem cell collection. IV's are put in you, and your blood flows out into a pharesis machine (looks like a small washing machine). Your stem cells are collected and the rest of the blood is returned to you. The stem cells are then given to the recipient and find their way back to the marrow and reconstitute their marrow and immune system.

Ahh the wonders of technology. They could use that stem cell techonology for many other useful things such and fixing spinal cord injuries and replacing brain cells, which normally are gone forever if you lose them.

I strongly agree with this statement.

I don't know about a bone marrow transplant, but I've had bone marrow drawn before. It's not painful, just a little uncomfortable. It doesn't take long at all for it to be done either.

A bone marrow transplant almost allowed my father to beat cancer- even though it did not ultimately save him, it gave hime an additional 2 years to be with us. we were lucky enough to have a family member as a compatable donor- something like a 1 in 25 million chance- I urge anyone who can to do this- It matters....

It seems my knowledge of the procedure is a bit outdated. Just shows the warning of relying on 12 year old information, as it was that long ago that I registered as a donor in Ireland!

Mr Mephisto

Thanks so much for the information, guys. A few more questions:

How long does it take for you to feel at full health after the operation? How do people feel in the meantime? What complications can occur?

I think if you gave marrow you would feel fine within the week after the procedure......mainly you would have sore hips, but that would get better quickly.


Complications are really minimal.....there's more of a risk from the anesthesia than from having a needle stuck in your bone a few hundred times. Really.

The only real risk is to the recipient of your marrow. They destroy all theirs before the operation, so if you pull out of the procedure (for some bizarre reason), they die.

As eribrav says, the complication to you lies only in the usual issues with general anesthetic. I believe they can even use a local now anyway.

Mr Mephisto

I've been thinking about joining the registry because I heard that mixed ethnicities are needed even more than someone of one major ethnicity.
Edit: Of course, it just dawned on me that I have back problems, so I probably don't qualify.

Through google, I found this informative site: http://www.marrow.org/FAQS/faqs_idx.html

How would a bad back prevent you from donating bone marrow?

Confused...

Mr Mephisto

Does anyone know the answer to this.....I am not able to donate blood because of an antibody that was transferred to me when I was in an accident and had mucho blood transfusions. Would this restrict me to donate bone marrow?
I have always wanted to help out in some way. The way I see it, if people hadn't donated the blood I needed then I would be dead today, plain and simple. I would like to give back in some way.

I've actually heard that some marrow programs won't accept Caucasian donors unless they have some Native American or other ethnicity in their background. It is becoming highly specialized so everyone who is willing to be a donor should probably register if they are eligible. Cool to be able to say that as an ordinary Joe you've saved someone's life... although blood donation is the same but on a much broader scale. :icare: