Giving bone marrow

[Saxen]

I've been thinking about donating marrow for a while now and decided to properly look into it tonight. I've signed up to give blood and my appointment is in a weeks time, when I'll put myself on the Bone Marrow Registry also. I can't find any information about the differences of donating bone marrow under general anesthesia or from PBSC though, it only talks about the actual procedures and not how successful the results are from either (if it even works like that... I have no idea - halps?)

 

It's very unlikely that my tissue will be a match (the stats are craycray), but I'm excited about the prospect of being able to help someone who really needs it :thumbsup:

 

Do any of you give blood/have donated marrow in the past?

[afriendlywitch]

I give blood. I've always had a phobia of needles/nurses/fainting/blood/everything related to it, but after going through a big health issue this past year where I had blood drawn several times per month, I figured I'd try conquering my fear by giving blood voluntarily.

 

I fainted 3 times and they had to hold me afterward for 2 hours... I was stuck in bed all evening after X_X The clinic told me I probably shouldn't do it again since I had such a bad reaction.

 

But my blood was good enough to use!..... and they found I have O- blood, the only blood that can be given to anyone even if their blood type is unknown.

 

So now the blood bank calls me several times per week begging me to come in, even when I am sick and have finals for college >_>'

 

Giving blood is great -- I had an ex whose mom was more or less saved due to donated blood, and my fiance's dad was also. But if you have a rare blood type, be wary of giving out your phone number, lol.

 

 

As for the marrow, I've heard it is super-painful, but that's about it. I don't even know if my city has a location to donate it -- I'm sure they do, but they don't advertise it. Plasma and platelets are the big thing around here. But if you ever do that be extremely careful. My dad's partner has permanent health problems because the machine that separates the platelets from the blood and pumps solution back into the body glitched and he overdosed. He nearly died, and now he can never take a blood thinner even for his heart problems :/

[Novelista]

I've heard the whole marrow thing hurts, too, so you're super-duper brave, Saxen!

 

 

I'm cnidophobic and didn't stop crying about having bloodwork until I was twenty-five! The only thing that makes it tolerable now is a butterfly needle (smallest gauge...hardly hurts), the "lay-back chair" and the promise of a juice box at the end. ^_^ Sadly, I still have to put up with a standard needle for an IV...I doubt they'd agree to the butterfly for that. :P

 

That being said, I can't give blood or plasma--I'd freak out! (I still have a memory of my first draw...I swear to this day that they took a small volume bag instead of vials!) It's a shame, too...my friend gives plasma as often as possible and gets $40 a pop. I hear some places give $200 at a time!

[Saxen]

I give blood. I've always had a phobia of needles/nurses/fainting/blood/everything related to it, but after going through a big health issue this past year where I had blood drawn several times per month, I figured I'd try conquering my fear by giving blood voluntarily.

 

I fainted 3 times and they had to hold me afterward for 2 hours... I was stuck in bed all evening after x_x The clinic told me I probably shouldn't do it again since I had such a bad reaction.

 

But my blood was good enough to use!..... and they found I have O- blood, the only blood that can be given to anyone even if their blood type is unknown.

 

So now the blood bank calls me several times per week begging me to come in, even when I am sick and have finals for college >_>'

 

Giving blood is great -- I had an ex whose mom was more or less saved due to donated blood, and my fiance's dad was also. But if you have a rare blood type, be wary of giving out your phone number, lol.

 

 

As for the marrow, I've heard it is super-painful, but that's about it. I don't even know if my city has a location to donate it -- I'm sure they do, but they don't advertise it. Plasma and platelets are the big thing around here. But if you ever do that be extremely careful. My dad's partner has permanent health problems because the machine that separates the platelets from the blood and pumps solution back into the body glitched and he overdosed. He nearly died, and now he can never take a blood thinner even for his heart problems :/

 

I haven't heard of many people with O- blood so I'm not surprised! That's really brave of you to keep doing it even though you're afraid of needles and the reaction you have. I'm not sure of my type yet, but it'll probably be something fairly common. If not I'll be really happy though! It's recommended you give blood every 16 weeks here so they probably wouldn't call me up with any luck. How often do you donate?

 

I'm sorry to hear about that, that's the sort of thing I'm really worried about :( You're on the machine for hours at a time, I can imagine malfunctions happen quite a lot. I'm only 22 and it would suck to have permanent health issues because of it!

 

 

I've heard the whole marrow thing hurts, too, so you're super-duper brave, Saxen!

 

 

I'm cnidophobic and didn't stop crying about having bloodwork until I was twenty-five! The only thing that makes it tolerable now is a butterfly needle (smallest gauge...hardly hurts), the "lay-back chair" and the promise of a juice box at the end. ^_^ Sadly, I still have to put up with a standard needle for an IV...I doubt they'd agree to the butterfly for that. :P

 

That being said, I can't give blood or plasma--I'd freak out! (I still have a memory of my first draw...I swear to this day that they took a small volume bag instead of vials!) It's a shame, too...my friend gives plasma as often as possible and gets $40 a pop. I hear some places give $200 at a time!

 

Fear of needles is fairly common. Before I got my first piercing I was terrified, now it's a walk in the park - I even kinda like it strangely enough aha. Maybe your phobia will improve with time and the more you do it? ^^

 

We don't get paid, it's completely voluntary. I want to do it because it could save someones life, getting paid would cheapen it for me (if that makes sense XP)

[siniri]

I'm on the bone marrow registry. I just had to mail in a bunch of cheek swabs. My understanding is that the choice between bone marrow vs. the cells is based on which the recipient's physician feels is a better choice for them, and then they ask the potential donor if they'd be willing to go through that procedure.

 

I donated blood once, but my normal blood pressure is below the minimum level for donation, and it was only high enough because I was nervous about the procedure and had been running around with my Sunday School kids on the playground just before. I was light-headed for several hours afterwards, and I blacked out climbing the stairs at work several days later. So even though I'd love to donate blood again, I really shouldn't. I've heard that platelet donation is a good option for people like me, and I've contacted my local plasma center a few times, but apparently they don't need it because they've never called me back.

 

I don't have an issue with needles. I prefer to watch it go in so that I can stay relaxed and it won't hurt. The needle for blood donation is pretty huge -- even bigger than the one I used to use to give my cat subcutaneous fluids. My eyes did bug a little when I saw it, and the tech was really nervous about me watching it go in, but it really didn't hurt any more than a smaller needle.

 

I've also participated in a few clinical trials -- mostly as a healthy control. And yes, I did accept compensation for my time. I don't think that cheapens it.

[hanalways]

I'm a regular blood donor, and they pretty much vampire everything they need out of my body xD

 

I have AB- blood which apparently is like the most exclusive blood type of the world, and which makes me a target for a lot of blood donor communities - but I'm happy to oblige. My plasma and platelet count are often off the charts, so lately they've switched from just pints of blood to two or three platelet or plasma draws.

 

I've always thought about donating bone marrow! Keep us updated with how it goes, I don't think I even know where to start. Haha. Kudos to you for being awesome and donating, I know the blood banks are always looking for more blood and more donors. It's an awesome experience if your body will let you do it.

[Saxen]

I'm on the bone marrow registry. I just had to mail in a bunch of cheek swabs. My understanding is that the choice between bone marrow vs. the cells is based on which the recipient's physician feels is a better choice for them, and then they ask the potential donor if they'd be willing to go through that procedure.

 

I donated blood once, but my normal blood pressure is below the minimum level for donation, and it was only high enough because I was nervous about the procedure and had been running around with my Sunday School kids on the playground just before. I was light-headed for several hours afterwards, and I blacked out climbing the stairs at work several days later. So even though I'd love to donate blood again, I really shouldn't. I've heard that platelet donation is a good option for people like me, and I've contacted my local plasma center a few times, but apparently they don't need it because they've never called me back.

 

I don't have an issue with needles. I prefer to watch it go in so that I can stay relaxed and it won't hurt. The needle for blood donation is pretty huge -- even bigger than the one I used to use to give my cat subcutaneous fluids. My eyes did bug a little when I saw it, and the tech was really nervous about me watching it go in, but it really didn't hurt any more than a smaller needle.

 

I've also participated in a few clinical trials -- mostly as a healthy control. And yes, I did accept compensation for my time. I don't think that cheapens it.

 

Ahh that makes sense! Thanks for clearing that up for me, I was a little confused. Does you sending in cheek swabs mean they think you might have a potential match?

 

Oh dear, your blood donation experience doesn't sound too fun! D: Yeah that could be very dangerous if you did it again, especially given the time between your donation and your blacking out.

 

Clinical trials are different, and I would expect compensation for something like that. I wasn't looking down on those who donate blood/tissue/anything else for money by the way, I just wouldn't feel good about it personally.

 

 

I'm a regular blood donor, and they pretty much vampire everything they need out of my body xD

 

I have AB- blood which apparently is like the most exclusive blood type of the world, and which makes me a target for a lot of blood donor communities - but I'm happy to oblige. My plasma and platelet count are often off the charts, so lately they've switched from just pints of blood to two or three platelet or plasma draws.

 

I've always thought about donating bone marrow! Keep us updated with how it goes, I don't think I even know where to start. Haha. Kudos to you for being awesome and donating, I know the blood banks are always looking for more blood and more donors. It's an awesome experience if your body will let you do it.

 

That's so awesome! You've probably saved a lot of people!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'm a rare blood type, too.

 

I will do. They probably won't contact me for a number of years, but I imagine I'll still be on Neo/TDN at that point :P I'm not sure how it works in other countries but in the UK you first donate blood and when you're there you can talk to someone about donating marrow. You should do it, too! :D

[siniri]

 

Ahh that makes sense! Thanks for clearing that up for me, I was a little confused. Does you sending in cheek swabs mean they think you might have a potential match?

 

Oh dear, your blood donation experience doesn't sound too fun! D: Yeah that could be very dangerous if you did it again, especially given the time between your donation and your blacking out.

 

Clinical trials are different, and I would expect compensation for something like that. I wasn't looking down on those who donate blood/tissue/anything else for money by the way, I just wouldn't feel good about it personally.

My blood donation wasn't actually too bad; it was a little annoying having to wait so long to feel safe to drive home, and I immediately dipped my head down between my knees on the stairs when I saw black, so I didn't actually faint. (It was after a fire drill, so I was on my seventh flight). Other friends with low blood pressure haven't even been able to give a full pint -- which means the blood bank has to toss their blood, so I definitely recommend not doing any tricks to meet the criteria. They set them for a reason. But if you meet them, I recommend donating blood if you're able. It really does save lives.

 

The cheek swabs were to type me so that I can be on the donor list. When someone needs a donation, they run their type through a database and try to find the closest matches, and then try to find one who can donate as soon as possible. (The typing is not just blood type, but also for other immunological markers -- the closer two people's types match, the less likely the recipient's immune system will recognize the donation as foreign and reject it.) Most potential donors are never actually called to donate, but since each person's combination only occurs in 1 in several million, they need a big registry to find matches. (Often a sibling or other family member is the best match, but if none of them are compatible, then you have to find a stranger who randomly matches.)

 

I've been on the list for over a year and not been called to donate. There was a pretty big news story here last year about a college baseball player who was called to donate right before the playoffs -- and he skipped the playoffs to make the donation.

 

My understanding is that people are compensated for donating plasma/platelets because it takes a lot more time than a simple blood donation, and many people donate far more often for those. And they're often used not just for medical treatments but also for medical research.

[agrinwithoutacat]

I'm on the bone marrow donor registry myself, I think it's a good decision to make. Obviously it's not for everyone, but if you're willing then by all means do it. I'm also an organ donor, should I die and have any of my organs in good enough condition still.

I used to donate blood every 8 weeks or so, too, but I don't live near a donor center anymore so I only donate when there's a local blood drive that I can make it to. The local Masonic Lodge does one every 8 weeks but sometimes I can't make it due to work or other time constraints. (Plus, I lift weights and you can't lift more than 15-ish lbs with that arm for a day or two afterward or you'll bruise up like crazy, which discourages me a smidge. Skipping my workout for two days likely won't kill me, though. xP). I tend to bruise a little, but it's worth a few days of mild discoloration to potentially save someone's life. Plus, you get free cookies/juice afterward! I've only really had one bad reaction, my blood pressure just plummeted when they took the needle out and I had to hang out lying down for nearly half an hour while they waited for it to come back up. That didn't feel good and I was almost late to drive my boyfriend to work because of it, but it only happened the one time.

I can't find any information about the differences of donating bone marrow under general anesthesia or from PBSC though, it only talks about the actual procedures and not how successful the results are from either (if it even works like that... I have no idea - halps?)

 

I think with PBSC donation they're still in the clinical trial stage trying to figure out if it's as good as a traditional bone marrow donation. That may be why there's not as much info about the effectiveness of one versus the other. If it is just as effective, and they could switch to doing that most of the time, I think that'd be great because it would mean much less discomfort for the donor and maybe more people would sign up to do it.

[dawnshine]

I always have wished I could donate blood/plasma/etc. but I'm too much of a cowards when it comes to healthcare places and also I'm a big pansie when it comes to needles. Not only that, but they have a lot stricter rules nowadays than they used to and people with tattoos are generally not allowed to donate anymore around here.

[agrinwithoutacat]

Not only that, but they have a lot stricter rules nowadays than they used to and people with tattoos are generally not allowed to donate anymore around here.

Really? That's weird. Where I'm at you just can't have gotten a new one in the last 12 months. If it's been longer than that, you're okay to donate. Same if you had a piercing in the last 12 months and have any concern that the needle wasn't a sterile one-time-use thing (although any reputable piercing shop will use a single-use needle). Some places still won't take you for 12 months after a piercing even if you know it was sterile. It's all because of hepatitis concerns.

[kaybee92]

Question: how strict are they on weight and blood pressure requirements? I have O- blood and I feel very strongly about blood and organ donation due to a family member who was O- and passed away due to lack of donors. I'm generally in the 90s/60s but have gone as low as 70something/45 AFTER exercising...that's just my BP, it's naturally really low.

 

If you've donated before, were they ok with it if your BP is naturally low?

 

Also MAD props to anyone on the bone marrow registry - I want to do it but I'm so scared because I've heard the procedure can be painful.

[agrinwithoutacat]

I know for weight you have to be at least 110 pounds (there's no cutoff for maximum weight). They're probably pretty strict about that, but they don't actually weigh you. At least, I've never seen a scale, but I'm very clearly not less than 110 lbs so they wouldn't need to weigh me. They might if they think you're too small. If they don't, it's up to you to tell them if you weigh enough or not.

As for low blood pressure, it should be above 80/50, and you need to be feeling well. If it's low and you really feel like it, come back on a day when you feel better. If you feel okay and it's 80/50 or above, they should still let you donate.

Post-Script: As for donating bone marrow, I don't really care if it hurts a bit. It's only temporary, and it's to save someone else's life. As far as I know, PBSC donation is becoming more common, and that doesn't really hurt more than the pinch when they put the needle in. You may have a headache or some general muscle aches which can last a few days as a result of the medication to boost production of those cells, though. For actual bone marrow donation you're under anesthesia for the extraction, so that part you don't feel. You'll be sore for up to a week or two, but you should be back to your normal activities in under a week. It's not for everyone, but for me I think I could handle it for a good cause.

Edited May 27, 2014 by agrinwithoutacat

[kaybee92]

I know for weight you have to be at least 110 pounds (there's no cutoff for maximum weight). They're probably pretty strict about that, but they don't actually weigh you. At least, I've never seen a scale, but I'm very clearly not less than 110 lbs so they wouldn't need to weigh me. They might if they think you're too small. If they don't, it's up to you to tell them if you weigh enough or not.

 

As for low blood pressure, it should be above 80/50, and you need to be feeling well. If it's low and you really feel like it, come back on a day when you feel better. If you feel okay and it's 80/50 or above, they should still let you donate.

 

Post-Script: As for donating bone marrow, I don't really care if it hurts a bit. It's only temporary, and it's to save someone else's life. As far as I know, PBSC donation is becoming more common, and that doesn't really hurt more than the pinch when they put the needle in. You may have a headache or some general muscle aches which can last a few days as a result of the medication to boost production of those cells, though. For actual bone marrow donation you're under anesthesia for the extraction, so that part you don't feel. You'll be sore for up to a week or two, but you should be back to your normal activities in under a week. It's not for everyone, but for me I think I could handle it for a good cause.

I might just have to show up on donation day and see what happens. I am around 105lb and don't know if they'd make a big fuss about the weight difference, particularly because halfway through the day with some food and water in me I can probably scrape by to 110lb.

 

To the OP - have you had your initial blood donation appointment yet? I know you said it was in a week back on the 11th and I'm curious about what doctors and nurses have to say about marrow donation.

[wanderwisp]

I'm a marrow donor! I've been on the list for about a year, but I haven't been contacted yet for actual donation. I've donated blood twice, though. I passed out the first time, but the second time I did not. I DID get really woozy, but it wasn't too bad.

[wolfponies]

Thumbs up to everyone who sign up for bone marrow donations!

[Saxen]

Holy Indian cow thumbs up to everyone who has the guts to sign up for bone marrow donations.

Now I guess you all realize you have to survive a bone marrow biopsy right? I also guess you know you can only anaesthetize on the way TOWARDS the bone...the pain related to sawing through the bone in order to reach the marrow can't be reduced at all. Now I'm a big fan of horror movies but if I wanna watch true horror I'd rather put on a bone marrow biopsy on Youtube.

Ok not the most positive post of all time but those who are willing to go through this procedure in order to save life are on top of my lists of both brave and caring people! :)

 

I'm not sure I get the point of posting all that graphic imagery of what donating bone marrow is like-- are you attempting to put people off? Anyways, they now do a procedure called peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, which involves filtering stem cells from the blood. You're hooked up to a machine similar to a dialysis machine for a few hours over the course of three days and you're able to donate that way.

[wolfponies]

 

I'm not sure I get the point of posting all that graphic imagery of what donating bone marrow is like-- are you attempting to put people off? Anyways, they now do a procedure called peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, which involves filtering stem cells from the blood. You're hooked up to a machine similar to a dialysis machine for a few hours over the course of three days and you're able to donate that way.

 

That graphic imagery is necessary when signing up. It's also there for people to compare against a more normal donation, say a blood donation. People who donate bone marrow don't mind going through a painful process to save lives which I find wonderful.

Also, how does the procedure you describe involve bone marrow?

[Saxen]

 

That graphic imagery is necessary when signing up. It's also there for people to compare against a more normal donation, say a blood donation. People who donate bone marrow don't mind going through a painful process to save lives which I find wonderful.

Also, how does the procedure you describe involve bone marrow?

 

A doctor would never describe it like that. Anyone reading this topic who was considering donating may now not be because of your post. I'm sorry but it was totally unnecessary.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral_stem_cell_transplantation

[wolfponies]

 

A doctor would never describe it like that. Anyone reading this topic who was considering donating may now not be because of your post. I'm sorry but it was totally unnecessary.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral_stem_cell_transplantation

 

Edited my post. I misunderstood and thought a bone marrow donation meant donating bone marrow and thus undergo a bone marrow biopsy. Sorry for any inconvenience caused. Thanks Saxen for pointing it out!