Bone marrow donation? is it debilitating?

Fieldy409_v1legacy

New member
Oct 9, 2008
2,686
0
0
So, ive been giving blood and plasma for years now, and I like the idea of helping people in a way that I know im actually achieving what I set out to, unlike donations to charities that could end up lining some warlords pocket or just paying the wages of the boss of the charity. Anyways I was thinking I would have a try at giving bone marrow, So everywhere I go I hear that bone marrow donation HURTS, thats fine im a big boy and can deal with a bit of pain, but I cant seem to find anything conclusive on how debilitating it is, Can I go back to work climbing up and down ladders at work the next day? Im a carpentry apprentice and I work in a small family business, so not being off too long is important to me and getting back to it is a priority. If anyone has done the donation or knows someone who has could you share your experience?
 

Smooth Operator

New member
Oct 5, 2010
8,162
0
0
You should really talk to the clinic where you donate, there are several procedures this can be done with and even more places they can draw marrow from so it will heavily impact how messed up you come out of it.
This could only fully be answered by the doctors there.
 

Eleuthera

Let slip the Guinea Pigs of war!
Sep 11, 2008
1,673
0
0
I've been harvested for Bone-marrow myself once (to give back to myself after chemo treatment) and my brother has donated his to give to me. Neither of us had it really hurt. The most "painful" part is when you're given steroids to increase your stemcel count. This can cause bone pain in your skull, lower back and pelvis.

Before you can give bone marrow you're generally given a bunch of tests, most painful part of that is a bone marrow aspiration, it never bothered me too much, but I've heard of people who were hurting for a few days.
 

lechat

New member
Dec 5, 2012
1,377
0
0
joined the list about 3 years ago and haven't heard back yet.
At the time i was given a little hand book about it so i'd recommend joining the list and if the opportunity pops up you can worry about it then.
 

Fieldy409_v1legacy

New member
Oct 9, 2008
2,686
0
0
lechat said:
joined the list about 3 years ago and haven't heard back yet.
At the time i was given a little hand book about it so i'd recommend joining the list and if the opportunity pops up you can worry about it then.
Out of curiousity what's your blood type? I ask because it may effect how long your have remained uncalled upon. I am A+ which is the second most common type here, so I don't know whether that means there would be plenty of other donors of my type or a critical shortage.
 

lechat

New member
Dec 5, 2012
1,377
0
0
o pos but from what i understand just because i am the most common doesn't mean there will a huge rush on my marrow. If i remember right there are some other deciding factors that make it hard to match bone marrow to specific patients that means a match between two people that are not closely related is unlikely.
 

Reed Spacer

That guy with the thing.
Jan 11, 2011
841
0
0
It can be painful, but generally of the 'tender area' sort.

Granted, as with most procedures, the aftereffects vary depending on the person.
 

Okoi

New member
Mar 26, 2013
11
0
0
If you'd like furthur information about donationing and the process I'd suggest, http://bethematch.org

They cover a lot of the questions people have and provide really good information. They are a US based group though. The trickiest part tends to be getting the swab done. I got lucky and there was a donor drive at my college that did the swab for the HLA testing.
 

f1r2a3n4k5

New member
Jun 30, 2008
208
0
0
Yup. It doesn't have much to do with blood type.

Organ/Bone marrow eligibility is dependent on the HLA antigen system. There's about 150 important cards in the genetic deck and we draw about 6 or so resulting in some billions of potential combinations (Guyton & Hall: Physiology).

This is why it is far better to get a tissue donation from yourself > your twin > your immediate family > other people. In that order. Because the further removed from your own genetic code, the less likely it is that they just *happen* to have a HLA antigen combination that won't be rejected.

That said, it *does* happen that sometimes a stranger is the best possible fit. But you're just as likely to go your whole life without ever being called on to give some of your juicy bone marrow.

And from what I understand, it can be a not-insubstantial recovery time. It's certainly more invasive than blood donation. But, like I said, the likelihood of ever being asked to donate marrow is so slim, that I'd consider it worthwhile to take that time out of life. (I've been in the registry since I turned 18).