Bone Marrow.

I’m thinking about registering as a bone marrow donor. Registering is trivial, but extraction is a bit tricky. It’s very very hard to match marrow types, so for those people waiting for bone marrow transplants the more registrants the merrier. But, if they do find a match, then you could definitely give hope and potentially save a life.

Here’s a write up from Marrow.org.

Bone marrow donation
Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure. While you receive anesthesia, doctors use special, hollow needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bones. Many donors receive a transfusion of their own previously donated blood.

Side effects and recovery
You can expect to feel some soreness in your lower back for a few days or longer. Most donors are back to their normal routine in a few days. Your marrow is completely replaced within four to six weeks.

What do you guys think of such things? Are you already registered? Have you gone through the process and would you be willing to share your experiences? If you haven’t registered, would you be willing to join a MikeDiDonato.com bone marrow registering party? 5 days of soreness seems like nothing when compared to helping save a life.

6 thoughts on “Bone Marrow.

  • 5/11/2009 at 9:56 am
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    I hear from anyone who’s done it that it’s the most painful shot you can possibly imagine. It’s the piercing of the periosteum that hurts (the nerve net around the bone) and that takes a long time to heal.

    You grow it back, so it’s not like you’re giving up a toe. If you do get picked for a match, it’s a good chance it’ll take too. If I wasn’t scared to death of a vaccination shot, I’d sign up.

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  • 5/11/2009 at 10:59 am
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    I tried to sign up a few years back for a friend’s cousin who had leukemia. They were trying to find her a match but I was told I wasn’t a good candidate and they wouldn’t even test me. I mean, in my mind it seems like a no brainer. I’d sure hope someone could take a needle for me so I could live if the shoe was on the other foot.

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  • 5/11/2009 at 11:44 am
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    I am a donor, it is actually a very small chance you will ever be a match, but it is a great, easy thing to do. Matching on bone marrow has to be very precise, more so than other organs. As for the procedure, it isn’t a huge deal if you have a doctor who knows what’s what. I was going to have a small amount of bone marrow harvested for a study, but others had gotten there first. I was told I would be up and walking around right after the procedure, but that might have been because it was a smaller amount.

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  • 5/11/2009 at 12:59 pm
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    We’re in the registry. A number of years ago, someone’s relative had a registration drive and it was just a matter of giving a blood sample. If the markers or whatever match up with someone somewhere along the line, the potential donor will be contacted and from there it proceeds (how exactly I do not know, probably more in-depth testing?). But as you say, Mike, it’s a good thing to do, and really painless to give a blood sample.

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  • 5/11/2009 at 5:33 pm
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    I’ve read that they aren’t as bad as they used to be. The 2nd procedure on that site is what I’ve heard is much easier on the donor. They give you Neupogen which basically increases the rate of making bone marrow stem cells, and then just filter them out of your blood. You’re still gonna get some unpleasant side effects, but seems less invasive and more appealing for donors.

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