Donating bone marrow...?!
Question: Donating bone marrow!.!.!.!?
I'm 18 years old, healthy female!.
I've donated blood but was just wondering about donating bone marrow!. Not saying i'm going to do it but just wondering about the whole thing to see if it would be something i might consider!.
How urgent is the need for donors!?
If it REALLY that painful!? Are you not asleep or numbed!? I have quite a high pain theshold so don't think that would be a problem!.!.!.!?!
Are they even looking for donors!.!.!.i've never seen the type of adds they have for blood donations!?
Do you only donate if someone you know is in need!?
How much of your time would be needed!.!.!.i'm not meaning the procedure but in meeting and appointments in the run up!?
Why do more people not donate!?
I think if donating would save or dramatically improve someones life then i might be interested in donating!.!.!.and i do realise its nothing like giving blood(a lot more comitment needed)!.
What would be the reasons not to donate!?!?
I'll just say now!.!.!.sorry for bad spelling!!Www@Answer-Health@Com
I've donated blood but was just wondering about donating bone marrow!. Not saying i'm going to do it but just wondering about the whole thing to see if it would be something i might consider!.
How urgent is the need for donors!?
If it REALLY that painful!? Are you not asleep or numbed!? I have quite a high pain theshold so don't think that would be a problem!.!.!.!?!
Are they even looking for donors!.!.!.i've never seen the type of adds they have for blood donations!?
Do you only donate if someone you know is in need!?
How much of your time would be needed!.!.!.i'm not meaning the procedure but in meeting and appointments in the run up!?
Why do more people not donate!?
I think if donating would save or dramatically improve someones life then i might be interested in donating!.!.!.and i do realise its nothing like giving blood(a lot more comitment needed)!.
What would be the reasons not to donate!?!?
I'll just say now!.!.!.sorry for bad spelling!!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
http://www!.marrow!.org is the National Marrow Donor's Program and their site can answer most of your questions
How urgent!? Well, there are a lot of people in need!. Not everyone has a match in the registry, so the more people who sign up, the more chances each patient has of finding a match!.
Painful!? THere are 2 different ways of donating!. One is to donate actual marrow!. This is a surgical proceedure and you will be asleep!. They insert large needles into your hip bone and pull out as much as they can take!. It would be incredably painful if you were awake (this is the same way they do bone marrow biopsies, except since they only take a tiny bit for that, the patient is awake, and yes in pain), but you wont feel it asleep!. You would be sore for a few days after, but tylonal will help that!. The second way to donate is to give peripheral blood stem cells!. They are a type of white blood cells and are collected by a aphersis machine, and is the same process as at the plasma center and some red cross donations!. Basically you have to needles in your veins, one pulling out blood, seperating it, pulling out the stem cells, and the rest of the blood gets put back into you!. That proceedure is not painful, but can be uncomfrotable as you cant really move much for a couple hours during the cycle!.
Are they looking for donors!? YES! I dont know why you never see ads!.!.!. maybe you dont pay much attention!. Maybe there just isnt that many ads!. Being that you are donating stem cells, and the negative spin the media has put on stem cells, not sure how much they would get from ads!.
Only donate if you know someone!? Actually, you probably will never know who you are donating to or their illness!. The likely hood you would donate to someone you know is slim, although possible!.
How much time!? To sign up for the registry takes no time at all!. You just send in your dna sample!. If you are contacted to be a donor, you will have to go to a couple of apts for screenings!. They will do several general physical exams and a lot of blood work!. This is all free to you!. You will have to take shots for a few days before!. Then the day you go in for the proceedure!. Then you are done!.
Why do more people not donate!? Well, first, it costs 52$ to sign up for the registry as the HLA tissue typing is incradably expensive!. They charge a fraction of the price to help offset costs!. Also, most people are under the misconception that they would be awake and feel all the pain and that they have to be in the hospital!. Both donor procedures are out patient, and the aphersis proceedure is what is used most of the time today, so its really no big deal!. And the stem cell issue!. I have people telling me that I killed a baby to live because I had a 'stem cell transplant'!. Well, that is the medically correct term for it, the marrow is stem cells, and so are the cells they take from the peripheral blood!. I guess its just a major lack of education and funding!.
Reasons not to donate!? Well, there are certain diseases or illnesses that would prevent someone from being a donor!. Beyond their own health, there really isnt a good reason other than they just cant be bothered with the couple weeks of inconvience it will cause!. Why dont more people donate blood!? Same reasons!.!.!.
And yes, donating can save someone's life!. This transplant is a possible cure for leukemias, lymphomas, myleaomas, a few other non cancerous blood diseases, every single autoimmune disease we have including aids!. And the transplant is also being used in conjunction with other organ transplants to give patients a chance to come off the anti rejection meds, as most stem cell transplant patients are able to come off all that!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
How urgent!? Well, there are a lot of people in need!. Not everyone has a match in the registry, so the more people who sign up, the more chances each patient has of finding a match!.
Painful!? THere are 2 different ways of donating!. One is to donate actual marrow!. This is a surgical proceedure and you will be asleep!. They insert large needles into your hip bone and pull out as much as they can take!. It would be incredably painful if you were awake (this is the same way they do bone marrow biopsies, except since they only take a tiny bit for that, the patient is awake, and yes in pain), but you wont feel it asleep!. You would be sore for a few days after, but tylonal will help that!. The second way to donate is to give peripheral blood stem cells!. They are a type of white blood cells and are collected by a aphersis machine, and is the same process as at the plasma center and some red cross donations!. Basically you have to needles in your veins, one pulling out blood, seperating it, pulling out the stem cells, and the rest of the blood gets put back into you!. That proceedure is not painful, but can be uncomfrotable as you cant really move much for a couple hours during the cycle!.
Are they looking for donors!? YES! I dont know why you never see ads!.!.!. maybe you dont pay much attention!. Maybe there just isnt that many ads!. Being that you are donating stem cells, and the negative spin the media has put on stem cells, not sure how much they would get from ads!.
Only donate if you know someone!? Actually, you probably will never know who you are donating to or their illness!. The likely hood you would donate to someone you know is slim, although possible!.
How much time!? To sign up for the registry takes no time at all!. You just send in your dna sample!. If you are contacted to be a donor, you will have to go to a couple of apts for screenings!. They will do several general physical exams and a lot of blood work!. This is all free to you!. You will have to take shots for a few days before!. Then the day you go in for the proceedure!. Then you are done!.
Why do more people not donate!? Well, first, it costs 52$ to sign up for the registry as the HLA tissue typing is incradably expensive!. They charge a fraction of the price to help offset costs!. Also, most people are under the misconception that they would be awake and feel all the pain and that they have to be in the hospital!. Both donor procedures are out patient, and the aphersis proceedure is what is used most of the time today, so its really no big deal!. And the stem cell issue!. I have people telling me that I killed a baby to live because I had a 'stem cell transplant'!. Well, that is the medically correct term for it, the marrow is stem cells, and so are the cells they take from the peripheral blood!. I guess its just a major lack of education and funding!.
Reasons not to donate!? Well, there are certain diseases or illnesses that would prevent someone from being a donor!. Beyond their own health, there really isnt a good reason other than they just cant be bothered with the couple weeks of inconvience it will cause!. Why dont more people donate blood!? Same reasons!.!.!.
And yes, donating can save someone's life!. This transplant is a possible cure for leukemias, lymphomas, myleaomas, a few other non cancerous blood diseases, every single autoimmune disease we have including aids!. And the transplant is also being used in conjunction with other organ transplants to give patients a chance to come off the anti rejection meds, as most stem cell transplant patients are able to come off all that!.Www@Answer-Health@Com