BigMamaBird Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 There's a Mom in our Co-op who needs a Bone Marrow transplant and they're asking for people to volunteer to be on a list to see if there's a match for her. I'd love to help out a fellow homeschooling Mom, but it also sounds pretty scary. The test alone is pretty benign, just a mouth swab, but what if you're called as a match? Is it surgery, a big needle, is there anesthesia, how long are you in the hospital, can you go straight back to "regular life", do you get weak for a while, need meds yourself? I've just never known anyone to go through this and I don't want to commit if I'm just going to chicken out.:confused: I'd really appreciate some input. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 There is local numbing, you feel some but not agony over a long period. One man said tears welled in his eyes, and he breathed deep and then it was over. People have told me if feels weird to have the sucking sensation. I don't know about all the people, but two of them went to work (white collar) the next day. One used some tylenol and an ice pack. It is less of a big deal than you are fearing, I suspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 There are risks to the donor in the procedure. But, I think that in general, it's not too bad. You do get some anesthesia but from what has been described to me, there is going to be some pain. Due to the risks of general anesthesia, I think you only get sedation and local anesthetic. You will have some soreness afterward. All in all, I don't think it's too bad. But, you will also need to be tested for some other things even if you are a match. There are conditions that prevent one from being suitable candidate or from being a reasonable risk to your own health. I have problems with anemia and potassium absorption so I don't always clot too well. I am out of the donor registry now at the doctor's request because it would be an unacceptable risk for me. My sister in law is now out of the list as well due to the fact that she had some severe immune system responses which required steroids during her last two pregnancies, which thinned her blood, which caused some problems. They have her straigtened out, but she tends to become anemic at least once per year and her immune system still likes to "trip" easily. So, it's now become a pretty major risk for her. You also have to have a white blood cell count within a normal range, can't test positive for Epstein Barr, etc. It's hard to find matches because many donor matches are eliminated during the routine bloodwork and the required physical. That said, I think if one were in good health/low risk and a match, did not have life circumstances that would make it a real problem to be off one's feet for a few days, etc. it would be a rewarding experience to help someone in this way. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 There's a Mom in our Co-op who needs a Bone Marrow transplant and they're asking for people to volunteer to be on a list to see if there's a match for her. I'd love to help out a fellow homeschooling Mom, but it also sounds pretty scary. The test alone is pretty benign, just a mouth swab, but what if you're called as a match? Is it surgery, a big needle, is there anesthesia, how long are you in the hospital, can you go straight back to "regular life", do you get weak for a while, need meds yourself? I've just never known anyone to go through this and I don't want to commit if I'm just going to chicken out.:confused: I'd really appreciate some input. Thanks! I saw your post and thought, huh, I wonder if she's in MI and part of the same HS group I am since I keep getting emails about the same thing. I asked my DH the same questions because I feel like it's a great thing to do, but I'm a big fat chicken when it comes to medical procedures. I've decided that if I have time on Tuesday, I am going to go ahead and do it. Short temporary pain for me vs saving someone's life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsutsie Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 There is 2 ways in which they can get bone marrow: 1.) Puncture the ilium crests and extract marrow. Usually under general anesthetics. The only pain involved will be in direct relation to the puncture. 2.) Plasmapheresis - the prefered method - used 90% of the time (depending on the needs of the recipient.) The pain during the procedure is nothing more than what it would be during simple blood donation. However, you are given a drug to promote the production of stem cells. This might cause headaches, flu like symptoms, etc. Usually passes in a day or 2. I think the discomfort you MIGHT experience is negligible in comparison to the joy in knowing you SAVED SOMEONES LIFE. You saved a child a mother, a mother a daughter, a grandchild a grandmother. It's a honour to be chosen (able) to save another persons life in such a simple way. The donor's pain is nothing in comparison to the pain the recipiets feels every moment of every day. Not just physical, but imagine you being sick, in need of a transplant...and looking into your child's eyes, knowing that you might never see them get married, etc. Ok, you get the idea. I say go for it! (The chance of being matched is really low, in anyway.) Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 (The chance of being matched is really low, in anyway.) I agree. It is easy to 'sign up' (swab, as you mentioned already). It is highly unprobable that you will be a match for the mom. However, you will be entered into their database & kept on file in case you match someone else in the future. If you are contacted down the road, there is more testing, and lots of opportunities to back out if you feel uncomfortable. They do not tell the person in need that they have a possible match until they are positively sure that the person donating is sure about doing it & wants to do it. I signed up years ago (a guy I worked w/ needed a transplant), but wasn't a match. I've never been contacted further. Dh & a friend of mine both have been contacted as possible matches, but w/ further testing, were knocked out of the running because the match wasn't good enough. I think it's worth doing. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I've had a bone marrow biopsy. It was done through the ilium with local anesthesia. The initial pain was pretty bad for me because the doctor slipped a little with the needle. I still cringe just thinking about it. But the pain was short lasting and if it could help someone I wouldn't hesitate to see I were a match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Everyone in my family have been registered for years as potential donors and nobody has ever even been called up for more detailed testing for a potential match. It's great to register, but very few people actually get to be donors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I am on the bone marrow registry, have been for about 10 years and have never been called. I have the most rare blood type - perhaps that is the reason. I have also had a bone marrow biopsy. A local anesthetic was used, and the needle went in at the back of my hip. It hurt pretty bad, but I was only 18 so I hadn't given birth yet.;) I don't know if this is how bone marrow is ever harvested. Even so, if it would save someone's life, I would do it again. What is 45 minutes of pain for the chance to participate in a miracle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 They numb you first and are using a large needle. Even with the numbing -- I will be honest -- it hurts like a great big swear word. It is painful, for about a day, then ache-y for a few more. It is absolutely worthwhile. If you do it, you will not regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 Thanks everyone. It's not so much the thought of pain that bothers me, it's the whole "mystery" of it. I've never heard of how this is done before and wanted to get a good grasp on what I'd be going in for. Hearing what you've had to say makes me feel a lot more comfortable with the idea. lisamarie, we're probably in the same Co-op. Does the woman in question have a somewhat unusual, but still very pretty, name? I appreciate the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jld Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Dd15 gave bone marrow to ds12 as part of his leukemia treatment. I'll ask her to post later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jld Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 bumping this so dd sees it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jld Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Hi, I'm jld's daughter. I would definitely get tested. The chance to save someone's life is too great to let pass, just because one is scared of a little pain. I donated stem cells to my brother, who had leukemia, when I was 14, in India, so I don't know if the procedures differ according to age and country. The doctor put me on a hormone for five days. Since I was staying with my brother in the hospital, it was no problem to get the shot every morning. I had some pain in my bones, especially after the shot. The arm in which I got the shot would remain stiff for a few hours. The pain was especially bad in the lower back, and I got headaches frequently. On the morning of the fifth day, the surgeon placed a wide tube (maybe a 1/2 - 1 cm in diameter) on the front of my right hip under a local anaesthetic. I don't remember any pain. At 3:00, a nurse wheeled me up on a stretcher (because of the tube, I couldn't bend at the hip) to a room where the hematologist hooked me up to the machine that separated the stem cells from the rest of the blood. I remained there for two and a half hours, and again felt no pain. The doctor had said I would get the tube removed that evening, but due to delays, they couldn't remove it until the next morning. This was the worst part of the whole experience. I was an in-patient that day and night, and because I couldn't bend at the hip, and walk to the bathroom, I had to use a bed pan. This was very unpleasant, as it leaked onto the sheets. It was hard to sleep because I had to lie flat on my back, and I realized that it can be very uncomfortable to lie on my back the whole day and all through the night. At 10:30 a.m. the next morning, after pestering the nurse, the tube was finally removed and a bandage was wound around my leg. I limped for a few days after that. The whole thing took six days from start to finish. And I am so glad I did it. My mom says it is probably the reason my brother is still alive. And I would go through it 100 more times just to be able to save somebody's life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 lisamarie, we're probably in the same Co-op. Does the woman in question have a somewhat unusual, but still very pretty, name? Yes. 14 years ago I was on my way to move into the dorms and a young girl on a bike darted across 2 lanes of traffic and I ended up hitting her with my car. I was completely shaken up. A woman who saw it happen stopped, gave me hugs and prayed with me and waited with me until the police were done and let me leave. She had the same name as the woman in need of a transplant. I never saw her again but that name has always had a special place in my heart because of that stranger. I wonder how old this particular woman is and if there's any connection since it's not a very common name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi, I'm jld's daughter.... The whole thing took six days from start to finish. And I am so glad I did it. My mom says it is probably the reason my brother is still alive. And I would go through it 100 more times just to be able to save somebody's life. To jld's dd: Thanks for sharing your inspirational story. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 jld's daughter, I really appreciate that! I'm going in tomorrow, but having it all laid out like that really takes the frightening unknown out of it. I figure, if I can do childbirth, I could handle that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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