[abclocal.go.com]

My friend knows her and sent this out. I had no idea how badly they need people to register as bone marrow donors. Also didn't know Its so easy to get typed - just a simple cheek swab.

[www.youtube.com]

It's easy to get typed, but the process of actually harvesting the marrow is not. It's a surgical procedure and quite painful, though I think nowadays it's done under general anesthesia (which carries its own risks).

[www.marrow.org]

"Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure done under general or regional anesthesia so the donor experiences no pain during the collection process."

[www.marrow.org]

"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."

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My music blog: [www.auditorymusings.net]


The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado

>but the process of actually harvesting the marrow is not

I know very little but it appears there are 2 ways to donate if you are a match.


The other method is peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation.

"PBSC donation is a non-surgical procedure done in an outpatient clinic. PBSC donors receive daily injections of a drug called filgrastim for five days, to increase the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream. Then, through a process called apheresis, a donor's blood is removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to the donor through the other arm.

How will I know if I'm asked to donate bone marrow or PBSC?
When you join the NMDP Registry, you agree to donate by whichever method is needed. The patient's doctor asks for either marrow or PBSC, depending on what is best for the patient."

True. I just hope that there is full disclosure at the time of signing people up regarding what all is involved with the marrow harvesting procedure.

When I was in medical school, I almost fainted during the first bone marrow *biopsy* procedure I saw. Then, in residency, I performed maybe 40 or 50 bone marrow biopsies during the course of 4 years or so. For the biopsy procedure, I would use local anesthetic to numb the skin and underlying bone surface, but there is nothing you can do to numb the marrow cavity itself. When aspirating (sucking out the marrow) through a large needle, the patient would usually start screaming or moaning. It's kinda unfortunate, but we would actually use their screams or moans to let us know that we were in the correct location.

I haven't performed a bone marrow biopsy in maybe 9 years, so I don't know if the procedure has changed or improved drastically in the interim.