Bone marrow donation?

[AndyCohen]

Has anyone done this or know anything about it?

My cousin's husband just found out recently that he has Leukemia. He started chemotherapy on Monday. I put out a request for everyone he knows (and doesn't know!) to do a cheek swab to find a match.

I totally want to do this for him. However, since he's in CA and I'm on the other side of the country, he suggests I do it online through a bone marrow donor website. If I did this, it wouldn't tell me if I was necessarily a match for him, but if I am I will appear on his list, but I will also appear on the list of anyone on the website that I'm a match for.

They seem to say that in most cases I would just need to donate blood which is awesome and I will do for anyone. But in some cases they will need marrow donation which involves going under anesthesia but seems to not be a huge deal.

I guess I'm just wondering how big of a procedure it actually is. I would do it for my cousin's husband for sure, but what if I'm a match for a bunch of other people on the website? I just don't want to take this too lightly and sign up to help others without knowing what I'm getting into.

[TrudyCampbell]

There was a thread on this yesterday! It was careyalis

bethematch.org will give you a lot more information. I'm a registered donor. It's a surgical procedure, but there are minimal risks. I was actually chosen while pregnant and I was devastated that I couldn't donate.

Check out Carey's thread, it had a lot of great info from @therealmc!

[TrudyCampbell]

Also, I'm really sorry about your husband's cousin . That sounds really hard. I hope he has a full recovery.

[lolaburns]

I registered through Be the Match, which is the national donor program. I initially did it 4-5 years ago because a friend of mine has lymphoma. I wasn't a match for him and I've never been called as a match for someone else.

My understanding is that you are given a medication a few days prior to the stem cell collection. The medicine draws the stem cells out of your marrow and into your blood circulation and they are harvested that way. So it's mostly just needles.

I hope everything turns out ok for your H's cousin and your family. ((( hugs))$

[mala]

We were just talking about this. pandce.proboards.com/thread/211265/bone-marrow-transplant-question

I don't have anyone in my life going through this, but I plan on signing up as soon as B weans (or sooner). Being a match for someone, even if they're not related to you in any way, can be such a gift for them. You're not going to be asked to give more marrow/blood than you feel comfortable with. And being a good donor for a stranger is actually really rare, which is why we have databases for it. I doubt you'd be matched to more than one or two people.

[Faevantastic]

@therealmc - these may be really stupid questions... is it true that a donee's blood type changes to the donor's if they are different? Also, the donee could inherit donor's health traits (like seasonal allergies, etc)? People call it "rebirth"? My coworker's told me this a while back and I've always wondered if it was really true.

[AndyCohen]

Aug 8, 2013 8:12:58 GMT -5 @therealmc said:

Forget to mention that the shots that make you make more stem cells can cause bone pain, severe bone pain. I took them while I was doing chemo because my white blood cell counts were very very low. They hurt BUT I would do it 100 more times if it meant saving someone's life.

Thank you so much for this info!

Thanks everyone! Be the match was actually the website I was looking at registering on. I think I'm definitely going to do it now.

Also, I feel like a bad probie for missing that post. I've been swamped with freelance this week and was traveling yesterday so I wasn't around much. Sorry for the repeat question!!

[TrudyCampbell]

@therealmc I have been contacted 2 times for more specialized testing and I had to send in another swab. Does this mean I have special bone marrow or something? Haha... I would love to be chosen as a donor again so I was hoping it meant something.

[Faevantastic]

So interesting! You are awesome to answer all these questions, @therealmc.

[sno&2peas]

The realmc is right on the process. I actually donated to myself which you can do with certain types of lymphoma. I didn't produce enough with the shots (and they were subcutaneous shots in my stomach not my bum). I gave myself over 50 shots over a period of 3 weeks and they got half the amount peripherally and the rest they went in the "old" way and got marrow from my hip bone. I can say that using peripheral stem cells is a lot more common and using bone marrow is usually used more with kids and other blood disorders that are not cancer. The bone marrow harvest feels like you fell hard on your ass on ice and you can be sore for about a week normally (they actually give pain killers if needed). Trudy, you probably have common DNA <: ( you usually match people from your own race/nationality) which means somehow a lot of people are related somewhere down the line. I used to work as a Donor coordinator for the NMDP or marrow.org so I tested the sibs that were potential matches and also the people who came up on the registry for patients as potential matches like Trudy has. It's wonderful if you can get on the registry!! Normally it does take quite a few weeks to process though so if you want to get on ASAP you may have to talk about getting tested to your cousin Nicole, normally doctors don't call for that though and it may be difficult as I've dealt with this a lot in my old job, so best way is to get a kit sent and also you can call marrow.org (it again will take probably a few weeks for your stuff to process) and get a copy of your typing and provide it to your cousin's H. Ohh and peripheral donation is not bad btw you may have some bone pain from the neopogin but that clears as soon as it's collected and you would be back to work the next day feeling fine.

[joyhart02]

There is a blog I follow, www.thebmtblog.com and both her children have been saved by bone marrow donation. She also has information about donation and such.