FWTK: Bone marrow

[fatoxious]

hey guys, i got a call from the bone marrow registry yesterday. apparently i match someone in QLD. i'm going in next week to have further tests to see if i will actually match.

so i guess i want to know, has anyone done it? i hear it's pretty invasive and painful - both of which i'm ok with. having 2 family members that had the big C last year, if it helps someone out, i'm totally for it.

but just wondering if anyone has received or donated?

Fatty.

[brendanc]

I take my hat off to you my friend, a greater gift you could not give.

Good luck

[Cap'n James086]

Some guy on bodybuilding.com made this video about his experience donating.

[Morgs]

I am on the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow register in the UK. I got the call to say that I had preliminary matched someone and that they need further tests done. I would be lying if I said it didn't freak me out a bit! Apparently it is still very, very unlikely that you will be a complete match. I wasn't, but they now have a more detailed profile of my blood on their database.

Good luck. If you do prove to be a match, any short term pain you may feel, will be countered by the long term knowledge that you may have saved someone's life.

[Commander Keen]

How do you get yourself on the registry?

[Old frt]

I've donated 3 times and it is no longer the painful op it once was.
Different procedure now

Say Hi to Sue and Debbie for me.
You will be fine

[Seb]

Much respect to you dude. Unfortunately I can't donate blood or bone marrow, but have a deep amount of respect for you and those that can.

CK, I believe you can request to be put on the registry at the Red Cross, they have signs all over the place in the city Red Cross

[Trashed]

How do you get yourself on the registry?

To get on the Australian Bone Marrow Registry you go via the Red Cross blood donation service here: Bone Marrow Donation | Australian Red Cross Blood Service

[ReCon]

I take my hat off to you my friend, a greater gift you could not give.

Good luck

X a bazillion!

[Old frt]

Hey Fatty If you want to have a chat about the procedure PM me and I'll explain it as best I can.
Tried to post earlier but I was at the cricket and my battery died.

[Gippo]

wow thats an amazing donation. And I thought giving blood was full of awesome, you actually go under for this selfless act!

Kudos to you dude.

[fatoxious]

thanks guys, the more reading i do the more it seems i might not be eligible. but i really hope i am. if there was a match for me, and that person decided not to do it because it might hurt etc... how can you not, really?

and yeah, i got on the registry when i used to give blood monthly. i haven't been for a while because of touring. but have to get back in the habit again. you never know when one of us will need it.

[ReCon]

Mate if you got the look on the faces of the family and the receiver when they find out that you are a match, then you would probably cut your own arm off to donate the marrow!
Rock on and hope they let you give.

[Dr. Venkman]

On the register, never called up though, I do plasma or platelets every fortnight

[Munkers]

We have amazing people on here.

[Old frt]

Just thought I'd clear up a few misconceptions about donating bone marrow.
Only a tiny percentage now donate through the back as per the good Cap's vid.
I donated this way 12 years ago, overnight stay in hospital and a bit painful but I drove from Hyden to Norseman 3 days later.
If you know that road it is not comfortable at the best of times but I was fine.
My last two donations were done by stem cell harvesting.
Basically you inject yourself with a synthetic hormone for 4 or 5 days prior to the procedure.
This can be done through a canula if you don't fancy sticking yourself.
The procedure itself consists of lying on a bed, needle in one arm pumping your blood through a type of centrifuge machine
and back in the other arm. The machine takes out the good stuff which is then given to the recipient.
Takes between 4 and 6 hours and they give you a cab voucher home. Only side effect I experienced was slight muscle pain.
In short it is not a painful experience at all and doesn't take much of your time.
Hope the OP has inspired some of you to sign up.

[Fastgirl]

On the registry...never been called up. Hopefully I will be a match for someone oneday.

[fatoxious]

Thanks Old frt
i'll let you all know how i go on tuesday. that procedure sounds fine, like giving plasma really, just longer. i just looked at the ABMDR website, it's all laid out nice and simple. for those interested in joining the registry (so maybe one day you can have a bunch of people say you're awesome, like i'm getting now!) http://www.abmdr.org.au/dynamic_menus.php?id=1&menuid=2&mainid=1

[fatoxious]

forgot to update! went in for the meeting with the registry ladies, had a chat about what's what. they took a few vials of blood for extra testing, i've now been taken out of the registry for 3 months. so the guy\gal in QLD has that time to decide if they want my stuff (providing it's a match) after which time they put me back in the registry, they could still use me but we'd just have to do the paperwork again.

basically you do a few days of injections which you can administer yourself (if you've ever had clexane (sp?) it's like that, into the tummy fat) which make you start overproducing marrow, which leeches out into your blood stream. then after a few days, you go and basically go through the motions of giving plasma. line to a centrifuge, takes out marrow, then they put back everything else.
next day, sore arm like a bad corking but back at work!

you can send anonymous cards, and after 12 months if you both agree you can swap names\phone numbers (dating's hard in the modern world i guess... anyway you can get a number) to say hello.

so basically just waiting to see if i've got the good stuff!

[Lethal]

I'm on the registry too and got a call up a few years ago. Did further blood tests, but in the mean time the recipient decided not to go ahead and I was never needed. If it had gone ahead however, I would have gone through the back as my veins are not good enough to donate that way.

It was a good experience even though I never got to donate, and it does make you feel like you can make a difference