Marrow donation methods

[Grendel]

A vast number of people who join the national bone marrow registry do not get selected for marrow donation. However, for those individuals lucky enough to be selected from the registry to donate marrow to someone in need, there are a couple ways to do so. The most common method is Peripheral Blood Stem Cell donation (PBSC). To see a quick video of the process, check out the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bethemat...59/2bTCSslVmKs

The other method is Marrow Donation (which is the method I chose when I donated marrow back in 2004, which was the most common method of the time). This method is seldom done now, because of advantages the PBSC has for the patient... the process can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bethemat...60/YV0_a9y583U

One other video that I would suggest watching explains why you should join the registry...

http://www.youtube.com/user/bethemat.../2/IJ2RsJFGtNQ

... now tell me, are you going to argue with Shaq?!?! >;-)

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Marrow donation methods

there are a couple ways to [donate marrow]

wow... this was a really interesting bit of information. i am happy to be a part of the registry, but i honestly was curious about how they would get the red goo out of me, so to speak, if i was called to help someone else.

being inside of bones made me wonder what sort of knives, dremel tools, and salad spoons might be involved. turns out it's nothing like that. while that means that those who donate don't have as amazing a story to tell, it may make it more likely that more people are happy to register... given that the actual donation process is so astoundingly low-impact.

seriously, you've given blood before, right? (if not, why not??)

the current donation method is basically no different an experience than double-red-cell blood donation. you other O-Neg types may have encountered this before. (doesn't it feel super freaky cool when your own blood is trickling back into you at room temp? maybe i'm goofy, but i dig that. our human plumbing is so amazing that we don't even notice it's there usually... but sometimes you get to do something really fun like that. )