Donation of Bone Marrow: How painful is it?
92137
It hurts like crazy, but it ends.  Your pain ends when the procedure is over.  The pain for the other person has lasted longer and probably is not over.  I hope that helps.
132322
Bone marrow is the tissue that produces the very immune system cells that attack transplanted organs. Since bone marrow is a transplant, it will not attack itself, since it recognizes its own cells. Therefore, bone marrow is not rejected. Sometimes, however, the immune system cells that transplanted bone marrow produces may not recognize host tissues (since they "look" foreign to them) and may start attacking them. In a sense, the transplant "rejects" the host. This phenomenon is called graft-versus-host disease.
9488
Be cautious because there are companies (at least one I've read of) marketing stem cell therapies that have no scientific basis. There's no reason to think that what they are doing will work. This company has been charging something like ten thousand dollars for a treatment and moving from country to country as they have been shut down.\n\nI understand the need for treatments now, but it's sad for a company to take so much money from someone who is very sick by taking advantage of their illness.\n\nWhat has been offered is a transfusion with hematopoietic stem cells, which means blood stem cells. These are cells that have already "decided" to be blood cells, but still have the potential to become different kinds of blood cells, such as red blood cells, white blood cells.\n\nThere are two or three major, major problems with what this company has been offering. One is that they are saying the blood stem cells can cure non-blood related diseases, like diseases that have to do with nerves. The cells they inject have already decided to be blood cells. This is a problem.\n\nThe second problem is that, for the hematopoietic stem cells to graft, meaning to take hold and grow in a recipient, the patient would have to go through a bone marrow transplant, meaning severe treatment to kill their own bone marrow. Otherwise the immune system will kill off the donor stem cells.\n\nThe third problem is that, even if there were some stem cells in the blood that could become nerve or other tissue, if those are just injected, they run the risk of starting other cancers. This point is a little bit tricky, and that's because there is a lot of active research going on in this area. In the idea of using stem cells for therapy, they need to have some instructions (meaning molecular signals) before being injected, otherwise they form tumors. This is not ready for patients yet.\n\nThe other very serious risk is that anyone who signed up for such a treatment is putting their trust in a company that has been put out of business for doing bad science, in the case I'm thinking of. There's no way to know whether they have screened their donors for HIV and other blood borne infectious diseases.\n\nPeople are working very hard to try to come up with better treatments. I know it's not a good answer for anyone who is sick now. Research budgets are being cut at the federal level, and a lot of good labs are having to slow their work or shut down. If you want more progress faster, write your congress person and tell them you support more NIH funding. We're doing our best with your money.
254055
It is not harmful to you to donate blood, so long as you are in good health at the time of the donation. The donor center will take a small sample of your blood first to test your hemoglobin and hematocrit, to make sure you can safely donate. They will also ask you a health history to make sure that it is safe for you to donate, and that your blood is not at risk for having any viruses that could be spread to others. (Be prepared to be asked some very personal questions about your life, such as sexual history, IV drug use, and so on. This is confidential but meant to keep the blood supply safe.)  \n\nAfter donating, you should drink plenty of fluids (NOT alcohol, as it actually dehydrates you worse) and preferably eat a light snack.  You can only donate once every 56 days, to allow your body a chance to regenerate the lost blood cells.\n\nAs to whether it is painful, the needle used has to be fairly large to keep the blood from clotting in it. (You don't want to get stuck for nothing, do you?)  The nurse or technician who does the venipuncture ("stick") will tell you when to expect it, and it only lasts a second or two usually. Not a bad trade for the satisfaction of helping to save a life.
772844
I know when you donate blood you can't donate even if you take aspirin. You might want to find out if you can because people who have medical problems can't donate.
729517
my uncle received a heart and kidney transplant that gave him life for an additional 13 years...someone elses loss gave us more time to enjoy our family member...am i selfish, yes? am i grateful to those who lost a beautiful woman, yes! yes, because they in their time of sorrow were able to give the gift to us--total strangers....so, my answer is of course my organs are being donated....
89705
The cost depends on so many variables. My daughter's cord blood transplants (for AML) each cost in excess of $250,000, but luckily we had insurance. I wouldn't recommend going through treatment for AML without insurance unless you had no other choice.
259669
I opted to have legal paperwork drawn up in order to have my\nbody donated for complete organ/tissue harvesting. In accordance to the Catholic Church, as long as the remains \nare handled with respect, it is permissable to do such, even\nto be disposed in a biohazard bag and incinerated at the end. (not to be observed in any form of religious service)\nWhy be buried in a forest? \nIn thinking what would be the most generous thing that I could do at the end of my life...total body donation was the\nonly logical choice as opposed to just selecting certain organs only to be removed. My soul will be long gone-It makes me happy to think that this body of mine will be put\nto such a sacred use for so many people.
959257
A law? No way. You can't compel someone to give up the body parts of their dead loved ones. That's just wrong, and I think against some religions.\n\nShould you be able to compel blood donations, too? Granted, the person isn't dead but they don't really NEED all that blood, do they? They can make more.\n\nI really don't NEED all my bone marrow or one of my kidneys---okay I'm actually saving the spare kidney for a friend who may need it---but you get the point.\n\nOrgan donation is a great thing. I am down as an organ donor and I support it. Forcing it is another thing entirely.
993801
Yes, but I haven't donated in years.  Last time I went in I was anemic, and then I was pregnant, and now with a 5 month old I haven't had time.  I love to donate blood, there is nothing better than knowing that with a little needle prick you could save someones life.
389292
bone marrow transplantation is one of the advanced technology to treat cancer
412418
fraking kid making us do his damn homework for him.. lazy @ss... JUST KIDDING glad to help a friend in need! here u go\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_transplant
492645
I had a BMT  I understand her my day 0 was april 17 06   tell her u luv her honestly I dont know how to convence her Except why not take a second chance I did life is hard tell her shes brave. I did it. Im sorry it happen. I used my bros marrow. If u have ? email me. trust me the pain is horrid Its not easy but what is. the stakes are high isolation is hard, beause you dont get to touch anyones skin. gvhd is good and bad ill pray for your family
1167526
I can understand your feelings on this. I have a step child who happens to be a leukemia survivor. I feel very passionate about this cause and I work for a company that teams up with the Red Sox and Dana Farber every year to help raise money for the cause. My husband and I donate when we can to what we can and we usually enter all other letters of the like into the circular file .It seems harsh but oh so true. Good Luck  if you pursue this further
613291
Depends on how fast your body react to it. If your immune system is good, it would be around 45 min (you shall know when you feel the pain!:))
65404
If you are doing it for a religous purpose, and you know all the reasons behind it, then the reason is up to you. There have been studies showing no medical benefit to having it done. if anything, its better to be done to adults rather than children. When they "briss" a child, they do it WITHOUT anestitics(they feel every moment of pain, and its VERY traumatic). It can cause so much pain to the child that neurologists are studying right now if there might be a small amount of brain damage because of it. Be aware, it is painfull even with pain meds, and you are PERMANENTLY removing an average of 22 square inches of the most sexualy sensitive skin on your body. again, if your doing this as part of your religion, its completely up to you. if you want some kind of "other" benefit from it, i would very much advise against it. My parents did it to me when i was a child, and i regret their decision (since it was entirely religously based, and i grew up to join a completely differing faith that believes against it)
633445
There are basically two types of Stem Cell transplants.  One is Autologous...which means the cells are your own that were harvested at an earlier time.  The other is an Allogenic.....which means you received your cells from another person (preferrable a sibling) or a stranger based on HLA matching.  Graft vs Host is fairly common in the second type of transplant (which I'd bet your family member had). Think of it this way... "graft" refers to the cells from transplant, and "host" refers to you family member's body.  The graft cells are foreign to the body, and if the host's immune system recognizes it as foreign if will try to attack and reject it.  It can affect  any part of the body and the prognosis is often determined by where it attacks, and the severity. The most common areas affected are the skin, and stomach. It can be very uncomfortable and hard to treat/get under control. A mild case of GVH is also conseidered a good thing because it can shows the host's immune system is beginning to work. Bone marrow transplants are usually a very rough road, and they often come with many bumps along the way. I hope your family member feels better and enjoys a long life.