re: Any OTers here ever donated bone marrow? I got the call yesterday.

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I’m pretty sure you don’t make the decision as to the type of procedure. I got the call & was asked if I wanted to move forward, said yes so they set me up with LabCorp to test my blood A few weeks later they said it was a match & asked if I wanted to proceed Flew me to Houston & gave me Uber codes, met with donation center & had full physical, blood work, EKG & chest x ray Few weeks later they said I passed & asked if I wanted to move forward Once they schedule the date they send neupogen shots, you have to go to Dr. for first dose to make sure there is no reaction, they have to fill out form & turn it in A family member us a nurse so she submitted paperwork to do the rest of the shots They send packs with disposable thermometers, gloves, bs David’s, everything needed for the daily shots She had to fill out paperwork & I scanned & sent it in daily The shots are done in the week leading up to the procedure, the last shot is done before the procedure The day before the procedure they flew me & my mom to Houston & got us hotel rooms They also ask you to take a specific gummy calcium vitamin & to bring them to procedure The shots they give you....they cause bone pain As it builds up in your system, maybe day 3 or 4, I started getting uncomfortable sitting for long periods of time If I moved a certain way it was like muscle spasms up & down my spine Those brought tears to my eyes Donation staff commented on how I wasn’t in constant pain, said most people have a lot more skin than I did I did stem cells, hook up one arm to pull it out, you cannot move this arm at all during procedure I sat in reclining chair with arm stretched out Other arm hooked up with blood coming back in, can move it all you want They had a tv, I had my iPad..my mom actually left to meet up with a friend she went to high school with Only thing is you can’t go pee so while they say hydrate you do t wa t to do that morning of They somewhat gush all over you, call you a hero, it was uncomfortable What made it real was once I was done they make you wait a half hour just to make sure you’re ok & while I was in the waiting room she passed with the little igloo I’ve chest like on tv The shots are supposed to boost the amount of cells, it really worked for me, I was in & out in 4 hours Went back to hotel to rest then me & my mom went out to dinner, flew home next day They offered to reimburse me for meals & vitamins, it was such a small amount it wasn’t worth it, they were thankful & considered it a donation Last September I was told my patient was still alive, they don’t give much info on the patient but I did receive a card from her after 6 months I feel like I jumped around, let me know if you want me to clarify something I think it’s 5 days of shots, I donated on a Monday Sat I was uncomfortable, Sun was the worst by Wednesday I was back 100%

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This is right. I donated stem cells last November, through BTM.

A few things to add:

The shots force your stem cells to be picked up by your white blood cells so they can be harvested by aspherisis, instead of by the old school way. I was told they really try not to use the needle; it's a last resort.

They told me to bring TUMS for the calcium, and I ate some during & after the collection. They told me to be ready to take Claritin to help with pain (also NSAID/Acetaminophen) during the neupogen shots to help with the bone/joint pain and headaches. I had both, bone/joint pain and headaches. Also had difficulty getting sleep and/or restful sleep.

I felt the effect of the shots on the second day, and started taking Claritin and aleve then.

On the day of the collection, they will take a blood sample and analyze it for amount of stem cells. They will also know then how many stem cells the doctors want for the recipient. Based on the number of stem cells they see in your blood, they can "forecast" how long they think you will need to be hooked up to the aspherisis machine.

I took the shots in my abdomen, and the last shot, on the day of the collection was given to me in the back of my arm. It was way easier in the back of the arm.

I stayed hooked up for the maximum allowable time, by my choice, to make sure I gave enough cells. I think it was close to 8 hours. I ate lunch while hooked up. Also I had to pee once, and they gave me something to pee in and closed the curtain so I could do it.

They wanted 600,000 stem cells and I gave 850,000 cells. Some are frozen in case they're needed (for same patient only) any time in the future.

The worst part was hooking up the plumbing. They will inspect your veins first as one of the categories of the medical exam process beforehand. They told me I have "great veins", both from the pics the doctor sent to them, and from the nurses on the day of the collection.
They poked me no less than 10 times trying to get into my veins. This is done with no anesthetic. It hurts. Three different nurses tried. They said something about valves in my veins making it tougher than usual. Around 2pm the alarm went off on the machine because the intake line had come out of my arm. They had to pause and find a new vein to use. This took another series of pokes and they had to leave the tourniquet on afterwards. It made my arm throb BIG TIME.

My arm was sore for a few days afterwards. My bones & joints were sore for a few days afterwards. The sleeping problems went away a few days or a week later.

All of the pain and issues are things I have not discussed too much with anyone. They aren't squat compared to what my recipient already went through or was going through. I would never want to spotlight myself about something like this. I spoke to my recipient afterwards. He asked me how it was and how I was doing. I told him it was fine, and I was fine. And in the grand scheme of things, I was being truthful.