[QUOTE="surrealnumber5"][QUOTE="MissLibrarian"] I give blood regularly and also bone marrow (which hurts!) when neededMissLibrarian
how long does the marrow thing hurt, im sure some need my rare type, but before i attempt something unknown i must have some feel for the outcomeI am not sure how it works in other counties but here in the UK you don't donate bone marrow regularly, like you would blood, but instead you go on a register (which you can sign on to at the blood bank when you are donating blood) saying that you are willing to give bone marrow of it is required. Your info is then stored on a database and when someone needs a marrow transplant and you are a compatible donor (determining this alone is much more complicated than just blood types), they write to you and ask you to come and discuss the donation at a special appointment at the hospital.
So though I have donated blood over 20 times since I was 16 (I am 24 now) I have only donated marrow once. It is a lengthy procedure which requires an general anaesthetic and a lot of preparation. This guy has written a great blog about it and although he is from Canada, reading through it his experience was very similar to mine (I donated marrow in 2006). It is a tough medical procedure to go through (like any I assume) but because you are only called upon because you are an exact match, you know there is a person out there who will literally be saved by your actions.
I eventually got to meet the patient I donated to as well, a girl who was only 11 when she received my marrow, and that meeting (with her parents too) was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I literally felt like a superhero. The outcome is definitely worth the 'hassle' and I'd recommend anyone to go on the register. Like with giving blood you are literally saving lives, but this time, you might actually get to meet them after.
Another wall of text, sorry :P
not to be blunt but it is my a-hole way but i was asking about the feeling, how does it feel to give marrow and whats the recoup time. i dont give a damn about the person i am saving, i know i am saving a person. i want to know about its effects on me. i am down for a week after giving blood because of my oddly low blood pressure, being that i am just under 300lbs. how will donating marrow effect me, i have already declined from giving blood and marrow several times.edit: i have also givin more blood then you :P
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