Has anyone donated bone marrow and how much does it hurt?

I don’t have any answers for you, but you are a beast, man. Hope it doesn’t hurt too much!

@bookish1 Hope so too but I expect it’s going to be mean.

Do you know if you are a match? That is the first step. Here is some information for you, @Adirondackwannabe. I’m on the Be The Match Registry for over ten years and have come very, very close twice but it didn’t happen.

There are two methods of donation: peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) and bone marrow. Neither is painful to the donor.

Best wishes coming your way for your friend.

I haven’t done it, but was tested several years ago for a relative. According to the research I did at that time, it will hurt, but not unbearably so.

I looked into it when I registered as a donor. Since they remove the cells from the hip, there is an ache for a few days, but not much more than that.

I hope you are a match for your friend. The big problem with bone marrow donation is you need to be a match to the recipient. It’s a lot more complicated than blood donation. Good luck and thank you for being willing to help!

I have heard from people who were not on a donor list that it hurts pretty badly. It was depicted that way on TV years ago. I would hope that someone who is an anonymous donor would have some sort of option to get some drugs to not be in pain. I would ask that very question if I was going to donate. I have never heard about people who donating complaining about the pain. it’s very possible over the years they have decided to treat for pain avoidance.

When I had my eggs retrieved for IVF it was extremely painful even though they used sone drugs. They told me how exciting it was to know how many they retrieved at the very second it was beng done. Fuck them! Later I found out they didn’t give me a good drug like Diprivan because there was no anesthesiologist present. I would have paid for that if I was informed and given the option. I have been through so much medically, including fertility procedures, and it constantly amazes me how many doctors are just fne causing pain when unnecessary. I have a high pain tolerance, but some things border on sadistic. Part of the reason I stopped pursuing a child for years was I was tortured and not listened to when I had extreme pain and an allergic reaction to a med, and some other negative things that happened. My story is to say, ask the questions and ask a couple doctors if your don’t get an answer you like.

@JLeslie I agree – doctors should be completely honest about pain, and allow the patient to make their own decisions. I’ve always found that pain is easier to tolerate if it’s not unexpected. I had a very bad experience with a dentist once for this reason. Telling a patient that there will be no pain makes the doctor feel better by avoiding an awkward moment, and does nothing to help the patient.

Okay, the call has been made. Thanks for all of your answers. I can’t say I’m looking forward to this if I’m a match. But thanks for the info.

Well crap. I’m over the age limit. Hell I’m still a kid at heart. She really appreciated the offer though. We went to school together so she knows how old I am. She has a couple of 9 matches so she has a pretty good shot. Apparently they get better results using younger peoples marrow.

@glacial They actually do tell you there will be some pain (it is much more than some) but they did not give me the option to not have pain. I should have had the option. When I said something after they said, “oh, but you get to know how many eggs we got!” With smiles on their faces. Why do I care if I find out 20 minutes later? It was an anasthesiologist years later who informed me it probably was because they don’t bother to bring in an anestesiologist. So upset. My lack of stamina to endure mentally and physically and lack of information has me where I am today. Anyway, I don’t mean to rant, it is a pretty emotional topic for me.

@JLeslie I don’t care how much it hurts as long as they’re upfront with me. I can prepare myself for anything if I know it’s coming.

@Adirondackwannabe I typically have that attitude. Although when something hurts fir a long time it is different than bracing for a short duration that you know will end quickly. It also for me is different when you have done through several painful procedures where some of them left you with secondary problems from the procedure. You get worn out,

@JLeslie That’s true. When I hurt my back in college I went through 18 months of hell. That got old in a hurry.

It’s not bad.

^^^ Is that from the same infamous LIst of Medical Euphemisms as “This will pinch a little” or “This will sting for a second”?

I remind my Dermatologist and Dentist of that twice a year.They think it’s funny. Ha ha.

@Rarebear Have you had it done to you?

My SIL had it done because the doctor was worried about her iron level when she was pregnant, some sort of reason like that. I seem to recall her saying the doctor told her they would take very little it would only be a few seconds. I am not sure if that is true that you can take just a little or a lot? I don’t know enough about these things. So she is pregnant, uncomfortable in general, and the procedure was painful. She was pretty upset when the doctor afterwards basically admitted it didn’t matter what the results showed they still would treat her the same for the iron deficiency. Those sorts of things are really quite upsetting. Makes the pain even less tolerable I would guess when one recalls it.

I d think some people feel more pain than others and some people feel more pain in certain parts of their body. It is difficult for me to understand how people have a lot of pain when they have their teeth cleaned, all I can assume is it actually is very painful for them. I hear women complain about getting a mammogram. It just is not that big of a deal pain wise for me. It is uncomfortable, lasts 20 seconds and over. I guess some women have more sensative breasts? Or, some people just can’t bear the littlest bit of discomfort. Not sure.

@JLeslie I’ve performed lots, and have taught how to do it. If it’s done right, with enough local anesthsia and in the right places, along with a little IV medication, it’s not bad. I didn’t say it was painless. All I said was that it’s not bad.

@Rarebear Local anesthetic and some additional drugs. Now we are talking. I think sometimes those are not offered. Or, not both. Maybe it has changed over the years also, the last 15 years there has been a big push for patient comfort.

From the previous link I posted: There are two methods of donation: peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) and bone marrow. The patient’s doctor chooses the donation method that is best for the patient.

PBSC donation is a nonsurgical procedure that takes place at a blood center or outpatient hospital unit. For 5 days leading up to donation, you will be given injections of a drug called filgrastim to increase the number of blood-forming cells in your bloodstream. Your blood is then removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through the other arm. Your blood-forming cells are back to their normal levels within 4 to 6 weeks. To learn more, watch the PBSC donation video.

Marrow donation is a surgical outpatient procedure that takes place at a hospital. You will receive anesthesia and feel no pain during the donation. Doctors use a needle to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bone. The marrow replaces itself completely within 4 to 6 weeks. To learn more, watch the marrow donation video. http://marrow.org/Registry_Members/Donation/Marrow_Donation.aspx

Also: Recovery times vary depending on the individual and type of donation. Most donors are able to return to work, school, and other activities within 1 to 7 days after donation.

PBSC donors can expect to experience a headache, or bone or muscle aches for several days before collection, a side effect of the filgrastim injections. These effects disappear shortly after collection. Most PBSC donors report that they feel completely recovered within 2 weeks of donation. Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for a few days or longer following the donation. Most marrow donors report that they feel completely recovered within 3 weeks of donation.
We will follow up with you until you are able to resume normal activity. For more information, see After You Donate.

What you can expect for a recovery timeframe varies depending on the type of donation.

Marrow and PBSC donors should expect to return to work, school and most other activities within 1 to 7 days.
A good rule of thumb is the more physically demanding the job, the longer the recovery. For example, if your job involves heavy lifting, the timeframe may be closer to 7 days.
Most marrow donors report that they feel completely recovered within 3 weeks of donation.
Most PBSC donors report that they feel completely recovered within 2 weeks of donation.
Follow-up
Your donor center coordinator will follow up with you until you are able to resume normal activity.

After that, if you chose to participate in our long-term donor follow-up study, we or your donor center will contact you by phone every other year to ask health-related questions. This phone call would take about 5–10 minutes. For complete information about the long-term donor follow-up study, contact us at LTDFU@nmdp.org or (800) 526–7809 ext. 4365.

Your donor center can also answer your questions and help with any issues related to your donation. If you need further help, you can contact our Donor Advocacy Program.

@bkcunningham Thanks. See, I know people whp definitely went through some pain with the procedure, so it is nice to see they routinely give anesthesia now. I even remember once watching a TV show, one of those horpital centered ones, where the procedure was painful. Not that a TV show is the end all be all in medical information, but I think they try to be sort of accurate,

My last two posts are all from this website. I didn’t put in the appropriate quotation marks and hope that I explained I was quoting from the site.

You did state you pulled the information from the site. I don’t think you were misleading at all.

While I’ve never been a bone marrow donor I have had my bone marrow tested, at the age of 15 it was suspected I might have leukaemia so they did a bone marrow biopsy, it was not pleasant, I remember that much. Being 15 did not help, I did not have the maturity to know how to get through the situation best, my parents and hospital staff did not tell me why the biopsy was taking place, due to my age it was probably best under the circumstances. Retrospectively, my mother told me she and my father opened a bottle of champagne and celebrated when the result was negative.

If my daughter or someone I was close to needed my bone marrow I would just go through it, that is what one does in such circumstances.

Pain is relative to the outcome and expectation.I’ve seen delirious little old ladies with fractured hips crunching around on them! No expectation I guess.

I’d go through anything gladly for my girls, my mum and dad and most friends. If it was to save a life of someone else yep probs then too. As long as it had a “best before date”.

My understanding is that harvesting hip marrow is uncomfortable but endurable with good analgesics.