just gave blood..

  • Thread starter Thread starter 33L
  • Start date Start date
Chillimonster said:
A little, but it dies down over a week or so.

Its worth signing up for, as at any time following selection you can 'drop-out' if you feel unsure. There is also a non-invasive harvesting of cells that some people choose.

Chris
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care to enlighten me how 1 week recovery period does not equal pain.
also please tell me how the non invasive harvesting is done?
 
33L said:
care to enlighten me how 1 week recovery period does not equal pain.
also please tell me how the non invasive harvesting is done?
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The short term 'discomfort' is outweighed by the positive feeling that you've made a differece to someone :)


As for the procedures....


Antony Nolan Website said:
What happens in a donation
There are two ways of collecting the vital cells needed to perform a transplant. Neither involves surgical intervention, although one requires a general anaesthetic.

The first and original method is directly from the bone marrow

Bone marrow is taken from the pelvic bones using a needle and syringe. The procedure lasts on average about half an hour and is performed under general anaesthetic. This method requires the donor to spend two nights in hospital: the majority of donors normally leave hospital the following day.

You are likely to feel tired and a little soreness in the lower back : donors are usually recommended to allow themselves a five-day recuperation period. Bone marrow removed in this way takes about three weeks to regenerate.

The second method is directly from the blood stem.

PBSC (Peripheral blood stem cell collection) Harvest, the other method, is even less intrusive. The donor receives four or five daily injections of G-CSF (Granulocyte colony stimulating factor) . This boosts the production of certain white cells and encourages blood stem cells to move from the bone marrow, where they are made, into the circulating blood stream. The daily injections are usually done in the donor's home by a visiting nurse.

The harvest itself is performed as an out-patient procedure. The donor's blood is removed through a cannula placed in a vein in one arm and passed through a blood separator machine, in a process known as an apheresis machine. This separates the stem cells from the remaining blood, which is returned to the donor through a cannula in the other arm. This process requires one or sometimes two collections on successive days: each takes 4-5 hours. Flu-like symptoms and some general bone / muscle aching can be experienced during the period G-CSF is being administered, but these resolve quickly after the collection and donors can generally resume their normal routine inside 24 hours. The donor may also experience discomfort where the needle is inserted and a temporary tingling in the body from the anticoagulant used to keep the cells from clotting.

All blood stem cell donations from Anthony Nolan volunteers take place at one of the specialised centres in London. The blood stem cells collected are carried by a personal courier to the patient’s transplant centre.

Healthy donor marrow or cells are introduced into the patient’s blood stream much in the same manner as a blood transfusion. If the new bone marrow takes or ‘engrafts’ well, it begins producing normal healthy blood cells and the patient can begin to hope for a recovery.
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Chris
 
thanks Chris

to be honest i think i prefer the first option like you had - didn't realise you were knocked out before they inserted the needle.
 
33L said:
thanks Chris

to be honest i think i prefer the first option like you had - didn't realise you were knocked out before they inserted the needle.
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Yeah, on the 'slab' in the operating theatre, they inserted the needle and asked me to start counting backwards from 100.


"100"

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"99"

at that point i was told that it was done and dusted :lol:


Chris
 
Chillimonster said:
Yeah, on the 'slab' in the operating theatre, they inserted the needle and asked me to start counting backwards from 100.


"100"

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"99"

at that point i was told that it was done and dusted :lol:


Chris
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Chris - I'm impressed. Whenever I've had general I don't even get to count! In ye olde days when they still did pre-meds, they actually had to wake me to inject the anaesthetic! Not only am I rubbish with needles, I don't need much drugs either!
 
those last two comments just made me giggle!
chris i will look into this in more detail, have to check with work if they would ever let me go down to london if i had to donate.
 
I'd say thats a bridge to cross IF you are shortlisted.

The important thing is to get yourself on the register.
 
I started donating this year after the birth of my daughter. My partner needed a couple of transfusions... So I thought I would return the favour and start donating.

I'm O negative :clap:

I've given twice so far, and on the first occasion found it slightly painful with some brusing, and the second time it was painless with no bruising.

May think about the platelet donation also, but by the sounds of it its a little more intense...
 
I'm not much of a needle person at all! I was eating in the club house after playing golf and the guy I was playing with was dieabetic. I saw him giving him self his jab and that was that, a trip to A&E after fainting and cutting my head open and its not the first faint but the worst :shake:
 
Ally said:
I'm not much of a needle person at all! I was eating in the club house after playing golf and the guy I was playing with was dieabetic. I saw him giving him self his jab and that was that, a trip to A&E after fainting and cutting my head open and its not the first faint but the worst :shake:
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I hate needles and have always looked the other way. When I was giving blood I would always lay down flat and look at the ceiling but now that I am giving platelets I have to sit upright and they have to cover my arm so I do not witness what is going on!.
 
Galaxy66 said:
I hate needles and have always looked the other way. When I was giving blood I would always lay down flat and look at the ceiling but
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I'm the same as you, I just don't look and I'm fine... Its really not as bad as people think and any discomfort is outweighed by the satisfaction afterwards... and perhaps an orange club biscuit :clap:
 
30 odd sessions in, currently enjoying a 6 month break as i had a tattoo in the summer.
 
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