9 out of 10 people now donate their stem cells via a simple procedure that’s similar to giving blood – but what about the other 10%?
In our latest donor blog, the wonderful Esther shares her experiences of donating her bone marrow.
Receiving the call
When I first gave blood at the age of 18, I was asked if I wanted to register as a bone marrow donor and I didn’t hesitate to agree. A couple of extra samples were taken, analysed for tissue type and stored on a database, to be checked against the details of patients needing treatment.
Fast-forward to 2015. One day at work I received a text message from the British Bone Marrow Registry, which simply said that they had some news and could I please call. I was shaking as I made the phone call and heard that a preliminary screening had identified me as a possible match.
The next step was to provide more blood samples so that they had an up-to-date set. I was sent a blood sample kit in the post which I took to my GP’s surgery. I gave six samples which I was then told to take to my local post office and send off. Although it felt odd ‘mailing blood’, I got chatting to the post office worker, and she told me that her brother had leukaemia as a child and survived thanks to a bone marrow donation.
Things then went a little quiet as Anthony Nolan performed its behind-the-scenes work to determine whether I was the best match out there, or whether anyone else was even closer. Two months later, I got a phone call confirming that I was the best match and asked whether I would still be happy to donate.
Preparing for the donation
Last week, my date came around. My employer was incredibly supportive and happy for me to take time off work to recover.
I checked into the hospital the day before the procedure, and the lovely staff at the London Clinic (the only independent hospital to provide stem cell collection and bone marrow harvesting for Anthony Nolan) made sure I was comfortable and well-informed.
I wasn’t told to abstain from alcohol before the procedure, but I chose to do so for three weeks before ‘D-Day’, because it felt like the right thing to do. The night before the procedure, my husband and I went to a fancy restaurant, and I didn’t feel guilty eating a very naughty, calorie-laden meal because I knew I’d need the energy!
On the morning of the procedure I was nil by mouth. They wheeled me down to anaesthesiology first thing, and I was out like a light within seconds of being injected with ‘magic sleep juice’. The next thing I remember was a kind Scottish nurse gently waking me up and asking me how I was feeling.
After the procedure
I was slightly nauseous at first (as if I’d just come off a spinning teacups ride at the funfair), but this dissipated quickly. Half an hour later they took me back to my room for recovery. I only had a very mild sore throat once I woke up. I also had a tiny amount of bruising to my hand where the IV drip went in, but this was no big deal either.
In total, they took 1,350ml (about 2 ½ pints) of bone marrow, blood and plasma from inside the ‘wings’ of my hip bones. I have two pairs of puncture marks either side of the base of my spine; they look like two pairs of slightly bruised vampire bites, but they’ll soon heal.
In the short term, your bone marrow gets replaced with saline fluid, so you spend the rest of the day on a drip. You’re likely to have low blood pressure as a result of the fluid loss, so they encourage you to keep drinking water all day long – or in my case, endless cups of tea brought to me by the very patient kitchen staff.
My nurses all kept an eye on my progress and made sure I knew what was going on at all times, and encouraged me to eat even when I wasn’t hungry to make sure my blood sugar levels were healthy.
The next morning I had slightly low blood pressure because the drip was taken out overnight, but I was well enough to go home by midday. My back was a little sore and I felt a bit washed out, but other than that I was feeling pretty chipper!
It’s not uncommon that some people feel a little tearful after a general anaesthetic, but this wasn’t the case with me. I was prescribed paracetamol for the pain and an anti-inflammatory, but I can’t say that I really had any significant discomfort as long as I took it easy and didn’t try anything too energetic.
Two days later, I had a follow-up call from Anthony Nolan to make sure I was feeling OK and didn’t need any extra support. I was pleased to hear that Guinness is a good recovery aid, because it’s full of iron!
I also learned that it’ll be six months before they can give me an update on the patient’s progress, if at all. Even then, it’s anonymous- but after two years there is a possibility that I might be able to meet them (if they want to).
"People say that donors are heroes and angels, but if more people signed up then it wouldn’t be such a remarkable thing – wouldn’t that be a great world to live in?"
I’m keen to know how the patient’s doing, but the next few months will be hard for them and their family so I’m happy to respect that and wait. In the meantime, I can send get well cards (as long as I don’t include any personal information) and all my love.
Over the past few weeks I’ve had endless people telling me how wonderful I am, but really I just turned up at the hospital, ate all their biscuits and had a chemically-induced snooze while the amazing team worked their magic.
People say that donors are heroes and angels, but if more people signed up then it wouldn’t be such a remarkable thing – wouldn’t that be a great world to live in?
If you’d like to read more stories from real-life stem cell and bone marrow donors, visit anthonynolan.org/myths or join the conversation on Twitter, using the hashtag #DonatingIsntScary.
Aged 16–30 and in good general health? Join the Anthony Nolan register by clicking on the button below.
