Thread: A cure to Aids.

Ahh hope, the single most important aspect of survival. I lost a very good friend to AIDS and I gotta tell ya, it's a cruel way to check out. I happen to know a little bit about bone marrow transplants. Bruno is correct. Leukemia is destroyed in a patient by massive radiation treatments which while it destroys the cancer also destroys the patient's bone marrow. Fortunately, the marrow can be restored through transplant.

I am registered with the Red Cross Bone Marrow Donor Program. They start out with a basic blood type and cross match test series when you sign up. Then, when those data fit for a patient in need of a marrow transplant, they summon you for two more tubes of blood to run an additional, more detailed series of tests. If those test results are negative, the collected data is stored in the Marrow Donor Program database. This is very good because the tests all cost the potential recipient money. Having all the data on file saves not only money but valuable time as well for the next potential match. If those test results are positive, there is one final series of tests involving actually injecting the patient with your blood serum to determine if the patient's body will reject your marrow. If it all works out and the match is confirmed, the donor goes to a hospital where under general anesthesia, a quantity of liquid marrow is drawn from the pelvis by essentially a big syringe stuck through the hip into a hole bored into the big pelvic bone. After the donation, you get to go home with a band-aid and some pain medication. Then (and this is the coolest part) the liquid donor marrow is simply injected intravenously into the recipient and miraculously it knows were to go. It actually finds its way into the patiients bones and begins to regenerate!

I have made it to the second series of tests. I was a preliminary match for a 14 year old boy with leukemia but unfortunately, with the second tests I wasn't a match. The day after I gave the second two tubes of blood I was in a neighborhood bar talking about how excited I was to maybe be able to help some kid. A guy down the bar said, "I wouldn't donate my marrow. I heard it hurtts like Hell". I said, "I bet it doesn't hurt nearly as much as being a fourteen year old who is facing death as hiis friends and classmates are out having fun".

Icedog am I right in hearing that the donating itself- the needle into the back of the spine- that its an exceptionally painful thing? Is that a spinal tap then?

Whatever the case, BIG up repect to you and in fact ANYONE who donates blood, bone marrow and organs. You are absolutely right, the pain you'd suffer short term would be well worth it. I wish I could donate. I have epilepsy and they say that they dont want anything thats had my blood thru it cos of the meds.

I think it's from the hip bone, no?

This is simply fantastic news! If bone marrow transplantation can cure AIDS and leukemia, how mny other debilitating and death sentance illnesses could be cured with this same procedure? Anyone who donates blood, marrow or is an organ donor is a real hero. My daughter Wemdy gave her Dad (my husband), a kidney when he was dying of renal failure. It is the ultimate gift of love and gift to mankind.
Sue

Originally Posted by Sue

This is simply fantastic news! If bone marrow transplantation can cure AIDS and leukemia, how mny other debilitating and death sentance illnesses could be cured with this same procedure?

Well, it depends. In this case they were able to combine 2 treatments into 1 because of a genetic side effect that get introduced by the bone marrow.
Matching a donor to a patient is difficult enough.
Matching a donor with a specific DNA defect to a patient with a specific illness... That's got to be an order of magnitude more difficult.

So while it is probable that there are more possibilities, atm I don't see this becoming a general treatment.

I see it as being a really helpful first step. This leads the way to possible artificially grown marrows for treatment, and I'm sure a lot of other things that I can't medically understand. Even a small step in the right direction is still movement. AIDS and leukemia both are horrible, terrible ways to die.

True, this is positive. But to call it a cure is a bit too much yet.

Originally Posted by sidneykidney

Icedog am I right in hearing that the donating itself- the needle into the back of the spine- that its an exceptionally painful thing? Is that a spinal tap then?

Whatever the case, BIG up repect to you and in fact ANYONE who donates blood, bone marrow and organs. You are absolutely right, the pain you'd suffer short term would be well worth it. I wish I could donate. I have epilepsy and they say that they dont want anything thats had my blood thru it cos of the meds.

No Sid, the marrow is taken from the pelvis and the needle is inserted in the rump cheek. A spinal tap is a needle inserted into the space between the vertabrea and the spinal chord.

I stand corrected. Thank you.

Still sounds mighty painful.

That's because the needle is made for taking a chunk out of your junk! Just look up pictures. Can you tell I'm not the most needle loving person?