Those who pass the physical are not asked to make any accommodations in diet, work or social habits before the marrow donation. However, donors are asked to refrain from taking any unnecessary risk which could lead to illness or injury during the period when the patient is undergoing the pretransplant regimen. Doctors want both the patient and donor to be in the best possible physical shape for transplant. The autologous units will replace any blood that is removed with the marrow. Typically, the donor enters the hospital on the day of the marrow donation.
Donors remain in the hospital for several hours or overnight after the marrow collection.
The liquid marrow is removed from the rear of the pelvic bone using a special needle and syringe. This process generally lasts 60 minutes. Less than 5 percent of the body's marrow is removed, an amount that the donor's body naturally replaces within a few weeks. During that time, the donor's marrow functions normally and there is no change in his or her immune system or production of blood cells. Because anesthesia is used, the collection procedure is painless.