A bone marrow transplant is one of the most serious procedures through which the damaged and diseased bone marrow is replaced with healthy marrow. This bone marrow is usually the spongy tissue found inside the bones.
The bone marrow is the part that allows the stem cells to grow. These stem cells are directly released by this bone marrow into the blood. Once the bone marrow is damaged, it either stops releasing cells to the blood or releases infected cells.
This may cause diseases like cancer. Therefore, it is a long-term process and is very delicate. The patient undergoing such a treatment must remember a few important things before and after the treatment for ensuring the effectiveness of the procedure. Let us explore the utility of this procedure one by one.
Why Is The Bone Marrow Transplant Done?
The bone marrow of the bones is responsible for releasing red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets into the blood.
It is possible with the help of the bone marrow transplant to replace the existing stem cells, replace the diseased marrow and even add donor cells to kill the abnormal cells inside the body.
A person is likely to need a bone marrow transplant if he suffers from the following diseases namely acute leukemia, multiple myeloma, aplastic anemia, myelofibrosis, germ cell tumors, sarcoma, lupus, cancer treatments, radiation, etc.
There are different types of bone marrow transplants. These are mainly known as autologous and allogeneic. There are several factors that the patients undergoing the transplant must remember. These procedures have been outlined as follows:
Things To Remember Before The Commencement Of The Treatment
The stages before the actual transplant commences are very crucial and critical. These stages undertake different types of treatments and procedures which are very essential for the success of the entire transplantation. Below are the specifics about the said matter:
- Tests And Examination
This is probably the first step that is usually undertaken in order to assess the overall condition of the person.
Various types of medical examinations are conducted in order to get a basic idea about the health of the patient. This information helps to decide the type of treatment which must be provided to the insured.
- Harvesting
This is the most important procedure. The samples of the stem cells are collected from the patient. These samples are then matched with the donor’s sample before the actual transplant of the cells takes place.
- Conditioning
This is the process to prepare the patient’s body so that it easily accepts the stem cells of the donor.
All of these procedures are very delicate and complicated. They have to be performed very carefully only by expert doctors and surgeons.
Even the individuals who undergo this treatment should take care of themselves by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating habits, and working out schedule. The patients should strictly adhere to the guidelines which have been shared by the doctors.
Things To Remember After The Commencement Of The Treatment
Once the treatment has already begun, it is very important to look after the person and continuously monitor the body so as to keep a check on the changes taking place inside the body and analyze the effects of the treatment on the body.
Once the treatment has already begun, it is important to understand the gravity of the procedures and undertake the following guidelines which have been prescribed by the doctors. A list of the same has been presented as follows:
- Adherence To The Guidelines
Adherence to the guidelines while being on the treatment is very important. The guidelines are always made in order to improve the effectiveness of the treatment.
- Recovery
Once the phase of recovery starts, it is very important to provide enough energy and metabolism to the body so that the recovery phase can be initiated. This is actually very important for restoring the normalcy of the body.
With all of this information, it has to be concluded that these factors must be taken into accord in every situation in order to promote the effectiveness of the bone marrow transplant. This is one of the longest procedures and strict compliance is necessary.
