After thought

Why is it bad to have fibrosis crowding my marrow.

Thanks for that very good question Chris I think the readers may have been wondering just that. It means several things. The cells start out as one kind of blood cell and this turns into about 10 lines of cells that each have different stage cells in their path to becoming my proper blood cells. The fibrosis stops some of those stage cells from turning into the final correct cell and in the case of my Red cells (carries the oxygen, carries the iron... pretty much the work horse of the cells lines) it stops the final cells entirely now. 

Okay Jim bob I see you are jumping up and down to ask an ancillary question. 

What happens if my red cells aren't there.

Another excellent Question.... I die. But I'm not dead and I am writing this to you now....Soooo how can that be? Am I a zombie getting the jump on the Zombie Apocalypse? ...A very complicated puppet driven by a diminutive red head bent on world domination? No Billie Lou Bob I'll explain it t'you.

The Blood cells (final versions) all have different use by dates then they die anyway so in Billie Lou Bob and Jim Bob new cells are created each and every day. Red cells last about 90 days they are the longest lasting (work horse remember) and I just don't make any new ones so that means a slow decline in my ability to pump oxygen. Except I get lovely bags of "packed red cells" from volunteers that give their own blood to the Red Cross. They sort the blood take out the red cells and match it to me and I get a top up.  Truely the gift of life.

So to my faithful friends that support their blood banks with donations, I thank you from the bottom of my marrow. And to those who are acceptable donors but haven't started Where the bloody hell are you! This of course does not apply to the Mad Cows who through no fault of their own were, fair dinkum in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know you want to contribute but can't. Hey Tattoo people why not hold off for 6 months, Give a pint, then ink up again. Just a thought.

I just realised I'm pimping for blood donations!

More later

Chris