BLOOD: THE RIVER OF LIFE INSIDE OUR BODY

DAY +6: Bone Marrow should grafting soon.

Producing & Reproducing

BLOOD: WHAT'S YOUR TYPE?

“Just as the body cannot exist without blood, so the soul needs the matchless and pure strength of faith”

MAHADMA GANDHI

Do you ever wonder what makes up blood? Unless you need to have blood drawn, donate it or have to stop its flow after an injury, you probably don't think much about it. But blood is the most commonly tested part of the body, and it is truly the river of life. Every cell in the body gets its nutrients from blood.

Before this new stage in my life, I used to be disgusted by blood and the fact of dealing with it. I was even scared about it, about the tests done, knowing it has a lot of information that I could or not like. Now, I understand how blood is flowing and nourishing my body, my cells, my organs. Today I understand the importance of it and appreciate it and its components so much.

Blood is a mixture of two components: cells and plasma. The heart pumps blood through the arteries, capillaries and veins to provide oxygen and nutrients to every cell of the body. The blood also carries away waste products.

The adult human body contains approximately 5 liters (5.3 quarts) of blood; it makes up 7 to 8 percent of a person's body weight. Approximately 2.75 to 3 liters of blood is plasma and the rest is the cellular portion.

Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood. Blood cells like red blood cells float in the plasma. Also dissolved in plasma are electrolytes, nutrients and vitamins (absorbed from the intestines or produced by the body), hormones, clotting factors, and proteins such as albumin and immunoglobulins. Plasma distributes the substances it contains as it circulates throughout the body.

The cellular portion of blood contains red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs) and platelets.

All blood cells are produced in the bone marrow.

The process by which the body produces blood is called hematopoiesis. All blood cells (RBCs, WBCs and platelets) come from the same type of cell, called the pluripotential hematopoietic stem cell.

MY TRANSPLANT WAS OF THIS KIND OF CELLS!

This group of cells has the potential to form any of the different types of blood cells and also to reproduce itself. This cell then forms COMMITTED STEM CELLS that will form specific types of blood cells.

Red Blood Cells: Riding on the Red Road

Red blood cells perform the most important blood duty. A single drop of blood contains millions of red blood cells which are constantly traveling through your body delivering oxygen and removing waste. If they weren't, your body would slowly die.

Red blood cells are red only because they contain a protein chemical called hemoglobin which is bright red in color. Hemoglobin contains the element Iron, making it an excellent vehicle for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide. As blood passes through the lungs, oxygen molecules attach to the hemoglobin. As the blood passes through the body's tissue, the hemoglobin releases the oxygen to the cells. The empty hemoglobin molecules then bond with the tissue's carbon dioxide or other waste gases, transporting it away.

I HAD 2 TRANSFUSIONS OF BLOOD OR RED CELLS RIGHT AFTER THEY TOOK OUT THE 2 LITERS OF BLOOD CONTAINING MY STEM CELLS THE 8TH OF FEBRUARY. I WILL HAVE 2 MORE SOON, WHENEVER IT IS NEEDED. HEMOGLOBIN IS SUPER IMPORTANT FOR THE HUMAN BODY...5 STEPS MAKE YOU TIRED...TODAY I KNOW ABOUT IT. OXIGEN IS LIFE.

BREATHE: WHILE DOING IT WE ARE LETTING IN SPIRITUAL FORCE AND THE STRENGTH OF UNIVERSAL LIFE; OUT ALL WHAT WE DON'T NEED OR WANT ANYMORE TO BE RELEASED AND TRANSFORMED.

White Blood Cells: Battling Blood Cells

Whenever a germ or infection enters the body, the white blood cells snap to attention and race toward the scene of the crime. The white blood cells are continually on the lookout for signs of disease. When a germ does appear, the white blood cells have a variety of ways by which they can attack. Some will produce protective antibodies that will overpower the germ. Others will surround and devour the bacteria.

In a normal adult body there are 4,000 to 10,000 (average 7,000) WBCs per microliter of blood. When the number of WBCs in your blood increases, this is a sign of an infection somewhere in your body.

Here are the six main types of WBCs and the average percentage of each type in the blood:

Neutrophils - 58 percent

Eosinophils - 2 percent

Basophils - 1 percent

Bands - 3 percent

Monocytes - 4 percent

Lymphocytes - 4 percenT

Most WBCs (neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils and monocytes) are formed in the bone marrow.

Neutrophils are major players in the body's defense against bacterial infections. NNeutrophils move out of the blood vessels into the infected tissue to attack the bacteria.

WE ARE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE WBCs DURING THESE DAYS, THE NEUTROPHILS WILL BE OUR MAIN PLAYER IN THE TEAM, THEY WILL LET US KNOW WHEN THE BONE MARROW IS BACK TO WORK-ALIVE AND PRODUCING.

I WILL HAVE (OR HAVE RIGHT NOW ACTUALLY) ZERO NEUTROPHILS=NO IMMUNE SYSTEM=ISOLATION

SOON IT WILL BE BACK TO NORMAL

IT MIGHT SOUND CRAZY BUT I DO TALK TO MY BONE MARROW EVERY NIGHT TO START PRODUCING, I AM SURE IT HELPS

Platelets: Sticky Situations

The human body does not handle excessive blood loss well. Therefore, the body has ways of protecting itself. When, for some unexpected reason, sudden blood loss occurs, the blood platelets kick into action.

Platelets are irregularly-shaped, colorless bodies that are present in blood. Their sticky surface lets them, along with other substances, form clots to stop bleeding.

When bleeding from a wound suddenly occurs, the platelets gather at the wound and attempt to block the blood flow. The mineral calcium, vitamin K, and a protein called fibrinogen help the platelets form a clot.

A clot begins to form when the blood is exposed to air. The platelets sense the presence of air and begin to break apart. They react with the fibrinogen to begin forming fibrin, which resembles tiny threads. The fibrin threads then begin to form a web-like mesh that traps the blood cells within it. This mesh of blood cells hardens as it dries, forming a clot, or "scab."

Calcium and vitamin K must be present in blood to support the formation of clots. If your blood is lacking these nutrients, it will take longer than normal for your blood to clot. If these nutrients are missing, you could bleed to death. A healthy diet provides most people with enough vitamins and minerals, but vitamin supplements are sometimes needed.

A scab is an external blood clot that we can easily see, but there are also internal blood clots. Both scabs and bruises are clots that lead to healing. Some clots can be extremely dangerous. A blood clot that forms inside of a blood vessel can be deadly because it blocks the flow of blood, cutting off the supply of oxygen. A stroke is the result of a clot in an artery of the brain. Without a steady supply of oxygen, the brain cannot function normally. If the oxygen flow is broken, paralysis, brain damage, loss of sensory perceptions, or even death may occur.

PLATELETS HAVE BECOME ALSO IMPORTANT IN MY LIFE. SO FAR I HAD A COUPLE OF TRANSFUSIONS AND I WILL HAVE MORE. MANY OF THE THINGS I NEED TO DO EVERYDAY ARE RELATED TO PLATELETS, I CAN'T GIVE MYSELF THE CHANCE OF LOOSING THEM IN ANY KIND OF BLOODY SITUATION...

Here's a picture of one of my donors bag of platelets while the transfusion.