Reply To: Help-Considering Stem Cell Transplant

yes I start the final segment of the process on Jan 31st. with a stem cell re-infusion slotted for Feb. 6. I finishe the harvest tuesday this week, flew home wed. & have returned to work for the next 10 days. Below is a recap I posted on another site of my Mobilization & Harvest segment:
Finished the harvest . Didn’t get quite enough day 1 & ended up with a bit over 3 million. All challenges & Bumps in the road the past 12 days have settled down very well & strength has returned. To recap my experience during this segment for the benefit of others it went like this:

Arrived Thursday in pretty decent physical shape but could feel myself declining.

Admitted Friday for Mobilization. Other than a tough time getting a “hit” with the IV line things were good. Walked 3-5 laps around the floor every 3 or 4 hours. My wife spent the night in the room with me
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Discharged Saturday- Monday- not feeling bad just some nausea (not sick)

Tuesday – CIDP flared into full force rendering me almost immobil then add some nausea on top . SOS to Paula & Amy. Multiple IVIG’s arranged ( recovered well)

Wed – Neutropen started – No problems with injections, mild ( tylenol)bonepain Friday, hard (Norco) bonepain Saturday mild bone paint on last day.

Saturday – Tounge had a whitish coating. SOS Amy again mouth rinse prescribed for “Thrush”. Mostly gone by Monday

Monday – VasCath placed – less intrusive than I had anticipated. Harvest started only got 1.7 million & need 2.0 as a minimum. Get to sleep the the thing in my neck tonight. not painfull just uncomfortable.

Tuesday _ I am plenty strong again and walked without aid all thru the hospital but we took a cab or shuttle to & from. The weather is clear but cold. Long day with Blood drawn for analysis @ 7:30 am, Harvest started around 9:30, followed by another round of IVIG to help maintain strength. VasCath Pulled.Done at 4:00pm.

Wed – We are flying back home for about 12 days before returning for the final phase

Thurs – Back to work for a week or so before I return. Ironic, from as bad as things were a week ago to be back functional again today.

Overall, this segment was probably not near as bad as I may have feared. If my illness had not flared up. I likely could have enjoyed a bit of Chicago while we were here. The care, concern, and attentiveness, was incredible. It’s a scary journey, but lots of outstanding support along the way.