Hi deec
Have you been told what visiting arrangements/restrictions there will be?
When I had my SCT 3 years ago I was told to have complete changes of day and night clothes every day, I would not have managed that without visitors!
It is almost inevitable that you will have diarrhoea, and be attached to a drip stand which will make getting to the toilet a challenge, so plenty of spare underwear and incontinence pads are useful. Also soft toilet paper!
I found squash & snacks helpful to keep nausea at bay, and visitors bringing in the unusual things you find yourself fancying to eat.
I took films, puzzle books and some craft type activities in, but didn’t take most things out of the case. I took books and an iPad and listened to audio books though. I tried to keep physically active, walking outside my room a few times a day,but found the two hourly monitoring of temperature and blood pressure etc 24 hours a day, made me doze quite a bit during the day, so although I only felt ill for 3 days (& that was mostly extreme fatigue) I also didn’t do that much. (But I was allowed daily visitors who distracted me)
I had had cyclophosphamide before my SCT so had already lost my hair. I think the nurses are very used to shaving heads if you want to leave your hair as it is before you go in, I’d take some hats with you, baldness feels quite cold.
Phone & charger are lifelines and the iPad was invaluable- but make sure there is WiFi (although surely this must be available?)
Good luck with the SCT- remember that you’ve been warned about everything that can go wrong, but not everything will go wrong. Most of us experience some undesired side effects, one person I know had no problems at all, and very few people have serious side effects.
Best wishes- oh, and don’t forget to arrange to have ice or ice lollies before, during and for about half an hour after your melphalan infusion. It can prevent the stem cells in your mouth & throat being killed off by the melphalan, which avoids some of the nastiest side effects of SCT. You may never be able to face that type of ice lolly again – so don’t choose your favourite!
