[HelenParticipant]

How long can I expect to feel wiped out after the stem cell collection?

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Helen,

I had the Stem Cell Collection from h-e-l-l … 5 days on the m/c including 2 late night return visits to the hospital for very expensive Pleriaxafor booster injections which scraped 2.1million cells… the bare minimum for 1 SCT… and I wasn't 'wiped out' at all. Apart from needing the week-end to recover from a busy week I was Okay by Monday/Tuesday of the following week.

Most people manage to get enough cells after a couple of days on the m/c… I was unlucky after having six heavy doses of radiotherapy 9 months before which decimated my stem cells.

Good luck with your harvest and a speedy recovery with little to no effect.:-)

Dai.

[HelenParticipant]

Thanks, I've had the collection, it finished yesterday, and they got good numbers too, so was worth the gcsf pain over the weekend. I am unable to move today with muscle pain and exhaustion, just hope it goes soon. H

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Helen,

The muscle pain should be the residue from the GCSF and should go pretty quickly – I am so glad your numbers were good, hopefully enough for 2 SCT's (usually 5 million or more but 4 million will be enough).:-)

I hope you get your dates sorted out soon – there are plenty of back posts that give you information in that regard and Jet is just ahead of you.

All the best 🙂

Dai.

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Dai
Improving now, headache gone, just the back pain to settle down to pre gcsf levels, still unbelievably tired. SCT going to be mid August.
Thanks for your help
Helen

[GillParticipant]

So sorry you feel bad I wish that I could remember how long Stephen felt grotty, but he's feeling sort of OK now. Fingers crossed that all goes well Gillx

[shirleyParticipant]

Hi Helen,when i had my stem cells collected i had to stay in hospital over nite because they couldn't stop the bleeding when they removed the tubes. I can honestly say i didn't feel as bad as you,tired maybe but that soon wears off,if you are still feeling the way you are now on Monday then i would say contact your consualtant,maybe another reason why you are feeling like this.I hope you start to feel better soon and wish you the very best of luck with the transplant,i've had 2 now,first one was using my own cells and then at xmas i had my sisters cells,and i'm doing really well,and i know you will once you have it done,take care for now and try and have a good weekend,best wishes Shirls x 🙂

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Gill
Thanks, I'm still not back to normal but slow improvement continues, the trouble is that ' a few days ' to recover is hard to judge and i'm clearly impatient!
Helen

[ElizellenParticipant]

Like Shirley, I had to stay in overnight as when they removed the femoral line I bled quite a lot a soon as I got up to get dressed. (Stupid new nurse on the ward who thought just a small plaster would be enough!)

If that hadn't happened I would have been back to "normal" immediately I think, as I didn't seem to feel any after effects at all.

Hopefully by now you are fine.

Eliz
XX
X

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Elizabeth
Thanks for your post, I'm much improved, clearly a few days can be as long as a week!!
Helen

[JetParticipant]

Hi Helen

As Dai says, I'm just ahead of you and I have to say I was only slightly wiped out for a few days. Compared to being on Revlimid and the month I was ill with hypercalcaemia prior to diagnosis, it was a breeze.

Glad to hear you're much improved. I found the last few weeks (post-collection and pre-transplant) great – loads of energy, appetite for food and life – even went camping for a week in Wales… with a 'bonnet' for my bald head at night. LOL!

Today is supposed to be the day I receive the high-dose chemotherapy and SCT tomorrow, but there have been problems with getting a bed, so we'll see what happens. I think I'm now so over the fear and anxiety, from dealing with the frustration of so many delays that I'll be going in fighting. 🙂

If it's helpful for you, please take a look at my blog about living with myeloma: jetblackliving.wordpress.com.

Good luck with the next stage of your journey.
Jet x

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Jet
Thanks for this, I think this bed thing is vile, I was supposed to have chemo before stem cell mobilisation but because there were no beds I had to wait a week, go on the large dose of gcsf and keep fingers crossed that I produced enough cells, fortunately I did so i' m still on the right time scale and all is to start on15 th, are you just having to sit at home until they call for you?
Helen

[JetParticipant]

Hi Helen

Sorry for not responding sooner. I didn't just sit at home – I went for a picnic on Monday, cycling on Tuesday and a walk in the sun on Weds morning.

But yes, I waited and called at various times and finally went in on Wednesday at 2pm. They started the chemotherapy that afternoon, so it was only delayed by one and half days, but it meant I was woken every two hours during the first night, to change the IV bags. Normally, this would happen during the day, as the chemo would normally be given in the morning.

But apart from that, all is going well. Only a slightly dry mouth and peeing very frequently as they've given me a diuretic to ensure I don't retain fluid. On that subject, I think I need to go to the loo now! 😀

I'll hopefully be out or almost out by the time you go in. Please let us know how you're doing.
Good luck and best wishes

Jet x

[BADGERParticipant]

Hi Jet

really glad to see you are coping well after you at last got a bed lets hope you sail though this looking forward to your next blog you should think of turning it into a book
Love Jo:-)

[HelenParticipant]

Hello Jet
Good to hear you are well, hope this continues. I'm not sitting around either, going away for few days tomorrow . Plenty of fresh air and long walks while I can.
Helen

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