[CarolsymonsParticipant]

I was really happy when my stem cell collection on the 23rd December only took 4 hours. Today, as I had heard nothing from the hospital I emailed the doctor to see if they had collected enough cells for 2 transplants. She replied that they had collected 15 million cells per kg which is enough for 7 transplants! Yeah! A* result. Kinda makes up for me losing remission after 3 weeks off CTD.

Waiting, waiting impatiently now for information about transplant date and hoping paraprotein and lambda light chains are still staying down after the high dose chemo. Meanwhile it is back to work Monday……with a lot less hair though. Not sure whether to wear a wig or a scarf. As I work at a high school in Southall, west London, I am going to be fielding lots of questions from my students whatever I wear on my head.

Carol

[tomParticipant]

Hi Carol

Hey a well done you and your stem cells that’s the best I have heard of 😉
I collected enough for two in 3/4 hours but they put them in three bags so they gave me them all back so have none in reserve :-/ .

Am sure whatever you wear they will ask q good luck and hope your cells are not in the freezer for long.

Love Tom onwards and upwards xxxx

[DizzylizParticipant]

Hi carol,

That’s absolutely fantastic collection! Hope you don’t have to wait long for there return,
Can’t believe your still working! Good on you, kevs had a lot of bone damage and severe PN
And struggles to walk anywhere, so not working anymore.
Hope everything goes to plan very very soon!

Best wishes and a happy 2014!

Love liz & kev xx

[CarolsymonsParticipant]

Hi Liz & Kev

Yes I am still amazed by the collection millions..I haven’t read of anyone else with that number, but haven’t seen a doctor since, so don’t know why the collection went so well. Fortunately I am someone who asks lots of questions cos when I had the blood test after 7 days of Neupogen injections, the doctor told me to double them up on the Sunday before collection and do another double injection on the Monday morning of collection day. However after I spent some hours crying with bone pain on the Friday afternoon, I emailed the doctor asking not to do the double injections due to the pain. Thank goodness she agreed so I just did the 1 injection on the Sunday and none Monday morning. I hate to think how many millions would have been produced if I had doubled the Neupogen….not to mention the PAIN!

I am back to work tomorrow after the school holidays, but I was unable to work while on the CTD regime. I went back 3 weeks after I finished the CTD, but then was off again for the high dose chemo for collection. So really I have only worked for 4 1/2 weeks in the last 9 months.

I have a pre-transplant app’t for 15 January with transplant the following week. So after 9
months since dx, it all seems to be moving forward really quickly now.

Carol

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