[helenmParticipant]

Hi all – We are going up to Glasgow Monday for hubby to start stem cell harvest (allocating 3 days)- what sort of timescales are we looking at between having the harvest and going in to have high dose chemo and cells transplanted?

Thanks

 

Helen

[greg777Participant]

Hi Helen,

It can depend on a number of factors – whether there are any complications (e.g. Unexpected infection), bed space, personal preferences (I asked to put my admission date back a week to avoid by birthday). I think mine was about 3-4 weeks – I think anything up to 6 weeks is normal.

Wishing you all the very best,

Greg

[helenmParticipant]

Thanks  – he is having his hickman line put in tomorrow so at least things are moving.

 

Helen

[deniseb451Participant]

Hi Helen, I’m having my harvest on Monday (doing jabs now). I have been told 3 weeks to transplant. When I asked why 3 weeks (I’m new to this and had assumed it would be straight away), I was told its all a matter of scheduling. I’m at Sheffield Hallam hospital so it could be different elsewhere. Because of this ‘delay’ I’m having the line in my groin for the harvest – this comes out as soon as its done so I haven’t got to spend weeks fretting over keeping it clean. I’ll have the chest Hickman when I have the transplant and chemo and I’ll be at hospital daily anyway.
Denise

 

[helenmParticipant]

Thanks – he had his harvest last week, however, this week he went into our hospital yesterday  to get his hickman line cleaned and it turns out he has an infection – so they admitted him!

Hopefully he will be OK and out Monday.

He will have to stay in Glasgow when he has his transplant as it is too far for him to go daily.

Good luck with yours.  He found the harvest draining – and it took 3 full days to get enough cells.

[deniseb451Participant]

Oh gosh, that is why I asked for the groin line. We live an hour away from the hospital so I didn’t want to be tracking there every week to get it cleaned and checked. I just hope they get enough cells! The problem with most of this is the unknown – once you are in the middle of the next phase, you just get on with it, because you have to don’t you??

Good luck with the transplant xx

 

[helenmParticipant]

Just a wee update – since posting 3 months ago when he had an infection in his hickman line – he ended up in hospital for 2 weeks while they tried to get the infection under control – they also had to take his line out.  He got home for about 6 hours and then promptly had a heart episode and ended back in hospital for a further 3 weeks.  As if that wasn’t enough when he came out he had a CAT scan that showed a lesion in his right femur that was in imminent danger of breaking.  Of course by now he was also on blood thinning medication.  He had to stop taking that for 10 days before they could operate to pin his leg.  He had the op at beginning of Dec and is now well on the way to recovery (from this at least!).  He sees the consultant again at the end of Jan beginning Feb.  Hope 2018 is better than 2017!

Helen

 

[mark2rsParticipant]

I had chemo followed by stem cell transplant nearly 7 years ago and the whole process went smoothly and I had a remission of over 6 years. My myeloma relapsed last year and I’m currently going through chemo again (from last August) and waiting for another stem cell transplant. I have cells which were frozen from the first time so I don’t need to go through the harvest process. However, I feel that the whole treatment process is dragging out much more this time compared to 7 years ago. Despite having a PIC line put in a month ago I have been told there are higher priority patients who need the available beds before me. I am hoping to return to work as I did last time but the delay in getting a bed is holding up everything. We can’t plan anything and it is so frustrating. Has anyone else had a similar experience with waiting times?

[helenmParticipant]

Another update – Dave was admitted last Monday to the Beatson, Glasgow.  He had his Chemo Tuesday and his stem cells transplanted Wed and Thursday.  He also had to have 2 blood transfusions as he was anaemic.  There was a blip on Friday when he had arrhythmia and ended up in intensive care for about 8 hours.   Once they had stabilised him and monitored him for a while they sent him back up to his room.  He is now neutropenic and has a slight infection.  He is actually feeling not too bad at the minute but realises he has to take things one day at a time.  He is bored as at the minute I am at work and only visiting at weekends as I need to keep time for when he is home and I can look after him.  Will keep you updated..

 

Helen

[helenmParticipant]

He got home the day before Good Friday – having spent 2 and a half weeks in hospital.  Very tired but we are taking things easy.  He has a really bad cough at the moment and has been given antibiotics which seemed to have helped.

Helen

[helenmParticipant]

Another wee update – he is 63 days post STC and is doing well. He is improving daily – he has an appointment at the hospital on Thursday so will see what they say. We have booked a week away next week to Northumberland in a cottage – first holiday for a year and a half as he was so ill last year we didn’t go anywhere. Hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Good luck to all others going through a STC or treatment for Myeloma.

Helen

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