hi Amelie,

Thank you for this, Stephen is going in for his second SCT on 19th August. He has been in for his stem cell harvest today but was not able to go through with it as the stem cell levels in his blood were too low. He has been given plerixafor to mobilise the stem cells and he is going back in tomorrow.

I am pleased everything has…[Read more]

Good luck Tom, I am sure you will be brilliant on Deal or No deal, and your sunny personality will shine through at the interview. I am with Jean, I hope you see this through all the way to that quarter of a million, you deserve every success,

Love Mari xx

Dear Eve, Vicki, and all

Thank you for all your good wishes, it's so good to be able to fall back on such a wealth of shared wisdom and experience, it's like having a huge family gathering round for support. I dont have much family, and, apart from our two children, all that I have are too tied up with their own problems to be very supportive,…[Read more]

Morning Ali,

Just waved him off, he said he was feeling fine but I hated him going off alone. I guess it might be easier second time around. He says it's not painful, or even very uncomfortable, just very very boring. I think he will probably sleep as much as he can. Last time the staff were very good at providing tea coffee biscuits sandwiches…[Read more]

Hi Ali,

Yes this is Steve's second transplant. Some people have been told that if they manage to harvest a large number of cells then they can be stored to be used at a later date. They dont seem to do this at Kings, they do so many transplants that they dont have enough room for storage. Steve harvested about 5 million last time and they were…[Read more]

Hello Stephen,

Good to hear from you, I have been thinking about you and wondering how you have been getting on. I am delighted to hear things have not been 'too bad' and now from Day 12 things should be on the up.

Take care and take your time, your bloods will come up in their own good time, I know it can be a frustrating wait…[Read more]

I love it, that's just perfect

Mari x

Hi Jen,

Glad to hear things are going well for your dad but sorry to hear your lads are poorly, it's such a shame when they are little.

Chemo is horrible but the best bit about it is that, hopefully it will be effective and your dad will feel a great deal better when it is done and enjoy some time in remission when he is likely to be able to…[Read more]

Good morning Dai,

I am so pleased to hear that you are feeling so much better. It is such a vexed issue to make the decision to go into hospital with a raised temp. Steve has been rushed in before now with a high temp and chest infection, only to be sent home with a good blood count and feeling slightly silly. I dont believe it is ever a good…[Read more]

Hi Beverley,

Like you my husband was diagnosed with smouldering myeloma after a routine blood test for something else. This was in 2004, he had 6 monthly blood tests and carried on as normal. i think we too put our heads in the sand and carried on as normal, it worked for us. I hope you will smoulder for many years to come but do be vigilant.…[Read more]

Hi Tom.

You dockers muct be a viral bunch, only 3 hours to get all the Stem Cells you needed, that must be some kind of record,

Glad you are still doing so well,

Much love Mari xx

Morning Etta,

Pleased to hear you are home and resting up. Well done on the harvest, nearly 5 million is a good job, and before long they will be coming back to you to build you back up after the melphalan has done it's job and knocked out those nasty little myeloma cells. When are you going in for your transplant?

My husband Stephen is just…[Read more]

Dear Vicki and Colin,

Glad to hear it is all underway and you have got all your dates, it all starts to feel so real now and by September it will be all over and hopefully Colin will be on his way back up again towards a good long remission. I promise it is all worthwhile, I know that it's very scary and Colin is going to feel pretty awful for…[Read more]

HI Eve,

Things must vary from ward to ward, on Davidson the ward sister went down to the shop to buy Steve some ice lollies when he had his melphalan and I took all kinds of food in for him when he was feeling rotten as long as I stayed within the list of suitable foods for someone neutropaenic, crackers and cheese was a favourite, non…[Read more]

Morning Etta,

Hope you are feeling well today and rested, did you have to stay in overnight? Good luck for the rest of the harvest procedure today, lets hope you get lots and lots of lovely stem cells,

Much love Mari x

hi Ali,

The harvesting process can sometimes reduce calcium levels, and low calcium can make you feel pretty poorly. They keep a close eye on bloods during the treatment and can easily prescribe something to sort out Calcium levels if needed, I guess the milk might help.

It's only two years but I really cannot remember a drug that you…[Read more]

Dear Dai,

So sorry to hear that not only you bit Janet as well, have been feeling so under the weather. It does not sound like fun in the Crowther household. I am particularly sorry to hear of your fatigue and low energy levels. I know how awful that is, it is one of the things that gets Steve down the most, that terrible ennervating…[Read more]

Hi Vicki and Colin,

Pleased to hear everything went well with your hospital visit today, It is a lot to take in isn't it.

Steve has had his SCT scheduled for the same week as Colin, he will go in on the 19th August. He has already has his induction chemo, iv cyclophophamide and he starts his GCSF injections tomorrow so he will go in for…[Read more]

Dear Stephen,

Glad to hear all has gone pretty much to plan so far. Now you will play the waiting game and I hope it is very uneventful. The others have given you plenty of good advice, just take it as easy as you can.

My Stephen is a few weeks behind you, he had his induction chemo on Friday and starts GCSF injections on Monday ready for…[Read more]