Hi Cinzia and welcome to our group you will find lots of support here but what a shame you couldnt find anything closerto home . You had such a long hard haul to get a diagnosis it must have been a relief to find out the cause, and a huge shock at the same time Good to hear the CDT is getting good results , just dont overdo things as it does takes its toll on you There is no point worrying about chores when you are on heavy chemo, let someone else look after you if you can . The heart scan is something they all check before an sct although I didnt have an mri, just ecg and another type of heart scan Sorry I cant help regarding the amyloidosis but I am sure someone will be able to. The sct is not a lot of fun but it will definitely be worth it and gain a long remission,free from treatment There are lots of posts on here written as people were having their sct if you use the search box you should be able to find some. Usually you are given a short coourse of chemo then possibly a week later you will be hooked up to a macine to collect your stem cells It isnt painful , the worst bit is having a line in each arm , so take a book or something with you It can take a day to get what they need for transplant After a week or two sometimes sooner you will be given a very strong dose of Melphalan which kills off everything , both cancer cells and those that arent cancerous , from your bone marrow Make sure you have ice pops or cubes to suck whilst you are having Melphalan as it helps to prevent your mouth getting sore and painful. Possibly the next day you will be given your own stem cells back and they start to grow healthy bone marrow with little or no cancer cells . Usually you dont feel too bad till a few days later , in my case it started with sickness then diarrhoea and a high temp This is the time you need to be in hospital , but each hospital has its own way of doing things so you may already be there. Around about a week later is often when your hair starts to fall out , if it is making you feel worse get someone to shave it off which is what I did Often its only a stay of about 2 weeks in hospital but everyone is diffrent so its hard to say exactly , I was in hospital for 5 weeks when I had my sct 5 years ago You will sleep a lot as well If you are having problems with sickness they will make sure you get the right anti-sickness tabs Once you get home the best thing to do is rest when you need to and dont try and rush things As I said before everyone is different and depending on your age and general fitness you may be out of hospital in no time but make sure you dont overdo it at home It is a bit of a pain having to tell family and friends to stay away if they are unwell but you have to be extra careful as your immune system will be very low. Sorry for rambling on if I havent put things very clearly just let me know. I am sure others will answer your post too Good luck and takecare love Bridget
