Stem-cell therapy

Less than one minute read time.
My boyfriend is about to undergo stem cell treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma having just gone through three rounds of chemo. I was just wondering if anyone on here has been through it or had someone close to them go through it who can give me a sort of general personal heads-up as to what it's going going to be like, for how long after he'll feel ill, how to deal with him being in hospital for a month, how long it'll take him to get better (roughly), that sort of thing. Any help and advice would be really greatly appreciated.
Anonymous
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi Abigail

    Have you tried the Lymphoma Association website as there are a few members on there that may be able to help you with their experiences.they have a message board so you may well find an answer to your questions on there.

    The chatroom is really busy on tues and thu nights from 8pm and there are a couple of people who regularly go in the chatroom who have had a sct and they are always willing to chat and help others

    They also run a buddy scheme and will put you in touch with a person who has been through the same treatments and you can speak to them on a one to one basis

    I hope this helps

    Love

    Helen

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi Abigail

    I am about to undergo a stem cell transplant in a couple of weeks and like you my husband and I had a lot of questions. We have found the best source for this information is the transplant team at the hospital, we wrote a list of all the things we wanted to know and went into the consultation with two typed up A4 sheets; over an hour later we came back out feeling much happier. The hospital also has a website that provides much of the detail about the actual ward and I have also been given a tour, perhaps your hospital provides this service.

    While in hospital sessions will take place on what will be required when your boyfriend comes out and what can be expected, again I would suggest thinking of any questions before hand and writing them down to make sure they get covered.

    It is not going to be an easy time but the hospitals have lots of experience and will provide the information if you ask for it. There are also the options Helen suggested and you could also try to ask a nurse on this site.

    Good luck to you both I'm sure you will get through this and be the stronger for it.

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Thank you. That really helps. He's been given a lot of literature to read so i'll plow through that lot which should made things a bit clearer at least. Would just like it to all happen and be done with - it's the waiting that's really hard. Thank you again. A.

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi Abigail,

    Looking at the dates your husband might have already had his stem cell transplant. I had one 2 months ago, and it was tough for the time that I was in hospital, I was in isolation for most of it as my counts dropped very quickly, and my hospital looked after my brilliantly. I don't know if its the same at you hospital but at mine they encouraged me to bring things in to make me feel at home like my own duvet and I covered the walls in photographs of everyone I know which really helped.

    Once I came out of hospital I was amazed though at how fast your body picks itself up and you can do things, unfortunately for me I felt like normal in my head but my legs wouldn't do as much as I wanted them to and I learnt quite quickly how much I could do in a day before it was too much and I learnt to pace myself. 2 months on I am still doing it, but it gets better everyday, and I find that if I tire myself out then I sleep better which then means that the next day I'm not overly tired and I feel pretty good at the moment.

    I hope that your husband gets through it fast and without too many symtoms. Email me anytime if you'd like to chat further.

    Wishing you all the best, Ruth

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hi Abigail,

    I had a stem cell transplant about 2 months ago. The chemo that I had before I was given my stem cells back was the easiest chemo I've been thorough, no symtoms at all! After I had my stem cells back and was recovered for 2 weeks in hospital, it was not nice, I won't go into details about my symtoms, but I wouldn't want to go through it again. However I coped because I knew it would get better within 2 weeks, and the timescales that the nurses gave me were spot on correct as to when I'd start to feel better and everyone in the hospital were amazing and really looked after me well. I was encouraged to take personal items into hospital like my duvet and photos of friends and family, which really helped as I was isolation for most of my time in hospital as my counts dropped like a stone.

    Once I was home, I was amazed at how fast my body fixed itself. I felt really good in no time, although I did have to listen to my legs because they wouldn't walk as far as I wanted them to for quite a while. However if you listen to your body and try and do a bit more each day, then it gets easier. I'm still not 100% back to what I was before the transplant but thats me, I do know of a guy who was a keen runner and was up to running 3 miles 2 months after his transplant, although I think thats a bit extreme!

    I'm now at the boring stage of waiting for everything to heal inside before I can have my next scan. I hope that helps and doesn't scare you at all, if you'd like to chat further email me anytime,

    Wishing you and your boyfriend all the best, Ruth