At my weekly clinic visit yesterday, my Key Nurse handed me a booklet highlighting the in's and out's of Stem Cell Harvest and Transplant. We have spoken about it before but that seemed so long ago it is in the dim and distant past.
The Doctor is happy with my progress and wants to schedule a multi diciplianry care team meeting with me and my family and the team to discuss STH&T. I have to say there are a lot of questions that i would like answering first before I simply say yes to it. I am aware that it may be the best option but it is still a little scary for me.
However, on the other hand. i do trust my Doctor and his team and have no reason to doubt any of his decisions, it just feels like things have moved on at a great pace since April when I was told there is time enough before we start treatment. since then I must have had four cycles of CTD with another two planned then the possible STH&T.
Keep you informed
FormerMember
Hi Keith - I don't know anything about stem cell harvest and transplant, well only the odd thing I've picked up on TV or in newspaper. You sound like you have a really good team working for you, and more importantly, you seem to have great faith in them. You've aroused my inquisitive wee nose, and I'll probably go off now and see what I can find out about the subject. I hope everything goes well for you, as I'm sure it will and thanks for sharing, with love kate
I think it is a good thing that you are going to have this conference. They will be able to explain things to you and your family, and I'm sure you can ask for say, a week to think it over if you aren't sure. To give you time to talk it through with the family as well.
I took that time, but in the end couldn't decide. But during that week, all the things that I was really worried about disappeared. One of the two chemo drugs mentioned was ruled out, The one I really didn't want. Although I was going to have another 6 sessions of Chemo, it didn't really matter.
So go to the meeting, Get as much as you can out of it, and you will find your family will have very few strong feelings about it. They will just want to support you in your decision.
Aren't we lucky to have this chance to benefit from this technology?
I think that's correct!! Anyway, my husband has myeloma like Adintnah (Northern 'I didn't know' - get it?) and there is a post on the cancer types, myeloma forum, on stem cell transplant if anyone would like to hear some people's experiences of stem cell transplant.
can i wish you all of the very best and it sounds as though you have a great team of people to support youwhich is essential. I won't go into detail about the treatment leading up to the harvest as my advice is really about the actual harvest itself.
i had a stem cell harvest in april 2006.I was very disappointed that i did not produce a credible amount of cells until the Friday having had GCSF all week. We went ahead with the harvest on the friday anyway and the results showed that it would be better to try again the following day BUT.... and this is my point to warn you, the consultant refused to pay the blood transfusion nurses wages for the saturday so all I have harvested is a poor show of cells.
Please Please make sure you ask wether this may happen to you . The harvest and the treatment leading up to the harvest put my family under a real strain as I had to go off work agin, incurred cost to travel to and from the hospital and I lost my hair again . we thought it would be worth it though to possibly save my life and yet in a Kafka-esque drama the very professional i had trusted would not sanction the cost of opening the dept on a saturday.i did not dream of asking tthat question at my consultation as i never imagined that something as vital and lifesaving as a stem cell harvest would be compromised by a weekend ban.
i am quite happy to share with you which hospital it was but do not want to broadcast it as i do not want to distress anyone who is currently happy with their treatment.
