Having a sct, but have a question about deodorant

Hi GroguLove

My name is Gemma, and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists here at the Macmillan support line. Thanks for getting in touch with your question.

It’s great to see how active you are in our online community; we hope you are finding it a supportive place.

It’s absolutely not a silly question that you have asked. In fact, it is really valid! You have highlighted something that is likely to be an issue as you suspect.

During the process of stem cell transplants, it is necessary to spend a period of time in ‘protective isolation’ where your environment is carefully controlled to be as ‘germ free’ as possible to protect you while your blood counts are low.  This level of protection applies to everything you come into contact with, even your food. You will be placed on a ‘low bacteria’ diet too, and not allowed to eat anything that is bacteria rich, such as certain cheeses and yoghurts.  From their website, as you say,  “Fussy” deodorants work using prebiotic ‘good’ bacteria.  So, it is very likely that your hospital team would want you to avoid this product while in protective isolation. We encourage you to contact your hospital team to discuss it further. Perhaps you have a specialist nurse you can call.

Meanwhile, we hope all is going well with your preparations for your stem cell transplant, we don’t underestimate how daunting it can feel on the lead up. If there is any information or support that we can offer, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref/HeP