Upcoming SCT following R-ICE

Hi  and welcome to the SCT Magical Mystery Tour. Magical in what SCT can achieve, a Mystery as how it works and a Tour as there is often some twists and turns in the journey.

R-ICE like many other salvage treatments are used for a specific purpose and that is get you into a remission window so that harvest can happen (I am assuming your cells have not been harvested) and that you are cancer free to allow the SCT process to de done. I had a different treatment but my condition could not be put into remission so I had to have an Allo, well I had two Allo’s.

Safe to say that you will feel rubbish but from talking to other who have had R-ICE everyone has different experiences. Take each day as it comes, ride the waves and see this as one of the steppingstone stone to get this all done and you on the track to remission.

From talking with many people in the Auto route teams tend to move quickly after harvest to catch that window of remission and not have to give more treatments to keep this window open so I have seen fold go for Auto 4/6 weeks post harvest but a question for your team.

Age is no barrier for SCT I was talking with a 73 year old who had an Auto a few weeks back and a local 3year old girl had an Allo a month ago 

Do remember that an Auto is seen as having far less challenges compared to an Allo as donor cells used in an Allo are seen as an attack on the body and the body die it’s best to kill the cells off. But your cells will be seen as friends 

Have you been told what conditioning (chemo) your team are going to use to kill off your immune system ready for your clean cells to be put back in?

You may want to make a cuppa and listen to this great 1hr) podcast from Dame Evelyn Glennie interviews a girl called Carol. She is the daughter of one of our long term members and moomy was the person who asked Macmillan to set up this group. 

https://www.evelyn.co.uk/theevelynglenniepodcast/

You may also find this thread helpful Checklist for SCT Unit as we have collected some thoughts about being in the SCT unit

Abd this is the new Macmillan Understanding stem cell transplants using your own cells (autologous) info PDF here.

Always around to help and answer questions.

Thanks Mike! I will have a good listen and a read! 

I haven't had any harvest yet so can only imagine that's after my 3 cycles of R-ICE. I have a pet scan after cycle 2 as well to check progress - but after 4 days of chemo, the lump has gone again so I can only imagine it's going in the right direction already 

And I haven't heard any more about the conditioning either. I know they are in contact with Bart's so I think I'll hear from the consultant there in due course and I can start asking lots of questions! 

Good to know about the differences of auto and Allo too! And the ages ranges! Very much a surreal experience so far 

Thank you :) 

Surreal is a good word to use..... If you have not had the ‘talk’ with your SCT team be prepared for them to scare you but this is all part of the crazy journey.

Information is key and going to come thick and fast so get yourself a note book and put everything down on paper, all your questions, thoughts and all the answers you are given.

My note books go back 22 years now and looking back it encourages me what developments have been made in treatments and for me turn a “you will never be in remission” into hearing “you are in remission”

You may also want to start your profile as one it means you don’t have to repeat your story all the time and it also gives support for other starting out on their journey.

Hit the link under my signature as it will explain how to do this and as always you can look at other members stories by hitting their community names ((hugs))

Ah thanks Mike! I'll be prepared! 

And I'll look at my profile too as that's a good shout! 

Thanks :)