Nearly a year on

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On the 1st March it will be 1 year since I had my Stem Cell Transplant thanks to my Sister being a match. I have had the amazing news I’m in remission and they are happy with my results however I still have this niggling feeling I can’t shake. I know I am doing well but my body still aches and creaks and this worries me even though the Drs say it’s normal as I’ve got to rebuild my muscles and let my bones repair after what they’ve gone through but I feel having these worries are effecting me mentally. I have talked to a Well-being therapist and called the McMillan helpline but I can’t seem to shake this worry and it’s affecting my attitude to getting up in the morning. I feel that after nearly a year I shouldn’t have this attitude as I’ve been given the gift of life after Cancer and sadly I know many who haven’t. Can anyone recommend something I could try to get my head around what’s happened and give me the umph to be grateful. 

  • Hi DisneyDiva

    My wife is now 18 months post SCT. She, like yourself had her Sisters Stem cells. I think it if fairly normal to have these aches and pains after this time. My wife still gets aches in her legs and hips, sometimes affecting her sleep. 

    It is possible that your iron levels may be elevated or your Ferratin levels a bit high. My wife is going back to her team next week to get this checked out along with a bone density check. All things considered, she is so grateful to have had the chance to still be with us. Considering the amount of Chemo and transfusions etc, ect she has had over the past 4 years it is not surprising that a few little snags along the way will appear. She was lucky enough not to have suffered from any GVHD which was a great help. Take care and look after yourself, I'm sure you will be fine going forward.

    Best of luck

    FULHAMBOY (Nick) 

  • Hi again  and well done navigating your first year.

    The Allo SCT journey is a hard one and as my consultant said,!going through treatments like these is like doing a boxing match and a marathon every day over the months of treatments and this was done without any training.

    Think doing the London Marathon without any training and you had to finish it as your life depended on it……. this is the journey you have been on so it most likely will take much longer than you would think to get back to some normality - it took me a good 2 years and I was 60 at the start of my second SCT recuperation.

    I attended a post cancer circuits group at my local Maggie's Centre as and this helped me a lot both physically and mentally.

    Mike (Thehighlander)

    It always seems impossible until its done - Nelson Mandela

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