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My Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT/SCT) story: Will you share yours?

Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) & CAR-T Cell Therapy | Last Active: 20 hours ago | Replies (579)
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@caregiverx2

@loribmt
The transplant probably won't be until August. We are in the very first days of searching for a donor. He has a son and a niece who said they want to be tested. Monday, he will go back into the hospital for his second round of chemo. The first one was very rough on his kidneys, and they had to back off on treatment for a while until his kidneys could recover. We are taking this weekend to go hang out with the grandkids and take a break from all of this for a few days. We have only just begun this journey.

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Replies to "@loribmt The transplant probably won't be until August. We are in the very first days of..."
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Apr 26 7:25am

Taking a break from all this medical drama for a few days is a really great idea. It recharges the soul and helps both you and your husband to have a little bit of normalcy in your disrupted world. Keeping in mind that your husband is still immunocompromised, so it’s important that he mask up if there’s close contact and keep hand sanitizer nearby. I know…I’m a nag. 😉

It’s encouraging that your husband’s first round of chemo was successful in having him reach MRD. The second round, consolidation, is like a cleanup to ‘sweep’ the system. His doctor may suggest subsequent chemo rounds (consolidation) every 28 days to ensure that your husband goes into the transplant as clean as possible. They’ll be watching his kidneys closely. In my case it was my liver.

Encourage your husband to drink plenty of water to keep the body flushed. He may not prefer it, but room temperature water goes down a lot easier than ice water. It’s also utilized by the body more efficiently as ice water can constrict the blood vessels.

Regarding donors, if family members don’t pan out for a donor, don’t fret. There’s an international registry that Mayo uses to secure donors. Though my daughter was a half-match, an unrelated donor matched my HLA markers 10/10.

As you can see, you’ve just gained a new family here in Connect. Don’t hesitate to reach out through the journey. It’s a familiar trail to us but you’re just taking your first steps.
Enjoy the weekend and let me know how this 2nd round goes, ok?

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