I have forgotten to chime in for a few days. deb13. I believe it was my best choice. In the end, i have said on this sight that i was in a research test, it already got to the stage that they were finding it works. The Doctors team asked me if i wanted to talk to the research team. I am not really sure i understood exactly what i said yes to. I think i finally heard or found out when the research team called to check on me. She told me that the pill i took from Day 5 after transplant until Day 100 USED to only be given when a patient got GVHD. By God's grace and with all antirejection pills I did not get any GVHD. They will follow-up on me with my regular blood draws and BMB done now at 6 months, then 1 year.

I found that with a BMT, COH in Duarte California is a lot like Mayo and Sloan Kettering. With MDS, you start with the EDG, ECHO, Lung test, and a number of other tests to make sure your body is fit and ready for this BMT. Being on the healthier side of MDS progression, I did well on all. My bone marrow biopsy showed before my transplant i had MDS. At 100 days past transplant, it showed my donor was nearly 100% in my bone marrow.

I found my Caregiver and the donor was contacted that it was a go. A few weeks after the test i started outpatient chemo for 5 days. Flourbadine (a name close to that. I was in the hospital after that. My Melphalan Chemo i was told on this very site by Lori, would clear out my bone marrow to give my new cells a place to take up residency.
I was reading not all people have the same number of days of conditioning before. Belo2w is what i readon the conditioning.
The overall goals of the conditioning regimen are to:
*Suppress the immune system so that the patient will not reject the new bone marrow
*Make room in the bone marrow for the donor marrow stem cells to grow
*Destroy any residual cancer cells

The most amazing thing about this whole process is that none of it traumatized me. I had had 3 chemo drugs a couple years before, so the effects my body has were known to me. BMT and the chemo i got was done in my 1st twelve days starting with the conditioning. So far not another drop.

Somedays, i am 150 days past transplant, I do not feel much different than by best day before my other cancer. Walking is what they recommend in the first weeks after transplant. Get out of the bed or chair and get moving. Today i will say i am up to 10,000 steps after nearly 4 months. I really do more than that, but i had 6000 and have moved it up. The Mayo site right her will help you through this process. Us new with our transplants and those years down the road. Keep living life all. We are blessed.