Hi Jeff,
I just had a stem cell transplant in November 2023 so I am only about 65 days post transplant. I was 60 when diagnosed with chronic eosinophilic leukemia (CEL) in 2023, a very rare leukemia ;so there were no actual statistics on CEL survival. The 5 year prognosis (their guesstimate looking at similar leukemias as mine) after transplant is about 50% so I definitely had a hard time deciding to move forward. But I'm glad I did because there is no long term treatment or cure for CEL so transplant was my only long term option. I will tell you that once I was very nervous before transplant but once admitted for transplant I felt more confident and with almost not stress - it kind of melted away once admitted (that was an unexpected but welcome feeling). Part of that is because you do feel like the transplant doctors and nurses have this down. They monitor you closely and give you medicines to prevent or treat nausea, diarrhea etc. As far as recovery after transplant, I am one of the lucky ones who actually have very few symptoms post transplant. The first 30 days were tough but my nausea was gone by about day 40, my central line out by day 50. My doctors did say this is not the norm and I had been warned of all the side effects that can last months but other than fatigue I have been lucky and am doing well. Just so you know, I have typically been the worst case scenarios in my other health issues so I was very pleasantly surprised post transplant. However, even if you do have bad side effects from transplant the doctors have many medicines and suggestions so you will feel supported. It is a scary thing but it's not like any of us really have a choice as it is the best option for a cure and longer life. I wish you all the best in your transplant journey. And I will say that I have found this site and the people on it to be very supportive and helpful. All my best to you, Debbie