Hi @sally66. Ooo gurl, take a deep breath let it out slowly…I’ve got your back. ☺️ Your team will do everything they can to keep you comfortable. You’ll be supplied with anti-nausea meds ahead of time so that you have them on hand should they be needed.

From my experience at Mayo-Rochester, the pre-conditioning chemo was outpatient for the first 4 days. So, day 6, day 5, day 4, day 3 were outpatient chemo infusions.
Day 2, I was admitted for chemo and to stay as inpatient.
Day 1 is a day of rest. No chemo, but IV fluids to flush the body
Day Zero is transplant day.
I remember that the first 3 days I was fine. By day 4
I do recall getting a bit fatigued and was ready to get admitted.
However, I know of people who were admitted on Day 6 at the start of their chemo. I think it depends on what your personal pre-conditioning will be and your doctor’s directions. We don’t all get the same chemo.

The transplant itself is fairly anticlimactic. 2 nurses will be in the room with you for an hour or so. You’ll be given medications to help prevent any unexpected reaction to the infusion of the cells. The bag of cells look very much like a transfusion bag and does hang from the IV cart. The bag is hooked to your port line and it takes about 15 minutes to an hour to infuse the cells. That’s it! Within a day you’re back to outpatient status.

And yes, I know, that thought of being turned loose had me concerned as well. But the worry is unfounded. You’ll be given a number to call for the transplant floor… Station 94. Or 9-4. You can call that number 24/7 and a coordinator answers immediately! We had to use that number a couple of times over the 100 days. The response immediate and direct. You don’t have to go sit in the ER unless it is truly an emergency. In my experience, there were 2 times I needed to return to 94 in the middle of the night and was immediately admitted. They are that responsive.
You’ll also be returning to 9-4 daily for blood work, checks, med checks and infusions. So you’re well attended and supported!

I am still singing the praises of my BMT team at Rochester. I’m almost 6 years post and had an issue over the holidays and 1250 miles from home. It wasn’t directly related to my transplant but I needed immediate guidance. So I called 94 and spoke to a nurse. Together with the provider on call, I got the help I needed and meds were called into pharmacy where I was staying. My team and transplant doctor followed up with several contacts over the follow weeks. They really meant it when they told me at the time of transplant “that we’re married for life”.

If you haven’t gone through it already, you have a busy week of pretesting, educational classes and meetings coming up! You’ll also have a port installed to make the process of blood draws and infusions a whole lot easier on you and your body!
Do you have any specific questions for me? Did you find lodging?