Hi Bev, Dale is using his own cells, which means he’s having an autologous stem cell transplant. Generally, recovery time for that transplant goes a little faster and without the danger of gvhd because the cells are not foreign to his body.

As you mentioned, the preconditioning chemo will be new to him. It is a bit more aggressive than what he’s had previously. I don’t know how many days he’ll have chemo but I do remember a woman who had MM with an auto transplant the same time I was in. She had one day of chemo and that was all. I had 5 days. So it all depends on the doctor’s orders.
The strong chemo is necessary to completely clear the cancer cells from his bone marrow in order to make a squeaky clean environment for the infusion of his prepped cells. There can be some side effects associated with this preconditioning such as nausea, mouth sores, fatigue and hair loss.
You’d asked about hair loss. From experience, it does start its exodus about 10 days after the chemo. So he may want to go ahead and get a buzz cut before that happens. The chemo will lower his blood numbers as the cells die off, which will make him more prone to infections. So his team will likely discourage a buzz cut after that to avoid any nicks or cuts.

There are many members in the forum who have had auto transplants and have shared their stories here. I’ll give you a couple links which will take you to their replies that I think are helpful accounting the process for an auto transplant.
This from @countrygirlusa
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/716285/
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Another from @capthondo https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/747475/
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I also have a Caregiver’s Guide from Mayo. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/caregivers-for-bmt-car-t-and-hematology/tab/transplant-journey/#ch-tab-navigation

The BMT teams at Mayo are extremely attentive and will do everything they can to assure Dale is safe and comfortable. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or express concern. They will take care of both of you!
You’ll both learn a great deal with Dale’s upcoming appointments. Besides the routine pre transplant testing, there are educational classes which are filled with useful details.
Do you have any specific questions for me?