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Replies to "@gmacd Well, that first side-effects free few days was a tease, just about day 5, fever,..."
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) & CAR-T Cell Therapy | Last Active: Feb 15 2:31am | Replies (31)
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@gmacd Well, that first side-effects free few days was a tease, just about day 5, fever, low blood pressure and general fatigue hit like a ton of bricks. But he's bearing it. I keep telling him he's my hero, going through as much as he's endured the past year. He's starting to look and sound a bit better now, they're weaning him off the steroids, and we're hoping he'll be out of the hospital on sunday, and then an event-free recovery. This is quite the Six-Flags mega roller coaster ride!
Replies to "@gmacd Well, that first side-effects free few days was a tease, just about day 5, fever,..."
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Hi @gmacd. This is most likely the side effects from the preconditioning chemo. When blood cells drop to their lowest level after a chemo treatment, it’s referred to as nadir or neutropenia. The side effects are temporary and expected. All the blood cell levels will drop during this period until around day 14 or so, before the newly infused cells engraft in his bone marrow. Once the cells engraft, they will set up housekeeping and start producing blood cells again. As soon as you see his neutrophil value starting to rise, your husband should improve steadily. His doctors will keep an eye on him, monitor his temperature for any signs of infection. His discharge papers will most likely indicate that you need to check his temperature daily as well.
You’re so right, it one heck of a roller coaster ride. You’re doing great as a caregiver/cheer leader! Fingers crossed for his speedy recovery!