Anyone hire help to stay with you during bone marrow transplant?

@loribeyerlein
I understand. All of the requirements made to a patient are usually normal protocol and patient specific instructions. At the time I had my transplant the country was shut down and a lot of restrictions because of Covid. My daughter lives 30 minutes from me so in an emergency she could have been by side. She also had four children, the youngest at the time 3 and oldest 10. My son lives in the county north of me approximately 45 minutes. He actually worked as an executive at the hospital I was being treated by Moffit Cancer from Tampa, Florida. Even he was not allowed on the floor I was. If you are able to arrange for a companion it is optimal. Thank God I had no problem. As they began transplant my pressure dropped but immediately it was brought back to normal. The following day I spent most of day in bed because I felt tired. The next day I began the walking of halls. By the time I got home I walked around my home, read, tv. I fibbed in not disclosing that I was alone. This is my story. You need to receive your treatment where you feel most comfortable. That in of itself helps with your recovery. Remember to watch diet. Fruits only those that need to be peeled. Anything else needs to be very well cooked so that you don’t ingest any bacteria. If I can answer anything else, don’t be shy. I wish you the very best. Btw I was 66 when I went through all of the chemo, transplant and 15 infusions of rituximab.

I am so happy for you that they can treat you and your son might be a donor! That is actually beautiful he is your son!
My story would be funny if the diagnosis had not been so devastating then. I had a very bad ear pain for the first time in my life and my doctor refused to give me a third round of antibiotic. He said I had to see an ENT. I wont bore you again mentioning closures, but God for some reason lead me to contact my grandchildren’s pediatrician. We got an appointment, the performed an extraction of fluid from back of my head and it came back as lymphoma and I was sent to hospital to oncologist. After many tests both invasive and regular the diagnosis was mantel cell lymphoma. I had a node surgically removed and the biopsy confirmed diagnosis. Started chemo in patient every other week, since they were able to use my cells I spent a whole day in bed on a machine like for dialysis, took blood from one side, removed cells, and returned blood in other side. I believe they collect about 15 million cells which is immediately worked on and frozen until the day of transplant. I felt no pain during transplant. Only issue my pressure dropped but it was immediately brought up. The day after I stayed in bed and then I began walking. I tried to entertain myself by talking to anyone I encountered in the hall. Sometimes I think I’m crazy, but it worked, if I encountered I would say something like in my next life I’m going to marry you. And everyone laughed. Since I walked so much I would tell the supervisor for my floor that I took attendance. I think that having faith, trying to find something to smile about (difficult) and just being positive and taking one day at a time helps so much. Today a lot of my treatment is a fog and I don’t remember specifics. That is our body’s way of allowing us to move forward. I hope something I wrote can help you. If you like to write again, don’t be bashful! I wish you the very best. Don’t lose your faith or desire to go forward one day at a time.

@leslie2121
Remember one thing - you are a patient going through a difficult time. A sitter can sit next to you, give you water if allowed. But you should find out whether this is permissible as your immunity is probably low. Take one day at a time and don’t try to plan everything to the last detail. Have an honest conversation with doctor and the social workers who advise patients. Express your concerns and desire. Then you can make your decision.
I was supposed to leave the hospital a certain day. Unfortunately I developed a horrible reaction to an antibiotic that was given to me. I waited that night, frustrated, in pain and tired. I called my children and my doctor. I basically told everyone that I was leaving under my responsibility. Thankfully they believed me and I was discharged with a nurse who would come to my home twice a day to administer antibiotics for about three weeks. The antibiotic was infused through triple line. In retrospect I got what I wanted but I would have been better off staying until all infusions were finished. So please take it one day at a time. And just ask questions but don’t overthink everything.

@nancycecilia I am not the original poster- I just commented. 😊

@nancycecilia thank you ❣️

@nancycecilia thank you

@loribeyerlein I too am having similar issues, pre-BMT. Yes they do require a care giver for 30-100 days post BMT, depending on the cancer center. I was in Fargo, everything completed pre-BMT but no available care giver. No family or friends in the area. Did look at: nursing homes, assisted living, possibly stay at hospital during that time. Didn't receive any possible responses, although an oncology nurse did say they should be able to accommodate patients without caregivers. Being a resident of Wyoming, no favorable flights into Fargo ($800 +) or 13-hour drive, Dr Sheppard suggested a closer cancer center in Denver or SLC (4-hours), so basically starting over with SLC, same problems with a caregiver, hoping I can stay in the hospital during entire process. If anyone has ideas or people to talk too, I'm interested as well. I found a site and a cousin used their services for travel, maybe helpful to others, they do go nationwide.
Request a Flight | Air Charity Network | Free Medical Flights | Anywhere in the U.S. https://share.google/4hbQDQUuayPb1ItNI

Good to know this information if I ever have to have a Bone Marrow Transplant. So fafr I have had several Bone Marrow Biopsies but not needed a transplant. Thanks for all the information and that info from those responding to your question.
Hope it goes well for you.

@rrtdave
It's a minimum of 30 days of daily blood monitoring and infusions. You can not go it alone. With out a caregiver, staying in the hospital is your only alternative . Good luck. Our prayers for you.

@rrtdave I had a stem cell transplant July 24, 2026.
I rented a pet friendly vrbo near Mayo Clinic so our special needs dog could be with us (my husband was my designated caregiver)
I wanted to be inpatient but it was discouraged by the transplant team because of germs and boredom. I really still wanted to be inpatient so my husband could stay home where he was comfortable and take care of our dogs and our house but went with the recommendation to stay somewhere.
I ended up in the hospital for 6 days due to side effects such as diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and a fever. I had booked the vrbo for 3 weeks and we had to stay an extra week so while I was in the hospital I had to find another pet friendly vrbo and my husband and our dog had to move our stuff to a new location. Also, it was pricey. My husband is kind and caring but I spent a lot of time being concerned about his health and our dog and taking care of them. I really didn’t have anyone to take care of our dogs or be my caregiver (although my daughter stayed with me the last 5 days in the vrbo so my husband could take our dog to vet appointments and get away and go home)
In hindsight, I wish I would have been inpatient for the entire time especially since our medical insurance would have covered it (or most of it) and I would have been surrounded by caring, knowledgeable, professional caregivers.
Go with your instincts.
I’m home and working on recovering from the transplant. Doing ok other than some aches and pains when I try to exercise and still fatigued but can’t stay asleep at night. My 100 day bone marrow biopsy is November 2 and I will also find out about when I can start receiving vaccines.
I’m grateful and hopeful but I’m also still a bit traumatized by the whole experience.
I am 71 years old and was healthy. A compression fracture on my vertebrae led to the diagnosis of multiple myeloma July 2025.