1. < Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) & CAR-T Cell Therapy

One-week pre Autogolous BMT: I'm afraid I'm not prepared

Posted by jstpeachey @jstpeachey, Jul 3, 2023

I’m so afraid I’m not prepared, I really don’t know what to expect, I’ve just discovered this group. I’m going in on 7/10 for my “chemo blast” which really freaks me out, and my outpatient Autologous transplant is on the 12th. I’ve heard horror stories and I’ve heard great things. So far I have sailed thru everything with only a few hiccups along the way. My BM collection I aced, I’m just not sure how to prepare my living quarters. We’re staying in a condo near the Phoenix Mayo, can anyone please tell me what I can expect, I know everyone is different. My husband & care giver I really don’t think he understands what he has to look forward to either.

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jstpeachey | @jstpeachey | Jul 20, 2023
In reply to @loribmt "I’m excited for you that you’re doing so well! Hopefully you’ve gotten through the worst of..." + (show)
@loribmt

I’m excited for you that you’re doing so well! Hopefully you’ve gotten through the worst of the side effects now, aside for the little reminder in the nether regions. (A & D ointment…just a suggestion 😅)
Maybe you won’t lose your hair! You may get lucky with the scaled back pre-conditioning chemo. That’d be great! Finger’s crossed…but if your locks do make an exit, they shall return.
That exhaustion is a joy, huh? I remember those showers too…like is it even worth the effort?! Short answer, probably. LOL. It’s those little familiar routines that can help the disposition to keep us moving forward. Keep up the good work.

So, I have to ask, since you were very concerned pre-transplant that you weren’t ready…what, if anything, did you not need or wish you had available?

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Funny how I forgot that was a concern now, lol. I can’t really think of anything. I guess maybe had I have had more side effects I might be able to think of something, but I got nothing. With my God, my support group, and prayer warriors I have, I don’t think I could really have asked for much more.❤️

REPLY
jstpeachey | @jstpeachey | Jul 24, 2023
In reply to @loribmt "Good morning, @jstpeachey! Nothing makes me happier as a mentor for Connect than to learn that..." + (show)
@loribmt

Good morning, @jstpeachey! Nothing makes me happier as a mentor for Connect than to learn that I’ve succeeded in helping to calm the fears and offer hope to someone heading to bone marrow transplant. I didn’t have anyone to talk with about their experience. My doctors and nurses were amazing but unless you’ve walked that walk, you can’t possibly know what it all feels like.

I learned the value of first hand information when I was waiting in the lab area to be called for blood work. Up until about 1.5 months I was in a private area daily for blood draws along with infusions. After that I was back in general population. Feeling pretty low, I wondered if I’d ever start feeling or looking healthy again. (I had a allogenic transplant). What infused me with hope was a random meeting with 2 previously transplanted patients. One celebrated their 2nd anniversary, the other his 5th. Those 2 people had an impact on me that they’ll never know! But at that moment I learned how important it is to give others hope. ☺️
Actually, few months ago there was a little article the editors at Mayo put together about that experience which inspired me to help others. One of whom is this young woman, Sky who had a bone marrow transplant after her similar AML journey. Here’s the story if you’d like to read it. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/newsfeed-post/mayo-clinic-connect-brings-together-2-women-with-leukemia-46-years-apart/

Best wishes as you go forward tomorrow! ☺️

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Well Lori, I just screwed up, lol. I just started a whole new conversation about my journey thus far. I think I should have added it to this one??

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1 reply
Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Jul 24, 2023
In reply to @jstpeachey "Well Lori, I just screwed up, lol. I just started a whole new conversation about my..." + (show)
@jstpeachey

Well Lori, I just screwed up, lol. I just started a whole new conversation about my journey thus far. I think I should have added it to this one??

Jump to this post

Hi, @jstpeachey! Nope you did just fine starting a new discussion!! Thank you for sharing your story because we have quite a few new members having autologous stem cell transplants which are similar but also significantly different from allo transplants…making it a great resource for anyone facing a transplant using their own cells. So you’ll be helping untold people with your experience!! 😍

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jul 24, 2023

For anyone following @jstpeachey's journey starting one week before BMT, I think you'll appreciate the continuing story here: 🙂
- My Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Journey - Mayo, Phoenix https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-autologous-stem-cell-transplant-journey-mayo-phoenix/

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