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My Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT/SCT) story: Will you share yours?
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) & CAR-T Cell Therapy | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (590)Comment receiving replies
Good afternoon @loribmt .
I appreciate you're thinking of us and am thankful for your support!
My son's blood counts continue on an upward trend so we are encouraged by this.
There has been a new development: on Day +32 a Pelvic CT scan revealed Pancolitis of Alex's entire colon. He is now also dealing with a staph infection. This is concerning due to the fact that Alex's Grandfather was diagnosed with severe Ulcerative Colitis for which he now has an ileostomy. So the genetic predisposition is a present concern. My other concern is the yeast infection which has been ongoing for weeks. When Alex's Doctor mentioned the possibility of discharge as early as next week, I was taken aback. Why on earth would they release Alex with an ongoing infection?
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Good morning, @leilab1 When you say Alex is going to be discharged from the hospital, I’m assuming he’ll be going to another independent living arraignment with your husband? I can understand your reluctance to have him away from the hospital because of his ongoing yeast infection and a staph infection. I’m fairly certain that he would be admitted back to the hospital setting immediately if there are any serious complications.
My entire BMT was outpatient. But there were 2 events that landed me back in the hospital when required. There is a basis behind the discharge…statistics show it can be healthier with faster recovery for patients to be in a homelike setting, away from the hospital. It’s cleaner, less chance for infection. With a more ‘normal’ environment, patients are generally more mobile when they have to be self sufficient…with little things like walking to the refrigerator to get their own snacks, getting up to use the bathroom, walking around the apartment, etc,.
If that’s the case with Alex, I would expect your husband can let his doctors know if there is anything concerning and they’ll have him readmitted asap. Also, he’ll no doubt be returning to the clinic daily for blood work and med checks. He isn’t being dismissed from patient care. He’s just being removed from the hospital setting. However…do not hesitate to ask questions and to find out what the options are for immediate care!
With Alex’s Pancolitis a couple of thoughts popped in my head. His doctors may suggest a colonoscopy where a quick biopsy is taken to make sure he’s not dealing with GVHD. That’s pretty common in the early months. Or, this colitis could also be caused by the antibiotics/antifungals he’s on…or C-diff. The micro biome in the gut can be heavily impacted by the BMT itself and all the meds. Especially now with his yeast infection. Those are notoriously persistent so don’t feel too disparaged. You might talk to the dietician about getting in some probiotics or even a good yogurt. Even something like Activia yogurt can help restore the normal good bugs to the gut.
What are his treatments for the staph infection?