Bone Marrow Transplant: Need help with place to stay in Rochester, Mn

Aw, Lisa, what a sweet kitty and I know you’ll want to find lodging where you can keep her with you. If you haven’t yet, it would be important for you to speak to someone with Social Services in the Transplant department. All transplant patients meet with them in the weeks prior to treatment. They can be really helping in finding lodging and working out financial plans that work for you.
One suggestion they may make is the Gift of Life Transplant House which provides very affordable housing. However I don’t believe they allow pets. But it may be something to consider if you could find someone to babysit your cat. I know your kitty is an emotional support companion, but you may need to check with your transplant team to see if it’s ok to have a cat in the house with you. A stem cell transplant is a risky time for infection. I know I wasn’t able to be around pets so it will be good to check.

Here’s a link to Gift of Life transplant house: https://gift-of-life.org/be-our-guest/guest-rooms/

You mentioned that your husband has a bone marrow and blood cancer. There are quite a few different diagnoses which can require a stem cell transplant. The amount of time you’re staying in Rochester is suggesting to me that this is a transplant using your husband’s own cells. The recovery time is much shorter for that transplant. Does William have multiple myeloma?

Hi, William: The Grove is located at 921 4th Ave. NW. I believe we paid $90/night but that was 3 yrs ago. Our contact for rental of the condo was Bekah at 507-398-5234. My insurance covered the majority of my stay so I was very lucky! Best wishes to you!

Yes, Multiple Myeloma.

Hey Lisa, I also think it’s wise to enquire about being around pets with transplant. The suggestion I had was can you leave Bear with someone you know or even leave the cat at your house with a friend/family/neighbour/trusted person to drop in and feed/clean up the litter box daily? Then at the same time, they could video chat you with Bear, so you’re still seeing/speaking to/hearing your kitty while you’re away… I did this some years ago, for someone, so the cats were comfortable in their own home while she was away, and I would video chat and she could interact with her pets.
The other thing I was thinking is if there may be anyone who would be willing to give you a cheap room in their house? Not aware of what the social situation is in the US, but sometimes that is done in Au (however we have a much less capable or supportive medical system here that doesn’t provide anywhere near that level of help as discussed above, unless you have loads of cash).
Your stay being a bit over 6 weeks (I’m assuming here it’ll be solid - no breaks to go home), would mean at a rate of $90-100 per night you’d be looking at roughly $4000-4500. If your monthly income is around $2000 with which you’ll be paying bills throughout your time away, then I’m guessing it’s going to be difficult financially? Something I’ve done in the past is bargained with the accommodation location to do a cheap weekly rate that I can afford while I do all my own cleaning and sheets, etc, to minimise their workload/staff costs. Not easy when alone and recovering from surgery (in my case, while still unable to drive but discharged from hospital while immobile) but still, if you’re going to be together maybe it’ll work? I have spent a number of nights in my car after surgery, in the hospital Carpark, recovering enough till I can drive home after discharge once the surgery has been done..I used to have a car where the rear seats would come out so it was like a tiny van… that worked for a while. I’ve known other people who have rented a cheap van and parked it near the hospital and used it for accommodation while undergoing treatment, at a very low daily cost.
A little different, but when in Rome…! 🙂

Hi William
Have you contacted the Gift of Life transplant house in Rochester? I'm not sure if they accept service animals.
https://gift-of-life.org/
I pray you find the right place for your stay.

I had a stem cell transplant in March of this year. I stayed at the aspen suites. They give you a discount for the Mayo appt rate. They allow animals as I had a dog with me. Animals are not suggested post transplant. Mayo does have a transplant house that you can stay at for I think around $30 a day. Only a private room and shared common areas and no animals are allowed. Hope this helps, reach out if you have any questions.

@nathan23, welcome. I look forward to getting to know more about your stem cell journey. May I ask for what condition you needed a SCT? How are you doing now?

I'm ok, but William has gotten to where he can't eat without throwing up.
This last Monday he had his chemo shots but couldn't take his steroid before shots, we tried to tell them but got ignored. Since then he can't eat.
Any ideas?

Hi @william1970. Oh gosh, just when your husband was having some success eating without nausea. I’m so sorry he’s having to go through that again. Things should improve again but it’s so frustrating for now. I had long term nausea for many months after my transplant and Zofran (ondansetron) tiny tablets that melted on my tongue worked really well.

I recently received an email from Mayo with tips for dealing with nausea associated with chemo. You might find some of the tips helpful.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/connected-care/best-ways-to-prevent-nausea-from-cancer-treatment/vid-20412300?mc_id=us&utm_source=pes&utm_medium=e&utm_content=engagement&utm_campaign=mayoclinic&geo=national&placementsite=enterprise&invsrc=patloy&cauid=122853
Does your husband have anti-nausea meds he can take?

Yes, he takes 2 different anti nausea meds a day.