Any tips to help prepare for BMT? What to know for during & after?

@treehouse5437 That’s great that the nurses will shave your head for you.

Regarding regrowth after, I took about 2 months to start seeing some hair sprouting back and about 4 before I had enough to feel comfortable not wearing a hat all the time. I remember my head felt chilly at night so I wore a sleeping hat for much longer but that’s probably personal preference. Good luck.

Update- transplant on hold until Feb '26. Marker was at 0.5 and has gone to 0.9 Meeting with Dr Monday to discuss a few more infusion
rounds to lower number for best possible #'s for transplant. 🙏🏻👍🏻

Hope you are doing well- my BMT is delayed to Feb '26 to get markers a little lower. Stem cells harvest is complete. 👍🏻

Praying each day is better for you!! 🙏🏻

@treehouse5437
Hello ! Read your posts and I am pulling for you ! I have blood cancer, 73 years old
And I do not think I have enough courage, to go through BMT !! I want to tell you ! Keep up the inner strength, ask the LORD to help you, to be there with you! All of us in this forum , wish you best outcome!!
GOD S SPEED TO RECOVERY HANYA

I was at City of Hope in Duarte, California. All i brought with me were pants, undies and slippers. I had chocolate and some other treats, but post-transplant eating came slow. The kitchen was great at COH so i found items i could eat. Nausea a big issue, but honestly, I was in the hospital for 26 days. I wore a fresh hospital gown daily as
IVS and the pole i wheeled everywhere did not allow me any of my own shirts. They would have to pull out the IV from my Picc line!!! I did not want to buy clothes with side zippers or cut my shirts or buy new ones i would never wear again. In the hospital non germ soap, toothpaste and a soft bristle brush are given. No brushing as normal as your mouth needs extra care. Some people get mouth sores. I needed to wash my hair with their shampoo. For me, it was to lessen any chance of germs that my body would not be able to handle as my immune system was brand new, I did not wear make-up.
For my melphalan chemo, it was an hour infusion, so i got ice and popsicles to freeze my mouth as the head nurse said this has proven to work to prevent mouth sores from the infusion.
My nurses worked with me when my Nease got worse after 2 weeks. I ended up getting "emend" A 72 hr nausea med that stopped the throwing up cold!!! My sister and i both never threw up. Not for many decades. After my transplant i did dozens of times. That med stopped it all. I just had 5 days of fludarabine, 1 dose of melphalan and 1 Cytoxan. Wiped out my marrow for my transplant. As Lori the mentor says, my new cells from my donor needed a place to land to set up shop. A clean marrow.
Nurses kept track of me, and someone changed my sheets, wrapped my arm for my must do shower and gave me fresh gowns. In 3 weeks i still had fatigue but i could order more food from the kitchen.
May Clinic has you live offsite but comeback daily. There are many ways hospitals handle BMT.
All i can say is it is a "Day at a Time". I loved the mornings when my new blood numbers were posted. I love the team of 5 drs and such who visited with my improvements. Not sure you ever get use to wake ups every 4 hours for vitals and blood draws. But God willing, you will get to leave as i did and ring the "cancer is gone bell" on the way out.
My friend volunteered to have me stay at her house for 72 of the remaining 100-day cycle for a BMT. I was 63.
April 9, 2024. I feel most days like i always have. I had MDS. I had a BMT. Mayo Clinic Connect here let me read others stories about their journeys. I knew I could make it ifi took it slow, took all pills and tests as directed. Let your medical team know everything that hurts. You are your best advocate. If you have spouse, family member or friend during the process, let them be the extra courage you may need and your voice if necessary.
I was told to bring a foam bit for me bed to make it more comfortable.

My two wonderful teams- Oncologist Dr and BMT Dr have never pushed me into a BMT. Started the conversation in August '25 many, many questions answered/explained. It's definitely a scary process and one day at a time! No problems with my stem cell harvest- shots to the stomach were 5 days and 2 six hour days on stem cell machine.

Hi @treehouse5437. After reading through some of your replies it looks as though you’ll be having an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) using your own cells for MM. That is different in scope than an actual allogeneic BMT (bone marrow transplant) using donor stem cells. So technically you’re having an ASCT.
I just wanted to mention this difference so you don’t end up comparing experiences shared by BMT members in the forum with what will be a somewhat different experience for you if you’re having an ASCT.
Having an autologous SCT (ASCT), while similar in some aspects they can’t really be compared directly, if that makes sense? The ASCT doesn’t carry the same level of potential complications of an allogenic BMT because you are using your own cells. And because of that, there no DNA matching, so no concerns for GVHD, no anti rejection meds and recovery generally is much shorter. Though the early few weeks of recovery may share some similarities with fatigue and possibly nausea.

If you’re interested, this is how my transplant team explained the differences to me between an allogeneic BMT/SCT (using donor peripheral stem cells) and an ASCT (using a patient’s own cells). Why one is considered a SCT and the other a BMT/SCT. A person can have a SCT (ASCT) using their own cells but that isn’t a bone marrow transplant. Technically, that is when there is an actual change in the marrow/immune system by the transplantation of donor bone marrow into a recipient, or more commonly now, using donated peripheral stem cell infusions.

Patients undergoing an ASCT for MM are essentially having a bone marrow rescue. Weeks to months before transplant, patients will have undergone treatment to reduce their MM load and hopefully achieve a remission. After that time, they have their own stem cells harvested and preserved for a future return to their body. Immediately before the transplant, patients receive HDT (high dose therapy) which will remove remaining defective myeloma cells from the bone marrow. However, that can also leave any remaining blood stem cells damaged as well. So that’s when the preserved healthy stem cells are re-infused into the blood stream where they find their way back into the marrow, essentially rescuing the bone marrow from the effects of the HDT.

It’s great you have the successful harvest out of the way! Wishing you well as you continue along with your MM treatments and hopefully to your ASCT soon enough.

There are quite a few discussions with other members who have had this procedure for MM and you might find their experiences more helpful for your situation. Here is one by @jstpeachy sharing her story of her autologous stem cell transplant for MM. She’s joined by other members as well.

My Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Journey - Mayo, Phoenix
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-autologous-stem-cell-transplant-journey-mayo-phoenix/
Do you have any specific questions for fellow ASCT members? Where are you having your transplant?