My Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT/SCT) story: Will you share yours?

Thank you for your reply. May his remission last.
If you don’t mind my asking, was it an auto it allo transplant?

I am the caregiver for my husband who has MM and we live near Duluth. He had BMT November of 22. Some ups and downs but MM stable

Thank you for this post. It is very helpful to me. My husband was diagnosed with MDS in a high risk category for developing AML. We have been referred to Mayo and are just starting the transplant process. We live near Duluth so it is about four hours to Rochester. He is receiving chemo in Duluth with vidaza to improve his blood counts before transplant. I am his caregiver. I’ve been working to stay positive and get organized. Hearing about all you have been through and your positive outcome really helped.

It’s not unusual to have those big drops in blood counts when in treatment. Particularly scary with those low platelet numbers…no knife juggling for a while! He’s pretty vulnerable to infections too at this point. You’ve already discovered that with his neutropenic fever. I went through that too. Sometimes that just happens with no obvious underlying cause. So extra precautions are needed to avoid exposure to viral, bacterial or fungal infections. I know it’s really disruptive but it’s keeping him safe and on track for a transplant.

The great thing about Rochester is that so much in that city is centered around the Clinic. There’s a lot of housing opportunities and most can be had within a couple week’s notice. So don’t fret about not knowing the dates yet. Generally you have a good month from the time a donor is found to when you have a firm date for transplant. This will all come together. 😉

Thank you for asking. He is getting vidaza , five days in then three weeks off. He started in Dec. His platelets have dropped to nearly zero (today they were at 3). They are transfusing platelets every time they check blood now.
He is an outpatient. We did spend three days in hospital in Dec a week after first treatment with neutropenic fever.
We are beginning to look for housing in Rochester. That is hard with no firm dates.

Good morning, @dwolden A fellow Wisconsinite! Bet you’re freezing your tootsies off this morning! It’s nippy out there!
Tell your husband I’m wishing him all the best with his next two rounds of chemo. I know from my experience it’s probably not on his list of fun things to do, but it’s important for his new life ahead. The cleaner we go into transplant the better. Tell him to hang in there…it’s worth the effort!

Again, don’t hesitate if you have any questions! I know this can be daunting to think about relocating for several months but my husband and I look back on the experience with fond memories…challenging times, but fond memories. ☺️

What chemo is your husband taking? Is he an inpatient for the infusions?

And no firm target date. The transplant specialist we met with at Mayo wanted him to complete two more cycles of chemo here in Duluth and then have another bone marrow biopsy. She wanted to see a deep remission so that’s what we are hoping for. I’m not sure what happens if he doesn’t get that.

Welcome to Connect @dwolden. Your husband is in the best hands with the BMT team at Mayo! While it’s not an easy process for either of you, this bone marrow transplant will give your husband a second chance with life!

As you can see there are several of us in this group so please don’t hesitate to ask any questions, large or small!
My husband and I live a little more than 4 hours from Rochester from our home in Wisconsin. The prospect of moving to Rochester for 4 months was a little daunting at first but it became our home away from home. I’m coming up on my 5th rebirthday the end of June and we are still so very connected to Mayo. I was told ‘we’re married for life’ by my team…and they meant it!

If you haven’t seen this list already here is a really comprehensive guide to transplant. Your husband will be having an allogenic transplant so skip past the ‘auto’ section.

Does he have a donor already and a target date for transplant?

Welcome to Connect @dwolden. Your husband is in the best hands with the BMT team at Mayo! While it’s not an easy process for either of you, this bone marrow transplant will give your husband a second chance with life!

As you can see there are several of us in this group so please don’t hesitate to ask any questions, large or small!
My husband and I live a little more than 4 hours from Rochester from our home in Wisconsin. The prospect of moving to Rochester for 4 months was a little daunting at first but it became our home away from home. I’m coming up on my 5th rebirthday the end of June and we are still so very connected to Mayo. I was told ‘we’re married for life’ by my team…and they meant it!

If you haven’t seen this list already here is a really comprehensive guide to transplant. Your husband will be having an allogenic transplant so skip past the ‘auto’ section.

Does he have a donor already and a target date for transplant?

Thank you for this post. It is very helpful to me. My husband was diagnosed with MDS in a high risk category for developing AML. We have been referred to Mayo and are just starting the transplant process. We live near Duluth so it is about four hours to Rochester. He is receiving chemo in Duluth with vidaza to improve his blood counts before transplant. I am his caregiver. I’ve been working to stay positive and get organized. Hearing about all you have been through and your positive outcome really helped.