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

Boy your husband’s story sounds so much like my husband’s. Here you are just beginning and my husband did the same chemo and it also lowered his platelets and he also was in the hospital for fever. But let me tell you now he is just shy of a year after transplant. No it has been a real roller coaster but he is doing very well as a whole and we will definitely celebrate this year mark. Yes this second chance at life is all worth it. And I can’t say enough about the responses from people that will get you through it all. Prayers and hugs.

Hi @dwolden, I'd like to add my welcome. How are you doing with getting things organized? How is your husband doing on chemo?

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?