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

I’m a little confused. Are you saying that 2 of your 3 sisters are against you having a stem cell transplant which could ultimately extend your life? I don’t mean to be snarky but why are they making life altering decisions for you? This is between you and your husband (your caregiver) with the final declaration being yours!
From my understanding, with your health diagnosis, is that you fall into a higher category of relapse. You’re already seeing that happen with the current progression of your disease. By your sister’s suggesting you shouldn’t follow through with a transplant, it’s almost like they’re willing to throw in the towel. But I see you as a fighter who wants to enjoy her retirement with her husband! And if this is a way to increase that quality of life and life expectancy then this is what you’ll do. It’s just a little detour on the journey of the rest of your life.

I’m curious though about why they feel this way. Risk? Well, life holds no guarantees even with a transplant but you know for certain that this remission you’re trying to achieve won’t last. With a transplant you’ll have a greater chance of longevity. Again, with using your own cells you don’t have the risk of graft vs host to deal with so recovery is quicker and so is your hospital stay. You’re in great physical shape and there were no Red Flags for the team at Mayo.
I think in this case knowledge is power. So please, from now on, YOU take charge of these decisions along with your husband and doctors. If you have this done at Mayo, you’ll be part of your own team. You make decisions with your doctor and team. You’ll have educational classes, and pre-transplant testing all designed to make your experience as successful as possible.
Your sisters should be thrilled you have this option in front of you, right? What do you think?

I’m a little confused. Are you saying that 2 of your 3 sisters are against you having a stem cell transplant which could ultimately extend your life? I don’t mean to be snarky but why are they making life altering decisions for you? This is between you and your husband (your caregiver) with the final declaration being yours!
From my understanding, with your health diagnosis, is that you fall into a higher category of relapse. You’re already seeing that happen with the current progression of your disease. By your sister’s suggesting you shouldn’t follow through with a transplant, it’s almost like they’re willing to throw in the towel. But I see you as a fighter who wants to enjoy her retirement with her husband! And if this is a way to increase that quality of life and life expectancy then this is what you’ll do. It’s just a little detour on the journey of the rest of your life.

I’m curious though about why they feel this way. Risk? Well, life holds no guarantees even with a transplant but you know for certain that this remission you’re trying to achieve won’t last. With a transplant you’ll have a greater chance of longevity. Again, with using your own cells you don’t have the risk of graft vs host to deal with so recovery is quicker and so is your hospital stay. You’re in great physical shape and there were no Red Flags for the team at Mayo.
I think in this case knowledge is power. So please, from now on, YOU take charge of these decisions along with your husband and doctors. If you have this done at Mayo, you’ll be part of your own team. You make decisions with your doctor and team. You’ll have educational classes, and pre-transplant testing all designed to make your experience as successful as possible.
Your sisters should be thrilled you have this option in front of you, right? What do you think?

It is not their decision. Only mine and I cannot wait!!! Wish it were tomorrow!!!

Good morning. It’s difficult to have this level of patience, isn’t it? ☺️ I know you want to snap your fingers and have this treatment and transplant in your rear view mirror. It’s good that you have focus for the future now, so let this medication start working with its goal of reaching a level of remission. To quote the witch from the Wiz of OZ…”All in good time, my pretty…”

I’m combining some of your previous comments in this reply. I don’t want to give you a false impression that an autologous transplant is a breeze. It is still a complicated procedure and will take time for you to recuperate. While my friend I met during my stay at Mayo (not a roommate) had little side effects to her chemo and transplant using her own cells, it’s not everyone’s experience. We all react differently to medications and trauma to our bodies. But after reading your sister’s comments about awful chemo is, I now understand she’s talking about her husband’s experience with pancreatic cancer, if I’m reading that correctly. His experience would be much different than yours. So it’s very difficult to compare cancer treatments for different illnesses.
I’d like to introduce you to @lisal64 who also had an auto transplant for MM. Here’s one of her recent replies which will help you see how much you two have in common!
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/661858/

Regarding compression socks, when I was in the hospital on blood thinner I was also bedridden so I had to wear the automatic compression leg wraps to keep my circulation going. But for a while, I did wear some compressive socks, but not Ted stockings. And now, even though I’m not on any meds, if I’m riding long distances in a car or have to stand for long periods of time, I wear compression sleeves that go from my knee to ankle only. They’re great! Not super compressive but they are enough to keep my various veins happy.
What kind do you wear?

Said I would not look but they gave me my bloodwork numbers and the highs are all higher and the lowers even lower. Not sure if caused by more drugs impacting or not having the effect hoping for…hmmm. Always more questions than answers. Did not compare until I got home so have not asked. Of course just saw a nurse today so perhaps not answerable there.