Thank you so much.I was told a month in the hospital.This is a problem as we live 6 hrs.away.Housing for husband would so expensive on top of the high cost of fighting this evil monster.

@A MyMyelomaTeam Member,
I have a heart condition too. Many medications are not recommended if you have heart issues. SCT’s are hard. I don’t think I could do it, and I don’t think my doctor would recommend it. I would rather take my chances and have quality of life while I can.

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A MyMyelo...

No dejen de hacerlo, si tienen la oportunidad.

It’s a very common and routine procedure. In fact it’s like an assembly line at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at my hospital. A group goes in and out every two weeks or so.

I found it to be not as bad as expected but it is not a walk in the park by no means. You have to go through the motions pre-transplant and then do your time in the hospital.

Lots of tests up front. Blood, lungs, psychological, etc Then you give yourself 2 injections to stimulate your stem cells. 2 or 3 days later they harvest your cells in the Apherisis machine; a 7 hour process give or take. The cells are frozen for use later.

The day before admission you get Melphalan while you chew ice cubes to reduce mouth sores. The next day you report for duty and move into your hospital suite. Of the 14 days I would say day 5,6,7 are the toughest, but tolerable. You are sick but it’s “good” sickness. It’s working. Your WBC goes to zero. Then if all goes well they wheel you out to your car and some loving person drives you home to recover the next 100 days.

It’s not that bad! But get your hair shaved off before the hospital or in day 1,2,3. It will fall out!

I can only speak for myself but all the chemo over 16 weeks and the ASCT did the trick.

I am also 72 and have experienced successful results with my current treatment. I sought a second opinion from a center that specializes in multiple myeloma, not because I’m dissatisfied with my current Oncologist. The second opinion indicated they would not do anything different re: my current treatment, but have suggested a BMT. However I’ve had 2 heart attacks and would need clearance from my Cardiologist. Even if cleared, I would be on the fence to get a BMT. The difference between getting a BMT and not, on average is about 1 1/2 years longevity.