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What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
Ok everyone. I will be having the stem cell harvest / collection on 26 October. Any words on what to expect? This is new to me. So any words will be appreciated.
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Dragon62 - Name: Robert Fuller
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Blood disorder
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 3 Jul 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 58
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
Hello Robert:
A couple of quick points for you. In the case of my wife in her February procedure, the nurse in the blood draw department evaluated whether or not the veins were good enough to stand up to 4 days of potential connection to the phereseis machine. Because it was not ideal, they decided to put in the PICC line for the harvesting. If you are going on to transplant, then you will need to have the PICC line installed anyway. In this case, then the collection is actually easier, but you have to care for the PICC line at home for an extra week or two (they usually give you at least a couple of days break at this point). That is not a big deal in retrospect, however, if you never did it before, it is sort of an issue to learn how to do it.
If you are not going on to transplant, but only collecting, then you would not necessarily require the PICC line. So if you needed the PICC line for harvesting, you would need two extra appointments with radiology, one to put it in, the other to remove it.
In our case, there were Neupogen shots at home starting about 4 days before the harvesting. Neupogen stimulates production of the stem cells. The day before the harvesting, they start the drug that stimulates release of the stem cells into the blood, this drug is Mozobil. I have heard that this is done in the hospital for some folks, but for us it would have been an hour each way of traffic, so we sucked it up and did it ourselves at home. Again, we never were involved with shots at home before (as would be for example a diabetes patient), but after some initial angst, once they show you what to do, and you get into it, it was not that big of a deal.
They will have a target for stem cells to collect. I hear that differs somewhat from center to center, but I believe in most cases they like to get 10 million (forget about units for now). At the end of each day, they will tell you how you did, and whether or not you need to come in the next day. If you need to come in the next day, you will get another Neupogen and Mozobil set of shots. If your reached your goal, you are done.
Again, if you have the PICC line installed, you are basically laying down all day. If you need to go to the restroom, they can help you, but its a little bit of a process to do that. Mostly it's easy, and your biggest issue is to have enough reading material, an ereader, a TV, or an iPhone. If they are hooked up to a vein in your arm, I understand it does get a little uncomfortable to keep your arm still for 6 hours straight.
Good luck.
A couple of quick points for you. In the case of my wife in her February procedure, the nurse in the blood draw department evaluated whether or not the veins were good enough to stand up to 4 days of potential connection to the phereseis machine. Because it was not ideal, they decided to put in the PICC line for the harvesting. If you are going on to transplant, then you will need to have the PICC line installed anyway. In this case, then the collection is actually easier, but you have to care for the PICC line at home for an extra week or two (they usually give you at least a couple of days break at this point). That is not a big deal in retrospect, however, if you never did it before, it is sort of an issue to learn how to do it.
If you are not going on to transplant, but only collecting, then you would not necessarily require the PICC line. So if you needed the PICC line for harvesting, you would need two extra appointments with radiology, one to put it in, the other to remove it.
In our case, there were Neupogen shots at home starting about 4 days before the harvesting. Neupogen stimulates production of the stem cells. The day before the harvesting, they start the drug that stimulates release of the stem cells into the blood, this drug is Mozobil. I have heard that this is done in the hospital for some folks, but for us it would have been an hour each way of traffic, so we sucked it up and did it ourselves at home. Again, we never were involved with shots at home before (as would be for example a diabetes patient), but after some initial angst, once they show you what to do, and you get into it, it was not that big of a deal.
They will have a target for stem cells to collect. I hear that differs somewhat from center to center, but I believe in most cases they like to get 10 million (forget about units for now). At the end of each day, they will tell you how you did, and whether or not you need to come in the next day. If you need to come in the next day, you will get another Neupogen and Mozobil set of shots. If your reached your goal, you are done.
Again, if you have the PICC line installed, you are basically laying down all day. If you need to go to the restroom, they can help you, but its a little bit of a process to do that. Mostly it's easy, and your biggest issue is to have enough reading material, an ereader, a TV, or an iPhone. If they are hooked up to a vein in your arm, I understand it does get a little uncomfortable to keep your arm still for 6 hours straight.
Good luck.
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JPC - Name: JPC
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
Hi Robert,
JPC has given you a lot of useful feedback. I just wanted to add that you may find it useful to read about Andrew Gordon's stem cell collection experience, which he described in a forum posting labeled "The Stem Cell Harvest - The Complete Guide" (Jan 24, 2014). Others here in the forum also have shared their stem cell harvest experiences in that thread.
There also have been other discussions here in the forum that you might find helpful. This link will take you to all previous forum discussions about stem cell collection / harvesting / etc.
Also, some people experience bone pain – sometimes severe bone pain – after taking the Neupogen shots to stimulate stem cell production and release into the blood. So you should look at some of the threads here in the forum about Neupogen, particularly this one:
"Neupogen and bone pain (SCT prep)" (started Sep 21, 2013)
Good luck!
JPC has given you a lot of useful feedback. I just wanted to add that you may find it useful to read about Andrew Gordon's stem cell collection experience, which he described in a forum posting labeled "The Stem Cell Harvest - The Complete Guide" (Jan 24, 2014). Others here in the forum also have shared their stem cell harvest experiences in that thread.
There also have been other discussions here in the forum that you might find helpful. This link will take you to all previous forum discussions about stem cell collection / harvesting / etc.
Also, some people experience bone pain – sometimes severe bone pain – after taking the Neupogen shots to stimulate stem cell production and release into the blood. So you should look at some of the threads here in the forum about Neupogen, particularly this one:
"Neupogen and bone pain (SCT prep)" (started Sep 21, 2013)
Good luck!
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JimNY
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
Hi! All great suggestions ... For my harvesting, I wore a "hoodie" and nice comfy sweatpants and thick socks. My head got a little cold, so the hoodie helped. They had a nice blanket warmer at the Red Cross center, where my stem cell harvesting was done. I also enjoyed a nice cup of hot tea. (But, remember, what goes in, must come out! LOL!)
My thoughts will be with you as you start off on the harvesting journey.
Denise
My thoughts will be with you as you start off on the harvesting journey.
Denise
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computerteacher - Name: Computer Teacher
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: November/December 2014
- Age at diagnosis: 58
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
My comment is similar to that of JPC. Because I was to get my transplant the week following the collection anyway, I got a double-lumen "central line" (a CVC not a PICC) put in first and used it for collection, transplant and the weeks of recovery that followed. But if your transplant is in the far future, I can see why they would needle your arms for the collection rather than doing a surgery. In my case my arms were free to play with my iPad during collection, which took five hours a day for two days. The only discomfort I had with collection was my first shot of Neupogen, which the nurse gave too fast and it hurt a little going in. At Mayo, a nurse gives the shots and you don't have to do them yourself. Just walk in, lift your shirt, get the shot, and walk out.
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Mister Dana - Name: Mister Dana
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: December 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 66
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
The stem cell harvest in itself I experienced as relaxing, pain free and without any problems.
They harvested enough for 2 transplants within 3 hours.
But up until the hardest I of course injected myself with Neupogen. It was a bit like crossing a border to do this. I do not care about professionals putting needles in me, but doing it yourself ...
I was warned that when the treatment to build stem cells was successfully it may cause pain in the bones. For 3-4 days I felt nothing, and started to worry that it did not work. On the evening of the 4th night I stopped worrying
The pain started at about dinner time and when I went to bed the ordinary painkillers did not work.
Called my hotline to the hospital and they suggested to get me in. But as most of you probably share with me, I want to stay away from hospitals as much as possible. They then prescribed some efficient painkillers and suggested that the nurse service run by the local council could bring it out. I was afraid of waiting and got one of the friends of the family to drive me 20 km to an all night pharmacy.
To make the long story short: The pills worked and I took them for 3-4 days. Except for that risk, you should just enjoy the harvest. And remember your iPad or some good books.
They harvested enough for 2 transplants within 3 hours.
But up until the hardest I of course injected myself with Neupogen. It was a bit like crossing a border to do this. I do not care about professionals putting needles in me, but doing it yourself ...
I was warned that when the treatment to build stem cells was successfully it may cause pain in the bones. For 3-4 days I felt nothing, and started to worry that it did not work. On the evening of the 4th night I stopped worrying
The pain started at about dinner time and when I went to bed the ordinary painkillers did not work.
Called my hotline to the hospital and they suggested to get me in. But as most of you probably share with me, I want to stay away from hospitals as much as possible. They then prescribed some efficient painkillers and suggested that the nurse service run by the local council could bring it out. I was afraid of waiting and got one of the friends of the family to drive me 20 km to an all night pharmacy.
To make the long story short: The pills worked and I took them for 3-4 days. Except for that risk, you should just enjoy the harvest. And remember your iPad or some good books.
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Lev - Name: Lev
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: June 2014
- Age at diagnosis: 57
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
Thanks for the info everyone. Very informative. What did you all use for the pain?
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Dragon62 - Name: Robert Fuller
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Blood disorder
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 3 Jul 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 58
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
Dragon 62,
I got an IV dose of Cytoxan last Wednesday and started Neupogen on Thursday, along with Claritin and acyclovir. The Cytoxan made me very sick the next morning for a few hours despite compazine and Zofran. Did not eat much for 3-4 days. I posted elsewhere that by the 4th day of injections I got very hungry and wired; tons of energy for 2 days with no pain at all.
Then last night, after 6 days of the injections, the back pain started suddenly. I was told no Tylenol because that would mask fever so I toughed it out, sleeping with a pillow under my knees.
This morning I got my central line put in. I just got home and it does feel sore and painful along with the back pain. I have a call in to my nurse to see if I can take a dose of Tylenol. Going in to start collection tomorrow. Are you going to transplant?
I got an IV dose of Cytoxan last Wednesday and started Neupogen on Thursday, along with Claritin and acyclovir. The Cytoxan made me very sick the next morning for a few hours despite compazine and Zofran. Did not eat much for 3-4 days. I posted elsewhere that by the 4th day of injections I got very hungry and wired; tons of energy for 2 days with no pain at all.
Then last night, after 6 days of the injections, the back pain started suddenly. I was told no Tylenol because that would mask fever so I toughed it out, sleeping with a pillow under my knees.
This morning I got my central line put in. I just got home and it does feel sore and painful along with the back pain. I have a call in to my nurse to see if I can take a dose of Tylenol. Going in to start collection tomorrow. Are you going to transplant?
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gardengirl - Name: gardengirl
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Nov. 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 47
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
Hi Robert!
My husband had his stem cell collection back in July 2015. About 2 weeks before the harvest procedure, he had high dose Cytoxan during an overnight stay at our community hospital. Our local oncologist wanted to keep him overnight to observe him through the infusion because he is a bit older (66) and we wanted to ensure that all would go well going forward.
Then, he received 10 days of Neupogen shots which were administered at the oncology office because of insurance requirements. The day before the Neupogen began, he started to take Claritin (not Claritin D) for the bone pain from the shots. We were told this was an anecdotal use of Claritin that some patients found to work in alleviating pain. He didn't experience any significant aches until maybe the last day or two of the Neupogen.
On day 10, he had a Hickman catheter put in and the harvest began the next day. It took 2 days for him to collect enough stem cells for 2 transplants. The process is very interesting but boring; bring plenty to keep yourself busy, or you may just want to nap. Dress comfortably, in layers.
We had a very personable nurse who was good company during collection. She made sure that we both had breakfast and lunch and they had a well-stocked fridge, snacks and coffee maker nearby. It was a good experience considering all that is involved. My husband was very tired but there was nothing unusual going on. Our motto throughout everything has been "one day at a time"; sometimes it's one hour at a time.
Good luck on your journey! My prayers are with you!
My husband had his stem cell collection back in July 2015. About 2 weeks before the harvest procedure, he had high dose Cytoxan during an overnight stay at our community hospital. Our local oncologist wanted to keep him overnight to observe him through the infusion because he is a bit older (66) and we wanted to ensure that all would go well going forward.
Then, he received 10 days of Neupogen shots which were administered at the oncology office because of insurance requirements. The day before the Neupogen began, he started to take Claritin (not Claritin D) for the bone pain from the shots. We were told this was an anecdotal use of Claritin that some patients found to work in alleviating pain. He didn't experience any significant aches until maybe the last day or two of the Neupogen.
On day 10, he had a Hickman catheter put in and the harvest began the next day. It took 2 days for him to collect enough stem cells for 2 transplants. The process is very interesting but boring; bring plenty to keep yourself busy, or you may just want to nap. Dress comfortably, in layers.
We had a very personable nurse who was good company during collection. She made sure that we both had breakfast and lunch and they had a well-stocked fridge, snacks and coffee maker nearby. It was a good experience considering all that is involved. My husband was very tired but there was nothing unusual going on. Our motto throughout everything has been "one day at a time"; sometimes it's one hour at a time.
Good luck on your journey! My prayers are with you!
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ByYourSide - Name: Susan
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Husband
- When were you/they diagnosed?: December 2014
- Age at diagnosis: 65
Re: What to expect during stem cell harvest / collection?
Robert,
My husband just finished his stem cell collection today. His took 2 days. He only experienced minor flu like symptoms and slight bone pain. He is glad to have a few days off the meds before he is admitted on Monday, October 26 for his transplant.
Best of luck. Hoping you can collect enough in 1 day.
-Chris
My husband just finished his stem cell collection today. His took 2 days. He only experienced minor flu like symptoms and slight bone pain. He is glad to have a few days off the meds before he is admitted on Monday, October 26 for his transplant.
Best of luck. Hoping you can collect enough in 1 day.
-Chris
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Blue58 - Name: Blue58
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Husband
- When were you/they diagnosed?: April 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 57
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