[Reed zone]

Re: Caregiver presence during inpatient stem cell transplant

by Reed zone on Sat May 28, 2016 10:32 am

Hello All,

And all the best for stem cell transplant patients and families!

My husband had his transplant in February of 2015.

The company that managed our insurance for the transplant paid for lodging for a family member if we lived more than 50 miles away, which we do. They also paid for food for the family member.

I stayed at a hotel with a kitchen for the 3 weeks my husband was inpatient, visiting him all day, every day, with days off when our adult children would take over. Then, because the program required him to live within 15 minutes of the hospital, he moved into the hotel with me for another week. (Good thing we were close; he developed a raging infection which resulted in a direct admit one night, and he was tested, xrayed, and on antibiotics within 30 minutes.)

All of this was covered at 100%, which I am guessing is very unusual. I would say to all: deeply investigate what your benefits are.

My presence through the whole experience was further supported by FMLA from my employer
(Family Medical Leave), and using my vacation time to be away from work. I took an additional FMLA week off when we came home.

Perhaps my presence during transplant is also reflective of our relationship. If my husband had been more comfortable being alone, I'm sure I would have done things differently, so that's a question for each person to reflect on. I spent many hours quietly reading, working, or going for walks. Like some others, I was able to get help quickly for him when there were unpredictable events. Also, I was able to relate the events to him after transplant as he didn't remember much!

Blessings to all.

[Aclinkboca]

Re: Caregiver presence during inpatient stem cell transplant

by Aclinkboca on Mon May 30, 2016 10:38 pm

I just completed my stem cell transplant at Sylvester / University of Miami Cancer Center in Miami. I had a caregiver, my daughter, with me the entire time from Day +2 to Day +6 because of how weak I was on these days; I needed help just walking to the restroom. Then later I had my wife stay a night or two throughout the rest of my hospital stay on the days when I just lacked any energy to walk or felt I was unstable walking. I was very lucky to have both my wife and my daughter taking turns taking care of me through the process. Some days I did not need them, but when i did, I needed them to stay with me 24/7.