While you had your chemo during your stem cell transplant, how long did you actually chew on ice?
I am at the U of Chicago and they have you chew 30 minutes before chemo, during chemo, and 6 hours after. I did fine last night but am having a rough time chewing as much tonight. Doesn't help when the 1st night I had to chew until 4:30 AM & until 1:00 AM tonight due to them starting it so late in the day.
Feeling a slight bit nauseous tonight so trying to switch up with Popsicles etc ...
Thanks Terri
Forums
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Terri Michigan - Name: Terri Michigan
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2009
- Age at diagnosis: 45
Re: How long chewing ice?
Hi Terri,
I checked some of the stem cell transplant-related postings people have made here in the forum.
It looks like Steve Mohr was given advice similar to what you were told. See this posting that he made:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/post20356.html#p20356
However, apparently at Stanford, where Kim did her transplant, they were not as adamant about forcing patients to use ice to prevent sores. She this posting that she made:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/post22819.html?hilit#p22819
Larry's instructions apparently were somewhere in between:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/post22026.html#p22026
Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!
I checked some of the stem cell transplant-related postings people have made here in the forum.
It looks like Steve Mohr was given advice similar to what you were told. See this posting that he made:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/post20356.html#p20356
However, apparently at Stanford, where Kim did her transplant, they were not as adamant about forcing patients to use ice to prevent sores. She this posting that she made:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/post22819.html?hilit#p22819
Larry's instructions apparently were somewhere in between:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/post22026.html#p22026
Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!
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Boris Simkovich - Name: Boris Simkovich
Founder
The Myeloma Beacon
Re: How long chewing ice?
Thanks, I will check them out. I stayed true and chewed the whole time, but not as aggressively on day 2. So far so good. No sores so far 
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Terri Michigan - Name: Terri Michigan
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2009
- Age at diagnosis: 45
Re: How long chewing ice?
I was never advised to chew ice.
Becky
Becky
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lattecat - When were you/they diagnosed?: 2010
- Age at diagnosis: 54
Re: How long chewing ice?
My hubby chewed ice only during the chemo portion before his stem cells were infused back in. He never had the mouth sores. Our doctor / hospital didn't mention it or require it, but we had read that tip prior to his transplant.
Good luck!
Good luck!
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JEB407 - Name: Jane Butler
- Who do you know with myeloma?: spouse
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Jan 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: How long chewing ice?
Start one hour before infusion and continue for an hour after. I did this and had no mouth sores.
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JonEman
Re: How long chewing ice?
Chewing ice was never recommended by my transplant team. Actually, the morning of the transplant I woke up nauseous from the melphalan, and then I vomited through the entire transplant due to the preservative (DMSO) in the re-infused stem cells. I was then given Ativan to control the nausea, which knocked me out and I slept most of the rest the day. So I don't think the ice chewing would have been an option for me anyway. Following the transplant, I was given baking soda and water solution to rinse my mouth several times a day to prevent mouth sores. I don't know if it was effective or I was just lucky, but I never developed any sores.
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Stitcher88 - Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: December 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 51
Re: How long chewing ice?
Hi Terri,
For me, at Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2013, I think it was something like 1 hour before the melphalan infusion, during it, and 1 hour after. I did not chew ice before, during, or after the actual stem cell transplant. But they did hold a tray of lemons under my nose during the stem cell injection to help prevent nausea due to the smell of the preservative agent in the stem cells. That – plus the attendant wheeling in a freezer cart with the stem cells, then warming the bag of them, then transferring them into the large syringe for the injection – all combined to make me think I was participating in some strange religious ceremony for the transplant.
But back to mouth sores ... be sure to rinse your mouth out with mouthwash every chance you get. My rule was to do that every time I went to the bathroom, which turned out to be pretty darn often once the diarrhea kicked in.
Good luck to you!
Mike
For me, at Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2013, I think it was something like 1 hour before the melphalan infusion, during it, and 1 hour after. I did not chew ice before, during, or after the actual stem cell transplant. But they did hold a tray of lemons under my nose during the stem cell injection to help prevent nausea due to the smell of the preservative agent in the stem cells. That – plus the attendant wheeling in a freezer cart with the stem cells, then warming the bag of them, then transferring them into the large syringe for the injection – all combined to make me think I was participating in some strange religious ceremony for the transplant.
But back to mouth sores ... be sure to rinse your mouth out with mouthwash every chance you get. My rule was to do that every time I went to the bathroom, which turned out to be pretty darn often once the diarrhea kicked in.
Good luck to you!
Mike
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mikeb - Name: mikeb
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2009 (MGUS at that time)
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: How long chewing ice?
I chewed ice one hour before, during, and one hour after the melphalan infusion. I used a saline mouth wash regularly during my hospital stay, and fortunately, I never had one mouth sore or any oral irritation at all.
Wishing you the best outcome possible with your SCT.
Wishing you the best outcome possible with your SCT.
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Dano - Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Jan 2014
- Age at diagnosis: 65
Re: How long chewing ice?
I was only advised to chew ice during the infusion, which I did, and I never developed any mouth sores.
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Blackbird - Name: Rick Crow
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb, 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 53
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