[mowgli18]

Why have second auto stem cell transplant?

by mowgli18 on Tue Nov 27, 2012 4:20 pm

I have light chain myeloma so my counts are tracked through the light chain bloodwork. Since my auto stem cell transplant last October my counts have slowly been creeping up (I am not on maintenance therapy) after a complete remission. I see my doc mid December for another light chain count and given the curve the graph has been taking I expect a climb past normal. Its nothing life threatening yet and I imagine I'll have to start maintenance therapy (it has been a good year without all the drugs) but as I look down the road to my future with this disease I wonder if having a second auto transplant is even worth the effort. I have the stem cells already but I wonder if I shouldn't be looking toward an allo transplant. I am young enough and in good enough health I believe. Should I talk to my doc about this direction. Is this something reasonable at this point in time to consider before I get more ill and since I would have to find a match anyway?

thanks in advance for your response.

[lys2012]

Re: Why have second auto stem cell transplant?

by lys2012 on Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:41 am

I saw the Dr. respond to another post about a similar situation (multiple myeloma slowly showing itself after months of remission) and the Dr. said that if you did start treatment it would not be considered maintenence, but instead would be a relapse.

On a personal note, I am in remission after my Auto in summer 2010. I have had a slowly rising Freelight test for a few months, but then it goes back down. I have not gone into the abnormal range, but it does jump around in the normal range some. My dr. just said the test is very sensitive, so it shows some pretty minute changes, and since we already know I have multiple myeloma, until it really shows a progression outside normal range I should not worry too much.

Same thing with my Hemoglobin, it will drop for a few months about a point or two below normal, but then it will come back to the normal range at the next month.