Many of you who have been following Steve Mohr's myeloma journey through his column here at The Beacon know that he is scheduled to undergo an autologous stem cell transplant this month.
Well, as it turns out, today's the day. Steve is scheduled to get his port installed today and will also have the high-dose melphalan administered later in the day.
Because there is a lot of interest among the Beacon's readers in the stem cell transplant process, Steve has volunteered to share regular updates about the process as he goes through it. He will be posting the updates in this forum thread.
You are welcome to post here in the thread, as well -- whether it be questions that you have for Steve about the process, descriptions of experiences that you've had that are similar to (or different from) Steve's, advice, or just words of support.
The goal of having this thread in the forum is to make it a resource which, in one place, has extensive details about one person's stem cell transplant experience, leavened with insights, perspectives, and questions of others who either have gone through the process, or may go through it sometime in the not-too-distant future.
One final note: Although this is the first time that someone from the Beacon community has decided to document a key part of their treatment here in the forum, we hope it won't be the last. If you would like to do the same, feel free to set up a thread of your own when the time comes.
Forums
Re: Steve Mohr's Stem Cell Transplant
Best wishes, Steve. Remember the ice before and during the melphalan!
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dnalex - Name: Alex N.
- Who do you know with myeloma?: mother
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2007
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: Steve Mohr's Stem Cell Transplant
Best wishes for smooth sailing Steve! Mine was easier than I thought it would be. The best advice that the nurses gave me was to speak up if I even thought I might need some anti-nausea meds sooner than they were scheduled . I did and I think that saved me a lot of suffering. Sending positive thoughts your way. 
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Joy - Name: Joy
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 52
Re: Steve Mohr's Stem Cell Transplant
I hope that my postings on my experiences of my stem cell transplant will help those of you who are considering their first transplant or already have one scheduled. Day One of hopefully what will be only a 16-day (or less) stay has come to an end.
At 10:00 a.m this morning I was admitted to the James Cancer Center. The insertion of a Hickman Line took place at 12:00 p.m. I did not realize that this would be a surgical procedure, but should have known better when I received notice that I could not eat anything after midnight last night. This procedure only took about 30 minutes and I was twilight sedated for it.
Later this afternoon I received the melphalan [Alkeran] infusion. The infusion also only took about 30 minutes, but I was required to chew ice for 6 hours after the infusion to prevent painful mouth sores. Combine that with the maintenance IV that is still in place, and I have made a trip to the restroom about every 15 minutes in the past 6 hours. Prior to the melphalan infusion, I received numerous meds to control nausea, prevent gout, and protect the liver -- all possible side effects of melphalan. These drugs have done their jobs in controlling nausea so far.
I will post again tomorrow. No procedures are planned for tomorrow, so I will no doubt have time to share some more insight into the transplant process.
At 10:00 a.m this morning I was admitted to the James Cancer Center. The insertion of a Hickman Line took place at 12:00 p.m. I did not realize that this would be a surgical procedure, but should have known better when I received notice that I could not eat anything after midnight last night. This procedure only took about 30 minutes and I was twilight sedated for it.
Later this afternoon I received the melphalan [Alkeran] infusion. The infusion also only took about 30 minutes, but I was required to chew ice for 6 hours after the infusion to prevent painful mouth sores. Combine that with the maintenance IV that is still in place, and I have made a trip to the restroom about every 15 minutes in the past 6 hours. Prior to the melphalan infusion, I received numerous meds to control nausea, prevent gout, and protect the liver -- all possible side effects of melphalan. These drugs have done their jobs in controlling nausea so far.
I will post again tomorrow. No procedures are planned for tomorrow, so I will no doubt have time to share some more insight into the transplant process.
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Steve Mohr - Name: Steve Mohr
- Who do you know with myeloma?: No one
- When were you/they diagnosed?: April 20 12
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: Steve Mohr's Stem Cell Transplant
Wishing you the best Steve, and thanks for sharing your experience with us. SCT is part of my treatment plan and your posts here in The Beacon will allow some additional insight into the process.
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Dano - Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Jan 2014
- Age at diagnosis: 65
Re: Steve Mohr's Stem Cell Transplant
Steve, thanks so much for sharing your experience with us all. Perfect timing for me as I'm scheduled to go in for my SCT on June 25th. I wish you all the best!
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Karen - Name: Karen
- When were you/they diagnosed?: December 2010
- Age at diagnosis: 51
Re: Steve Mohr's Stem Cell Transplant
Good Luck to Steve and everyone about to have their SCT. I had mine in 2010 and am still in remission. The treatment can make you feel rough but it is definately worth it. I managed to go home after only 12 days. I had very few visitors which I believe helped to avoid infection. Much Love and positive thoughts to all members of this club that no one wanted to join xx
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Gilly
Re: Steve Mohr's Stem Cell Transplant
Best of luck, Steve !! Really chow down on those ice chips as much as you can. I wish I had known about that back in 2000 and 2004 when I had my transplants…..the mouth sores were one of the worst side effects I experienced. It was agony to swallow even water for many days. Anything you can do to prevent that is totally worth it !
I am looking forward to your posts and cheering you on - You can do this !!!
I am looking forward to your posts and cheering you on - You can do this !!!
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janner - Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2000
- Age at diagnosis: 47
Re: Steve Mohr's Stem Cell Transplant
Six hours of ice? When I had my melphalan infusion about 8 weeks ago, I was told to munch on ice chips 20-30-minutes before and after. A nurse said that 20-minutes after the chemo entered your system there was no more need to constrict the blood vessels of the mouth with ice. I followed their instructions and did not have a single mouth sore. FWIW.
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Pusser
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