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Suggestions for handling melphalan side effects?
My husband is scheduled to start his stem cell transplant (high-dose melphalan) on December 27. I wanted to prepare or plan ahead for when he is likely to feel bad, what kinds of foods to stock up on, when to prep his body with nausea medication to get on top of it, and other suggestions/best practices.
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LadyLib - Name: LadyLib
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Spouse
- When were you/they diagnosed?: July 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 42
Re: Suggestions for handling melphalan side effects?
Best wishes to your husband and to you.
Remember the ice 15-30 minutes before the Melphalan, during, and 60-90 minutes after.
Remember the ice 15-30 minutes before the Melphalan, during, and 60-90 minutes after.
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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: Suggestions for handling melphalan side effects?
Hi Lady Lib, Wishing your husband and you all the best through the stem cell transplant process. As dnalex suggested, he should have lots and lots of ice chips to chew on. I chewed on them for maybe four hours…my stomach was getting frozen, and it made me feel ill, but luckily i did not develop debilitating mouth sores, although I had a raging sore throat a few days afterwards.
Will he be in hospital for a few days? There are lots of blood tests that need to be done as his blood is tested for the regrowth of all of the white and red blood cells. Also I I was treated mostly as an outpatient, since we live only 15 mins away from our cancer centre, and since my family are all medical people, I was in good hands. i had at least to get up and walk around the house and back and forth to the car, the hospital parking lot etc. i had to return to the cancer centre every week day for tests at first. This was the most exhausting time I have ever encountered, but I am quite a bit older than your husband. He could well 'bounce back' quite quickly.
I had to be very careful to avoid infections, since my immune system went down to zilch. I was taking antibiotics, anti fungal drugs, anti viral drugs. I was brushing my teeth with a foam brush to avoid scratches into my gums with a regular tooth brush, and I couldn't floss!
We had a hand book given to us before the ASCT, which tried to explain all of the possible problems and describe the treatments. The nurses and doctors at the Bone Marrow Transplant unit were just exceptional, and when occasions arose such as needing more hydration, I was given that though my central venous line.
Even though it was a real ordeal, I did get through it, and it will be four years next month since I had this 'transplant'. Since then, I have learned a lot about myeloma too. I consider myself to be really lucky that all of my treatments worked well for me for this long a time period. I also took in a year of low dose Revlimid maintenance starting 100 days after the transplant. The last thing I wanted to do at that time was to take even more chemotherapy, but it worked out OK.
Will he be in hospital for a few days? There are lots of blood tests that need to be done as his blood is tested for the regrowth of all of the white and red blood cells. Also I I was treated mostly as an outpatient, since we live only 15 mins away from our cancer centre, and since my family are all medical people, I was in good hands. i had at least to get up and walk around the house and back and forth to the car, the hospital parking lot etc. i had to return to the cancer centre every week day for tests at first. This was the most exhausting time I have ever encountered, but I am quite a bit older than your husband. He could well 'bounce back' quite quickly.
I had to be very careful to avoid infections, since my immune system went down to zilch. I was taking antibiotics, anti fungal drugs, anti viral drugs. I was brushing my teeth with a foam brush to avoid scratches into my gums with a regular tooth brush, and I couldn't floss!
We had a hand book given to us before the ASCT, which tried to explain all of the possible problems and describe the treatments. The nurses and doctors at the Bone Marrow Transplant unit were just exceptional, and when occasions arose such as needing more hydration, I was given that though my central venous line.
Even though it was a real ordeal, I did get through it, and it will be four years next month since I had this 'transplant'. Since then, I have learned a lot about myeloma too. I consider myself to be really lucky that all of my treatments worked well for me for this long a time period. I also took in a year of low dose Revlimid maintenance starting 100 days after the transplant. The last thing I wanted to do at that time was to take even more chemotherapy, but it worked out OK.
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Nancy Shamanna - Name: Nancy Shamanna
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Self and others too
- When were you/they diagnosed?: July 2009
Re: Suggestions for handling melphalan side effects?
The one thing I would add is to push him to drink Boost or Ensure if he has trouble eating solid food. I had virtually no appetite and when I did I often got nauseated. I drank vanilla Boost a couple of times a day to insure some nutrients. The hospital had it for the asking and of course you can buy it later.
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Wayne K - Name: Wayne
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself, my sister who passed in '95
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 03/09
- Age at diagnosis: 70
Re: Suggestions for handling melphalan side effects?
Hi LabyLib. As noted by others, both ice chips and Boost or Ensure are good. Soup can also be good. Plus anything that tastes good to your husband. The chemo can affect taste; I'm a chocoholic and didn't like the taste for months after chemo. On the other hand, I developed a craving for canned peaches in light syrup and lived on that and applesauce and mashed potatoes while my digestive system healed.
Happy holidays and best wishes for a healthy New Year!
Happy holidays and best wishes for a healthy New Year!
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darnold - Name: Dana Arnold
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 2009
- Age at diagnosis: 52
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