[Kmcgaw]

My dad is about to go in for auto stem cell transplant

by Kmcgaw on Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:04 am

I am new to this and looking for some info on what to expect. My father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in September of 2012 he had serious renal failure which has improved and about 50% kidney function right now. He has been undergoing weekly chemo since late September and now he is getting ready to go for a stem cell transplant. I received a call today from the hospital saying my dad wouldn't be receiving the high dose chemo before they collect te stem cells as his kidneys they fear wont be able to handle it. Has anyone else had this? Does this mean my dads remission could be much shorter? Thank you in advance I appreciate any insight as my 23 yr old sister and myself(26) are taking care of him at this time.

[Dr. Jason Valent]

Re: My dad is about to go in for auto stem cell transplant

by Dr. Jason Valent on Wed Jan 23, 2013 7:46 pm

Not necessarily about the shorter remission duration regarding the chemo before stem cell harvest. Generally the stem cells can be harvested without chemo. The chemo is sometimes used to give a "boost" to the pre-transplant treatment response or to make the stem cell harvest more robust. Generally it is not a bad thing if the chemo is not necessary.

[Kmcgaw]

Re: My dad is about to go in for auto stem cell transplant

by Kmcgaw on Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:09 pm

Thank you for the info. What is the typical remission expectancy after a transplant? My dad was in his death be when diagnosed in September. H lost his mind completely his body shut down totally. And one day it was like they flicked a switch on. The doctors have told me they didn't expect him to live longer than a few weeks let alone have the transplant so we feel as though everything is just trial and error...

[Liz.r]

Re: My dad is about to go in for auto stem cell transplant

by Liz.r on Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:12 pm

I am so sorry you are going through this with your Dad. How old/young is he? He is lucky to have you both!

[Homemarc]

Re: My dad is about to go in for auto stem cell transplant

by Homemarc on Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:28 pm

My name is marc. I am 60 years old. I was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma in Sept of 2011. I was first taken into the hospital due to another digestive system problem and my experience is similar to your father's. immediately after the surgery to correct my digestive problem, my kidneys shut down and I was put on Dyalisis. Septic set in and my body shut down. The doctors told my family that they should be prepared and the my heart would give out soon. Luckily a neurologist prescribed Keppra and I woke up and showed signs of recovery. After several rounds of chemo and a long hospital stay my kidneys started to come back. More chemo and lots of visits to oncologists and hematologists I was reffered to a transplant doctor. It took several months of more chemo they said I was ready. The collection process did include high dose chemo before the transplant. The transplant was a month in the hospital and I have been recovering since. My transplant was in August of 2012.
I hope that your father recovers as well as I have. It is a long road but my recovery is now starting to take hold.
I don't think it is just trial and error, I think each case is different. It might help to find a support group to join. It helped my wife and myself.
I wish you all the best of luck and health

[Anonymous]

Re: My dad is about to go in for auto stem cell transplant

by Anonymous on Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:54 pm

Im really sorry for what you're going through, my father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma Feb 2011. he had chemo for 6 months (thalidomide/dexamethisone and chemo) then AUG 2012 he has a full stem cell transplant. I also look after i like you and i would love to help you out with any info you might need.

when he was first diagnosed he kept complaining of a back ache and i notices he stopped eating and his complexion was greyish. he lost so much wieght in a month. he too was in areally bad stage but thankfully they switched the switch back for him too. so i have a pretty good i dea what youre going through.....

A Omer

[Kmcgaw]

Re: My dad is about to go in for auto stem cell transplant

by Kmcgaw on Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:39 am

Thank you so much for all your replies. My dad is 55. When he was diagnosed he was completely wheel chair bound. He some how managed to get to the hospital and within a few days he was unable to walk. He was bed riddin for 4 weeks and for te best doesn't remedy any of it. He undoing well currently is back walking an out of hospital. He just finished his 5th cycle of chemo and the transplant is scheduled for march 4th.

[Wrast5423]

Re: My dad is about to go in for auto stem cell transplant

by Wrast5423 on Fri Jan 25, 2013 7:40 pm

I was my dad's caregiver throughout his ASCT in Dec. For us, the anticipation and not knowing was the worst part. Thankfully, he is doing awesome. They gave him the Melphalan in the hospital, kept him there 3 nights to monitor him closely. He had no immediate side effects, so he was dicharged. Everyday we were waiting for something to happen, and it really didn't. He bacame very tired as his numbers (white & red blood cells, platelets) bottomed out at about day 10. During this time we were required to bring him to clinic every day. We followed every rule, washed our hands, kept sick people away. They have to be on many anti-viral and antibiotic meds, so I highly suggest you create a medication administration record to keep track. When his #'s are low, you'll probably need to wake him up to help him take meds.
He started to feel better 14 days out, when his numbers perked up. He did need a couple of platelet transfusions to get him through the bottom out phase.
He understandably lost his appetite for a bit. My advice is to communicate almost eveything with his care team so they can make the critical decisions. My dad suddenly developed diarrhea, which turned out to be CDiff & was treatable with Flagyl.

This is our experience, and keep in mind everyone's varies quite a bit. This forum and his expert care team got us through! Feel free to private message me if you need any caregiver tips. Stay positive and live in the moment as much as you can .