It has been just over one month since doctors took my stem cells off ice and infused three million of them back into my body.

Considering all I had heard and read about how tough the stem cell transplant process is, I think I am doing remarkably well.

Yes, I still tire easily, and I’m battling a number of annoying side effects.  But I am able to write, get out, walk, and shop.  And I’m driving again—all in a short 30 days.

But the process was far from easy.  There was a week or so when I was kicking myself for ever agreeing to undergo a stem cell transplant!

But those bad memories are quickly fading.  Like a mother who has recently given birth, I’m already beginning to forget about the pain, nausea, and discomfort I endured only a short month ago.

A dear friend of mine underwent a particularly difficult stem cell transplant three or four years ago.  Three months after her procedure, she pulled me aside at a support group meeting and made me promise to never let her do that again!

Today she speaks almost fondly about the experience—understandable, since it worked so well and she is still in remission.  But I can’t help but think back to that support group meeting, where she described her transplant as “the worst experience of her life!” and quickly added how she would “never, ever do that again.”

So I wanted to share a few observations about the process with you before time begins to soften and warp my memories.

Yes, as long as nothing goes wrong, undergoing an autologous stem cell transplant using your own stem cells may be—as doctors say—tolerable.  It is also inconvenient, uncomfortable, and expensive.

Living away from home for a month is difficult.  So are enduring weeks of nausea, diarrhea, and extreme fatigue.

It is also an expensive undertaking.  Even with good insurance, the cost of outpatient housing and time lost from work hurts.

But for me, one thing, and only one thing, will make going through all of this ‘tolerable:’ if it works.

Earlier this year, a member of my new multiple myeloma group here in Florida underwent a stem cell transplant, only to discover three months later that her myeloma was still present and active.  She passed away last week.

No matter how quickly I recover, or how good I feel, none of that matters if my transplant didn’t destroy the myeloma cells in my bone marrow.  I won’t know that for several more months.

Everything is relative.  I do know this much.  After spending time with allogeneic (donor) transplant patients during my stay, my autologous stem cell transplant was a walk through the park.

I was an inpatient for a couple of weeks.  Most of the allogeneic patients I met will stay hospitalized for months.  Walking the hospital halls with several of these brave patients helped me put things in perspective – and kept me from feeling too sorry for myself.

One month post-transplant and counting.  I sure hope it worked!

Feel good and keep smiling!  Pat