Bone Marrow Transplant Stories

worried08
worried08 Member Posts: 16
edited March 2014 in Leukemia #1
My husband was diagnosed with APL last year. He went into remission for a few months it now has come back in his Central Nervous System. The doctors are now wanting to do a BMT with his own stem cells. If anyone could give me their experience with a BMT I would greatly appreciate it.
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Comments

  • doreenh1986
    doreenh1986 Member Posts: 6
    i ve never experienced that
    i ve never experienced that but i will keep your family in my prayers ......
  • angelstar
    angelstar Member Posts: 8
    im going thru that
    hi i was diagnosed with AML last march 08 i was in remission till jan 09 had a relapse it came back so im in the position i have to now go thru a bone marrow transplant im goin friday to get alot of test run on me and try and find a match im very scared and nervous so i wish yall luck and in my prayers if u wanna know more ive been studyin and researchin BMT
  • worried08
    worried08 Member Posts: 16
    angelstar said:

    im going thru that
    hi i was diagnosed with AML last march 08 i was in remission till jan 09 had a relapse it came back so im in the position i have to now go thru a bone marrow transplant im goin friday to get alot of test run on me and try and find a match im very scared and nervous so i wish yall luck and in my prayers if u wanna know more ive been studyin and researchin BMT

    Angelstar - How are you
    Angelstar - How are you doing now?
  • senior33104
    senior33104 Member Posts: 4
    hi
    I had a Autologous stem cell transplant two years ago when I was 21. I was very sick from the chemo cytoxin I was really sick but after that everything went smoothly the good thing is since he is using his own stem cells he won't get graft vs host disease
  • angelstar
    angelstar Member Posts: 8
    worried08 said:

    Angelstar - How are you
    Angelstar - How are you doing now?

    still waitin
    hi well i went for alot of testin fo rthe bone marrow they told me they found 3 possibly matches im still waitin to do it might be this month or next month im very very scared tryin to find people that have gone thru it and have lived thru the transplant
  • angelstar
    angelstar Member Posts: 8
    worried08 said:

    Angelstar - How are you
    Angelstar - How are you doing now?

    still waitin
    hi well i went for alot of testin fo rthe bone marrow they told me they found 3 possibly matches im still waitin to do it might be this month or next month im very very scared tryin to find people that have gone thru it and have lived thru the transplant
  • worried08
    worried08 Member Posts: 16
    angelstar said:

    still waitin
    hi well i went for alot of testin fo rthe bone marrow they told me they found 3 possibly matches im still waitin to do it might be this month or next month im very very scared tryin to find people that have gone thru it and have lived thru the transplant

    A story
    I have seen this posted before. Its a blog about a woman that had a BMT. Check it out if you wish. She tells her story.

    http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/leamorrison
  • buguhboo
    buguhboo Member Posts: 5
    angelstar said:

    im going thru that
    hi i was diagnosed with AML last march 08 i was in remission till jan 09 had a relapse it came back so im in the position i have to now go thru a bone marrow transplant im goin friday to get alot of test run on me and try and find a match im very scared and nervous so i wish yall luck and in my prayers if u wanna know more ive been studyin and researchin BMT

    Me too..
    I'm going to have to go through a BMT also. I have to give my doc my final decision next week. Would like to hear others stories, and also, angelstar, would like to know what's going on with u and how you're doing. Keep me updated if u can.. sounds like we'll be doing everything around the same time. Maybe we can help eachother. Get back to me.. buguhboo25@yahoo.com, name is Monica by the way.
  • srvivr4
    srvivr4 Member Posts: 6
    angelstar said:

    still waitin
    hi well i went for alot of testin fo rthe bone marrow they told me they found 3 possibly matches im still waitin to do it might be this month or next month im very very scared tryin to find people that have gone thru it and have lived thru the transplant

    Had BM Transplant 7 months ago
    Hello,

    I had a BMT about 7 months ago Stanford University in CA. I am doing well and cancer free! Please email me with any questions I would love to help!!
    cslpainthorses@hotmail.com

    Sarah
  • mauveb2k
    mauveb2k Member Posts: 11
    angelstar said:

    im going thru that
    hi i was diagnosed with AML last march 08 i was in remission till jan 09 had a relapse it came back so im in the position i have to now go thru a bone marrow transplant im goin friday to get alot of test run on me and try and find a match im very scared and nervous so i wish yall luck and in my prayers if u wanna know more ive been studyin and researchin BMT

    is everything alright ?
    Im in the process of finding a match amongst my 2 siblings, my oncologist strongly suggest stem cell transplant after having in remission from the first induction therapy, i was diagnosed may 29,2009, i'm 44 years old, i am scared too and confused what to do. i hope everything is alright w/ you angelstar if you have decided having BMT, goodluck and godbless
  • arabicontamus
    arabicontamus Member Posts: 2
    angelstar said:

    im going thru that
    hi i was diagnosed with AML last march 08 i was in remission till jan 09 had a relapse it came back so im in the position i have to now go thru a bone marrow transplant im goin friday to get alot of test run on me and try and find a match im very scared and nervous so i wish yall luck and in my prayers if u wanna know more ive been studyin and researchin BMT

    hello
    Hello, my name is Christianto Perdana. I am very sad to hear you had relapse. But always believe you will get better soon and always prayer to God ya because I believe the healed is only from God ^^V

    I had suffered AML too, same like you and had Bone Marrow Transplant. If you don't mind, I want to share my experience about "How to take care Bone Marrow Transplant patient's". You can look at my blog in this site or if you have trouble to see this, maybe you also can look at http://spirit2cancer.blogspot.com/ . I hope this article can help you to cope better with the BMT's processes. ^^V

    I hope you can do the Bone Marrow Transplant and never give up to your sickness. Always believe and give all things to God and I believe you will get better soon and can be healthy as another people and together with your family ^^V.

    If you have question, you can send me e-mail at : arabicontamus@gmail.com . I will answer with what I know and with my experience about Bone MArrow Transplant ^^V. God Bless ^^V
  • jennymotta
    jennymotta Member Posts: 3
    mauveb2k said:

    is everything alright ?
    Im in the process of finding a match amongst my 2 siblings, my oncologist strongly suggest stem cell transplant after having in remission from the first induction therapy, i was diagnosed may 29,2009, i'm 44 years old, i am scared too and confused what to do. i hope everything is alright w/ you angelstar if you have decided having BMT, goodluck and godbless

    Bone Marrow Donor
    I was my sisters bone marrow donor 8 years ago. I would suggest a stem cell transplant, everything I've read lately suggests that there is a greater chance for survival with a stem cell transplant. About three weeks after the transplant my sisters platelets weren't coming back very fast. Then they told us if we would've done the stem cell, instead of the bone marrow they would've came back faster. (ask your doc.) Also its less invasive for your sibling. If you or your siblings have any other questions I can help with. We started a website called cancersreality.com, my contact info is on there. Take care. -Jenny
  • jennymotta
    jennymotta Member Posts: 3
    angelstar said:

    still waitin
    hi well i went for alot of testin fo rthe bone marrow they told me they found 3 possibly matches im still waitin to do it might be this month or next month im very very scared tryin to find people that have gone thru it and have lived thru the transplant

    PEOPLE DO MAKE IT!
    My name is Jenny and Eight years ago my younger sister Michelle was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Three weeks later we found out that I was a match for her. She was 21 at the time, and I was 23. She is now a very healthy 30-year-old woman. You can make it. You need to take care of your self though. It's very important to make sure you walk a lot after the transplant. Your not going to want to, but it's a necessary. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at jenny@cancersreality.com. Take care. -Jenny
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  • Meff
    Meff Member Posts: 1
    angelstar said:

    still waitin
    hi well i went for alot of testin fo rthe bone marrow they told me they found 3 possibly matches im still waitin to do it might be this month or next month im very very scared tryin to find people that have gone thru it and have lived thru the transplant

    Bmt
    I underwent a Bmt, for CML, on Feburary 22, 1992 and have been Leukemia free ever since. Treatment for Leukemia has advanced so far, since then that the survival rate has drastically increased. I read a book about transplants, that was written by a mother of a transplant patient, written five years prior to my transplant. The problems that her daughter went through were three times as bad as what I went through. If you would like some further information, please call me.
  • KCleaver
    KCleaver Member Posts: 6
    angelstar said:

    still waitin
    hi well i went for alot of testin fo rthe bone marrow they told me they found 3 possibly matches im still waitin to do it might be this month or next month im very very scared tryin to find people that have gone thru it and have lived thru the transplant

    Thousands out there doing great after BMT
    Hi angelstar - your worries are justified but there are so many people like me, transplant for CML in 1197 - in great health, back to running biking etc within two years. It is a tough but very doable process. Look at the bright side, how would you like to have no donor? Attitude is critical - the tranplant is the answer not the problem. Your body is going to want to know from your brain that you want to survive. Surround yourself with love, read Bernie Siegals first three books - just go to Amazon or google him - he is one reason I made it, there is no doubt.
    In the unit its one day at a time and like the Buddhists dont worry about whats around the next corner. Take in the love of the nurses etc and marvel in what has gone into this miraculous process.
    Peace,
    Kip
  • Kiran
    Kiran Member Posts: 3

    hi
    I had a Autologous stem cell transplant two years ago when I was 21. I was very sick from the chemo cytoxin I was really sick but after that everything went smoothly the good thing is since he is using his own stem cells he won't get graft vs host disease

    hey..i am an ALL patient.
    hey..i am an ALL patient. was diagnosed a on 3rd sept, 2010.
    i have been on chemo -the induction phase for the past one month. after two cycles my counts went very low, so they delayed the third cycle. my Dr. said that counts are low coz of sensitivity to the chemo, which is a good sign in one way. anwya as my counts were not recovering as they shud have been normally, they did a bone marrow aspiration to find out what was happening miway in the induction pd. y bone marrow is clear so i am in remission. i am scheduled for my 4th cycle of chemo omorrow which will be the last in teh induction phase. even i am doing ok in my chemo ..with not very high adverse effects except a bit of nausea and loss of appetite after the 3rd cycle. but i still dread vincristine, which i think makes me feel lousy..though i recover after 2 days.
    what should i expect in the days to come...can someone plz tell me if a bone marrow transplant should be used as the first option or the last option? i have 5 HLA matches with bro' out of total 6. is that a good result for transplantation? or i'll have to look for a 100% match?
  • hylasgirl
    hylasgirl Member Posts: 1
    Kiran said:

    hey..i am an ALL patient.
    hey..i am an ALL patient. was diagnosed a on 3rd sept, 2010.
    i have been on chemo -the induction phase for the past one month. after two cycles my counts went very low, so they delayed the third cycle. my Dr. said that counts are low coz of sensitivity to the chemo, which is a good sign in one way. anwya as my counts were not recovering as they shud have been normally, they did a bone marrow aspiration to find out what was happening miway in the induction pd. y bone marrow is clear so i am in remission. i am scheduled for my 4th cycle of chemo omorrow which will be the last in teh induction phase. even i am doing ok in my chemo ..with not very high adverse effects except a bit of nausea and loss of appetite after the 3rd cycle. but i still dread vincristine, which i think makes me feel lousy..though i recover after 2 days.
    what should i expect in the days to come...can someone plz tell me if a bone marrow transplant should be used as the first option or the last option? i have 5 HLA matches with bro' out of total 6. is that a good result for transplantation? or i'll have to look for a 100% match?

    Kiran... I can help. Or at
    Kiran... I can help. Or at least I can tell you what you can expect over the months to come. Please email me at sburbank35@aol.com
  • KCleaver
    KCleaver Member Posts: 6
    Facing bone marrow transplant
    I was cured of CML with my transplant back in 1997. It helped SO much to talk to those who had been through it. Here are some points/themse to keep in mind:
    - they have made so much progress with it
    - it is a tough but doable procedure
    - get your mind in shape for it. Mind/body techniques were a huge reason I made it through.
    - read Bernie Siegals first three books. Dont start underlining as you will underline the whole book. Guided imagery meditation will help you through and for the rest of your life.
    - realize how lucky you are to have a treatment option and great hope. So many have little. My attitude was just give me any shot to stay alive and watch my kids grow up. I have to climb Everest? Lets start packing. Swim the English Channel? Where is my bathing suit? Have a tranplant? When do we start?
    - one day at a time, as you prepare and during the procedure. We had so much good and bad news for those weeks we just decided to laugh at everything. It helped and the nurses were amused.
    - I went out and did a 2 day bike ride to raise money for my marrow donor drive, climbed the highest mountain in Maine, etc etc - I was lucky to be on a band aid drug where I felt fine until the BMT.
    - If you think attitude doesnt matter, my nurse told me about the 3rd day that she overheard my doctor tell another doctor that I would sail through it - he had seen my attitude. That meant so much and I told her to tell that to all the patients whether true or not.
    - This whole experience will change you in so many positive ways - focus on that and what you are learning about what matters in your life - you are going to be a much happier and relaxed person when its all over.
    - You have a choice about how you approach all this.
    - I will post again with a great website with my favorite FREE guided imagery meditations.

    Kip Cleaver
  • defeat_cancer
    defeat_cancer Member Posts: 2
    srvivr4 said:

    Had BM Transplant 7 months ago
    Hello,

    I had a BMT about 7 months ago Stanford University in CA. I am doing well and cancer free! Please email me with any questions I would love to help!!
    cslpainthorses@hotmail.com

    Sarah

    just gone thrgh BMT
    HI,
    I had just gone through autologous stem cell transplant in nov. 2010. Till now i m good & feeling normal. But i m still worried that in future this disease shld'nt come again. so anybody here to boost up my power i.e any succesful case of autologous transplant.