Bone Marrow Transplant

This is how bone marrow transplant looks like. There is no surgery of any kind, there is no "Doctor House" rubbish. Simple drip of donor's stemcells which somehow find they way to the bones through the blood stream, settle down there, develop and start doing their job.
Collecting Bone Marrow used to be painful for donors, but now, it's common practise, you'll just donate your stem cells. It's no different than blood/platelets donation. So dont be a scared, register as bone marrow donor - donation is very simple painless procedure. Just extracting blood from vains, separating stem cells, and you get your blood back and go home. All within few hours. Then your cells go to some dudes with leukemia, and bam! Your're real lifesaver! Well, for them even a hero! Easy earned great feeling I can assure!
Hehe okay, enough poetry ;)


When I relapsed from first AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) treatment, that included BMT, docs decided to go for another, non related donor bone marrow transplant.
So usual stuff: two courses of conditioning chemo first, which luckily managed to put me into remision, botfh Fludarabine based (Flag-Ida then Flag)
My transplant was cyclophosphamide/busulfan based with no body irradiation.
Good match marrow, from some 55years old unrelated donor from USA (thanks mate!!!)
Had some problems after day 14, marrow didn't want to kick in, got some nasty ifections, but they used GCSF to kick start it, and it seemed to work. Counts went up, infections slowly healed.
Now I'm at home chewing on tons of tablets, but generally feeling ok. It's my day 41 today, so keep fingers crossed! :)

All stuff done in Leeds, in AMAZING St. James Hospital, Ward 89, and here are all my thanks to all the nurses and doctors that somehow managed to keep me alive with this AML crap, for over four years now... YOU GUYS ROCK!!
Big THANKS to you all!

If someone want's to ask any questions, about disease and treatment, I'd be glad to answer them.

To forum4x4 members: You guys practically carried me through this! If I'm through, and still alive, beer is inevitable! May your V8s scream louder, Diesels run forever, and your tires as well as wifes, will always be covered in mud!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• acute
• myeloid
• leukemia
• aml
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Therapy
• BMT
• bone
• marrow
• transplant
• Bone Marrow