BMT in May

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• March 25, 2005 at 7:15 pm #4981
  Bill and Mary

  Member

  I have gone through all the hoops for my insurer and several perfect match donors have been identified by the transplant center, the Hutch. They still have to get the formal approval from Kaiser, but it looks like I’ll be getting a BMT in mid May.

  Last week the transplant coordinator at the Hutch said that with the number of matches I have they are able to do more screening to get the “icing on the cake” like the same blood type and other chemistry matching. Makes me a little easier that this thing may be meant to be. Still, I have, and probably will continue to have concerns.

  Had a call today from the Pete Gross House that Kaiser has called them to get me on the wait list for late April, early May. Seems lik Kaiser is firmly on-board and functionning. I can’t say enough good about the way they funcion once they decide something is to be done.

  Now all I have to have is the formal call from the Hutch to set up the work-up scheduling and the procedure date.

  March 26, 2005 at 12:35 am #4982
  Nanxy

  Member

  Bill, Are you having a mini transplant? I am going through all the testing to qualify for the BMT. Stanford has found the “perfect” match for me. How many matches have you been able to find. Where are you located?
  Nanxy

  March 26, 2005 at 2:01 am #4983
  Bill and Mary

  Member

  Nanxy,
  I expect a full scale transplant. Mini’s may be a necessity but a poor option for me according to the Dr. I met with. I was told that mini’s work best on those who have had previous chemo. Having said that, I recently learned that new procedures may be coming to use them with folks that have not had previous chemo. The exact procedure will be decided after all the workup results are in.

  I do not know how many perfect matches there are, only that there are “many”. When they did the first cut I had over 3,000 possible matches. I quess it sometimes pays to be a bit common.

  I am currently located in Portland, OR. but will be relocating to a campground roughly half way between Portland and Seattle so that I can get to either relatively easily should the need arise. When we get a firm date and have to do workups, we will put the motorhome in storage and move into the Pete Gross House in Seattle. The procedure will be done at the UW hosp under the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

  I hope your bmt is safe, sure and free of gvhd!

  Bill

  March 26, 2005 at 3:03 am #4984
  CMH64

  Member

  Good news, Bill! My husband,59, is at day + 129 post transplant. He was treated at the University of Chicago. He has the complication of being on dialysis due to kidney disease caused by a sepsis episode following his fourth consolidation. We know of only four others in the world to have undergone a BMT while on dialysis. He is doing very, very well. He had a minimum of problems during the transplant process and has had no sign of gvhd. Today he took his last dose of anti-rejection med.

  I wanted to share with you the best advice that we were given during the transplant process. Viking, who posts here sometimes and is a five year transplant survivor, told us, “Do not plan to be sick.” We remembered this frequently during the transplant process and it really helped us to think positively and to stay focused on just getting better. I will pray that it will work as well for you as it has for Troy. We will be thinking of you both and looking forward to hearing of your progress through the process.

  Cathy
  ——————-
  husband Troy, 59, dx AML M4 12/03, Induction, fungal infection skin and lungs, remission, four consolidations, MRSA sepsis infection, kidney damage and dialysis, relapse dx CMML 8/04, related allo BMT, 11/04, remission, doing well, still on dialysis

  March 26, 2005 at 8:04 am #4985
  geebeebee

  Member

  Best of success, Bill. Keep us posted when you can.

  Greg

  March 26, 2005 at 7:53 pm #4986
  shirlsgirl

  Member

  Great news Bill!! Hope everything goes smoothly.

  Cathy, what an amazing story. Just goes to show the power of positive thinking. Yay for Troy!

  Jody

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