Christina,
I am currently waitng for a transplant at the Hutch. Hope to have it on the 14th.
I guess if you have to have this disease and are looking at having a transplant, this is the place to do it. They do all types of them and the staff is just first rate. As I have said before, getting here felt like a breath of fresh air, they actually understand what you are going through. More than that, they have a possible procedure to address the problem. I would suggest that you take full advantage of the tours they provide, not only of the SCCA facility but also the UW hospital tour of the 8th floor where they do the procedure.
Before you go you might want to make sure you understand the limits of your insurance. Some insurers say they do not cover the cost of donor search. This is stupid, you cannot get a BMT without one. I have seen much advice on how to get them to cover it on this site and the BMTinfo site. The costs are really staggering for the search, the procedure and the 100 days of living expenses you need to have in Seattle. Some insurance covers the latter, some doesn’t.
As far as questions, the orientation you will get is very through and covers just about everything you can imagine plus a buch you hadn’t a clue about. They will give you a booklet on “Preparing for a Transplant” that covers all they aspects of the procedure and life before and after.
The questions I had, and have, do not have answers – yet. Like – What are the chances that I will get a certain type of gvhd? How severe will gvhd be? Basically you won’t know until you get there. They can tell you all the statistics and probabilities but you are an individual and it will be different for you.
You are coming to a facility that is first rate with a staff to match. From what I hear and have seen over the month I have been here is that they are very proactive. They recognize and start treatment on symptoms you do not even recognize you have. It is very reassuring albeit a bit scarry.
Good Luck!
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