Stem Cell Harvest
Hi,
the docs have just said it would be good to harvest some stem cells while I’m ‘well’ for future treatment possibilities.
I have an appointment on June 22nd to pick up my prescription - not 100% sure what’s in the bag but seems like a series of self injections then a trip to the ward to spin out the stem cells. Seems they don’t need to go directly into your bone marrow these days but can grow the cells to come out into the peripheral blood and then just hook you up to a machine for 6 hours or so while the cells are collected. The nurse said that it could take a number of sessions depending on amount collected at end of first day. Somewhere between one and three days probably.
The cells can then be frozen and if my cardiac involvment reduces significantly in the future and they think it’s worth a go then I may well have a stem cell transfusion?! Hopefully not for a while though.
Filed under: Latest News on June 14th, 2009
Hi - first just to let you know the above is how up and running and I would appreciate it if you could put this on your blog http://www.amyloidsupportgroup,co.uk
Secondly I have had stem cell harvest and it is not quite as straight forward as they probably implied, they said the same to me at the NAC but I had it done at my local hospital in Bath, Wiltshire which I attend in between visit to NAC and also to the Renal outpatients. I would be happy to discuss and/or give you info on how it went for me. I have had mine frozen for a ‘rainy day’ should treatment not be effective in the future. I have to say that I am in what is called probable remission but they can never tell how long that will be for. Good luck and best wishes Jenny