If there's one thing that I've taken from my year with Multiple Myeloma, it's that this cancer affects every single person differently. There is no "routine case" of MM and there are no one-size-fits all treatments.
I'm in the recuperation phase of the allogeneic stem cell transplant I underwent on September 4th. I went through an autogolous transplant in March of this year, but for me there was no tandem auto transplant. My doctors went right for the allogeneic as the next step. I have a chromosomal abnormality to deal with (specifically chromosome 17 deletion) and my lead transplant doctor felt this was my best option. We had some difficulty getting approval from the insurance company for the procedure, as it is apparently still considered a "clinical trial." But the appeals worked, and we went ahead.
As far as how I feel, well I believe I weathered this transplant a lot better than the first one. I've been feeling more "healthy", and have been up and about a lot more. They went with high-dose chemotherapy, followed by the allogeneic transplant. The only thing I read about this transplant was from the MMRF website:
High-dose chemotherapy followed by an allogeneic transplant has the potential to possibly provide better long-term control of myeloma (with longer time without disease progression) than autologous transplants. However, this is a risky procedure with a high death rate due to the procedure itself (20-50%). As a result, this type of transplant is rarely performed.
Well, so far so good. I'm alive, right? I took the chance and so far it is paying off. I'm bald as a cue-ball, my weight is below 200 lbs (not good, but I'm doing my best to fatten up). There's a lot to think about, there is a lot to be on the lookout for. I'm on it, my docs are on it and I'll be battling on.
After-transplant problems
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