Dear friends,
At the end of 2006, after seven months of thorough searching from all
the resources, doctors confirmed reluctantly that the chance for me to
find a good match of an adult stem cell donor became minimum. In order
to cure my leukemia, I was recommended to seek for an alternative
approach-umbilical cord blood transplant.
One of the best medical centers in the area of umbilical cord blood
transplant is the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at University of
Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis. I was very
excited when the doctors there informed me in February 2007 that they
found two good matches of the cords and would schedule me a transplant.
After informed all the terrifying risks, I still decided to go through
one of the toughest treatments a human being would go through to save
life.
The first step of the transplant process was pre-transplant evaluation,
in which all types of examinations were performed to get the
information if the patient could survive the transplant and how the
second step of transplant could be done. The evaluation took me one
week and was completed at the outpatient clinic from March 5-9.
The second step is called preparative regimen. I was hospitalized and
received a high dose chemotherapy and high dose of radiation during
March 12 -19, which was trying to completely "wipe out " the function
of my own bone marrow.
On March 20, two units of Hematopoictic Progenitor Cells Cord Blood
were infused slowly into my vein in the Blood and Marrow Transplant
Unit at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview Hospital in
Minneapolis.
The fourth step is post-transplant care. I stayed in the hospital for
five weeks. It was difficult during this period of time. In the first
10 days after transplant, my red blood cell counts and platelets are
very low and my white cell count was zero. Red blood cells and
platelets had to be infused in to my body daily. However doctors
couldn't do anything to the white blood cells and had to wait until
they grow by themselves. I had been having high fever for a few days
and a lot of antibiotics were pouring into my body. I had bad nausea,
vomiting and completely lost my appetite. The doctors had to put me
onto Total-Parental-Nutrition (TPN), which means all my nutrition I
need to survive was infused into my body, because I was not be able to
take anything myself. Situation gradually got better after two weeks
since the blood cells started to grow.
I was discharged from the hospital on April 23rd. All the transplant
patients were asked to stay near the hospital for two to three months
in order to go to the outpatient clinic daily or a few times a week to
ensure the medical team will be able to monitor the progress and watch
for signs of complications, which could be life-threatening. A 24-hour
caregiver is also required by the doctors to assure a safe recovery. I
rent a two-bed room apartment very close to the hospital and tried hard
to recover, with the help of my family and my dear friends, who flew
from the east coast to take care of me as the caregiver.
I stayed in Minneapolis until the early of July, when the doctors were
confident that they could let my local doctor to take care of the
recovery. I found a very good transplant doctor in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Although there is 70 minutes drive to see him, it worth it
because the doctor makes me feel in the good hands and I trust him that
I will get the best care. Right now I go to see the doctor in Milwaukee
once a week or in ten days if my condition is good.
At the end of September, I went back to University of Minnesota Medical
Center, Fairview Hospital and had my six-month post transplant check-up
and evaluation. All the results from the check-up showed I was doing
very well. Both the doctors at Minnesota and at Milwaukee are satisfied
with my recovery.
Thank you very much for all the help and concerns.
Lan Ma