I have my stem cell collection scheduled. If everything goes according to plan, I would be admitted to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center on September 20th. I’d have a catheter installed and then be given Cytoxan over the course of a few days. Then I’ll be released and sent home with a growth stimulating factor to inject for a number of days. Maybe a week or 10 days. Then I’ll go back to the hospital for the collection. I asked them to be sure they get enough for 3 transplants.
The catheter might look something like this. It’s surgically implanted and gives them the easiest means of conducting the chemo and apheresis.
I’m hoping the Cytoxan kills off a bunch of the myeloma and can allow me to delay a stem cell transplant for a while. If so, as soon as I relapsed, I’d have the SCT. I’m so worn out from the constant treatment over the last 3+ years.
I’m starting a campaign to raise money for the International Myeloma Foundation. Over time, through this campaign, I want to raise a penny for every stem cell collected and frozen in preparation for a transplant. With your help, more treatments and even a cure can be found. You can donate online HERE.
Hi Beth.
My name is Edgar Sabbagh and I live in Brazil. My father also has Myeloma, and his doctor prescribed him Revlimid. He is taking Talidomid at this moment but the side-effects are just to heavy.
We are trying to buy the Revlimid directly at Celgene, but up till now unforunately without any succes. We have the authorization to buy the medicine, but need an import licence now (what is very dificult to obtain).
I read in one of your posts that someone you know bought the revlimid at a pharmacy called Biologisc in NC. I wonder if you could give me their contacts. May be it is possible for us to buy it with them (Even if it means I need to go there to buy it).
If you have the contacts you can send it to my email edgar_nit@yahoo.com
Thank you very much!
I hope you feel better and that the medicine will do their work!
Kind Regards,
Edgar Sabbagh
does anyone get the “myeloma minute” newsletter? I saw a study, published in Blood, where the green tea ingredient, EGCG, was found to decrease plasma cell growth. Of course, I had to try some, so I guess we’ll see. But the newsletter is pretty informative.