Sue Min's stem cells were infused to Min Ser at 3.45pm and done in 2 hours. It's basically like blood transfusion, but of a lighter red colour (more translucent). No averse reaction during transfusion. Total collection was 6.87 mil. So yay, above the 5 mil targeted!
Post transfusion days start with a (+). Ie: starting tomorrow is +1. Now to wait for his counts to go down (+1 onwards) and when Sue Min's stem cells engraft well, his counts will pick up again (+10 to +14). Once his white blood cell count reaches <1.0 and he feels well, he can be discharged.
Post transfusion, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year are milestones. So the one year goal is to reach day +365 in good health!
Counts as of today:
WBC: 0.35
HB (red): 8.9
Platelet: 77
Showing posts with label transplant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transplant. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Monday, 29 July 2013
Still Waiting
There's no transfusion of stem cells/ transplant today. Sue Min has to stay another night for a second collection tomorrow. Collection amount was 3.27mil stem cells, but for Min Ser they want to target for at least 5mil stem cells.
The stem cell collection process was about 5 hours which consists of 12 cycles. Sue Min had to be bed ridden for that time frame where the machine collects certain amounts of blood from her femoral line, separates the stem cells and return the other parts of the blood to her. She is feeling ok but tired.
Min Ser is doing better the pass two days. Less nauseous, able to eat decent amounts, and his counts are still not that low yet. So yeah, so far so good. Just need another 2 mil stem cells tomorrow!
Good job Sue Min, you can do it!
The stem cell collection process was about 5 hours which consists of 12 cycles. Sue Min had to be bed ridden for that time frame where the machine collects certain amounts of blood from her femoral line, separates the stem cells and return the other parts of the blood to her. She is feeling ok but tired.
Min Ser is doing better the pass two days. Less nauseous, able to eat decent amounts, and his counts are still not that low yet. So yeah, so far so good. Just need another 2 mil stem cells tomorrow!
Good job Sue Min, you can do it!
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
1st Day Radiotherapy
First of all thank you all for your prayers for us and Sue Min too. She has recovered and will be coming into hospital this Thursday for her first GCSF shot, and will be traveling to and fro from home daily until Sunday, when she will stay over for the transplant on Monday. Some of the side effects of the GCSF shots are body aches as the body is stimulating production of stem cells. Pray that she will have safe journeys to and fro from home to hospital, and she won't experience the aching side effects.
Today was Min Ser's first day of radiotherapy. We arrived Hospital KL at 8.30, and his first session of radio was from 9.30-10.30. Though according to Min Ser total exposure time (to radiation) was approximately 10 to 15 mins. There are 2 sessions a day, 6 hours apart. So in between he has a make shift room and bed to rest in.
The effects of radiotherapy was very evident and quick. Right after his first session he felt really weak, had a bad headache and was nauseous. He had to lie down (though couldn't really rest due to the headache). He says it was worst than chemo, especially since he could feel the effects so quickly. It seemed like 10 mins of radio felt as bad as 3 days of high dose chemo. With 2 days (4 sessions) to go, pray he will have the strength to go through it and that he will recover quickly in between sessions.
He managed to catch some rest before dinner, ate a fairly decent amount, and mentioned he felt slightly better, but still very tired. He's resting again now.
Today was Min Ser's first day of radiotherapy. We arrived Hospital KL at 8.30, and his first session of radio was from 9.30-10.30. Though according to Min Ser total exposure time (to radiation) was approximately 10 to 15 mins. There are 2 sessions a day, 6 hours apart. So in between he has a make shift room and bed to rest in.
The effects of radiotherapy was very evident and quick. Right after his first session he felt really weak, had a bad headache and was nauseous. He had to lie down (though couldn't really rest due to the headache). He says it was worst than chemo, especially since he could feel the effects so quickly. It seemed like 10 mins of radio felt as bad as 3 days of high dose chemo. With 2 days (4 sessions) to go, pray he will have the strength to go through it and that he will recover quickly in between sessions.
He managed to catch some rest before dinner, ate a fairly decent amount, and mentioned he felt slightly better, but still very tired. He's resting again now.
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
BMT Schedule
Dear family and friends,
We attended a counselling session at Ampang Hospital today, to prepare everyone for Min Ser's bone marrow transplant.
Was a very informative session with a lot of details, will try to summarize below:
12 July
- Admit to Ampang Hospital Transplant Ward (Ward 7D)
- This is a special ward in a highly controlled environment; even care-givers cannot use the same toilet as the patient, and cannot eat in the same room
- Anyone entering the ward has to go through 2 checkpoints, must wear a mask and apron, and change their shoes
- Strictly no visitors allowed; only one immediate family member at a time
- Food brought in from outside the ward needs to be checked by the nurses
- Because of the severity of the transplant regime, there will be one nurse dedicated to 3 patients max (this is even better than most private hospitals)
15 July
- Consultation and preparation for radiation therapy at KL General Hospital
- Interestingly, Min Ser won't be able to use soap or any lotion for 2 weeks (to avoid any skin reaction due to the radiation exposure)
18 July
- Insertion of Hickman Line in Min Ser
- Will be used for the next 3 months; inserted near his neck and used for all IV purposes
23 to 25 July
- Commencement of radiation therapy
- Will be a full body irradiation, so expected to have quite strong side effects
26 to 27 July
- Commencement of high dose chemotherapy
- This will be the last and strongest dosage (to date) that will permanently destroy his stem cells, just prior to the transplant
- Praying that Min Ser won't have too severe side effects...most patients do
25 to 28 July
- Preparation of donor (Sue Min) for stem cell harvesting
- She will be taking GCSF shots daily to increase the body's production of stem cells
29 July
- Bone marrow stem cell infusion
- This is the actual 'transplant' of Sue Min's stem cells into Min Ser
- 3 million of Sue Min's cells will be harvested in the morning, and if all goes well, will be transplanted in the afternoon to Min Ser
- Successful grafting of the donated stem cells will be the only way for his marrow to start producing blood again
- The following 2 weeks will be the most high-risk period
- Main focus will be to combat infection and to prevent rejection of the donated cells (GVHD: Graft Versus Host Disease)
Mid August
- Expected date of discharge from hospital (if no complications)
- Strict quarantine at home for next 3 months (still high risk of infection and GVHD)
- No exposure to direct sunlight (apparently UV rays can trigger GVHD)
- No exposure to crowds (visitors discouraged)
- Visit hospital twice a week for tests and monitoring
Mid November
- Critical period over; visit to hospital once a week for next 3 months
- Recuperation of cells expected, and immune system starts strengthening
- Visitors allowed at home, but monitored
Mid February
- Hopefully back to 'normal'; visit to hospital once a month
- Low risk of infection and GVHD at this stage
We attended a counselling session at Ampang Hospital today, to prepare everyone for Min Ser's bone marrow transplant.
Was a very informative session with a lot of details, will try to summarize below:
12 July
- Admit to Ampang Hospital Transplant Ward (Ward 7D)
- This is a special ward in a highly controlled environment; even care-givers cannot use the same toilet as the patient, and cannot eat in the same room
- Anyone entering the ward has to go through 2 checkpoints, must wear a mask and apron, and change their shoes
- Strictly no visitors allowed; only one immediate family member at a time
- Food brought in from outside the ward needs to be checked by the nurses
- Because of the severity of the transplant regime, there will be one nurse dedicated to 3 patients max (this is even better than most private hospitals)
15 July
- Consultation and preparation for radiation therapy at KL General Hospital
- Interestingly, Min Ser won't be able to use soap or any lotion for 2 weeks (to avoid any skin reaction due to the radiation exposure)
18 July
- Insertion of Hickman Line in Min Ser
- Will be used for the next 3 months; inserted near his neck and used for all IV purposes
23 to 25 July
- Commencement of radiation therapy
- Will be a full body irradiation, so expected to have quite strong side effects
26 to 27 July
- Commencement of high dose chemotherapy
- This will be the last and strongest dosage (to date) that will permanently destroy his stem cells, just prior to the transplant
- Praying that Min Ser won't have too severe side effects...most patients do
25 to 28 July
- Preparation of donor (Sue Min) for stem cell harvesting
- She will be taking GCSF shots daily to increase the body's production of stem cells
29 July
- Bone marrow stem cell infusion
- This is the actual 'transplant' of Sue Min's stem cells into Min Ser
- 3 million of Sue Min's cells will be harvested in the morning, and if all goes well, will be transplanted in the afternoon to Min Ser
- Successful grafting of the donated stem cells will be the only way for his marrow to start producing blood again
- The following 2 weeks will be the most high-risk period
- Main focus will be to combat infection and to prevent rejection of the donated cells (GVHD: Graft Versus Host Disease)
Mid August
- Expected date of discharge from hospital (if no complications)
- Strict quarantine at home for next 3 months (still high risk of infection and GVHD)
- No exposure to direct sunlight (apparently UV rays can trigger GVHD)
- No exposure to crowds (visitors discouraged)
- Visit hospital twice a week for tests and monitoring
Mid November
- Critical period over; visit to hospital once a week for next 3 months
- Recuperation of cells expected, and immune system starts strengthening
- Visitors allowed at home, but monitored
Mid February
- Hopefully back to 'normal'; visit to hospital once a month
- Low risk of infection and GVHD at this stage
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Second day at Ampang Hospital
There is no private wing here. We are currently warded in a 3rd class 4 bedded ward. No complains, though it would be nice to have a single room once he starts treatment (better rest and a perceived cleaner environment).
But staying in a shared ward is a different experience altogether. The other patients are all elderly and so we are forced to speak mandarin or BM. The uncles are undergoing chemo as well, and the aunties are their faithful wives who never seem to leave their side. They are really friendly.
A Dr Jerome, who reports to Dr Chang, now oversees Min Ser. Treatment for chemo will only begin next week after a PET + CT Scan is done in Putrajaya Hospital (he will get to ride in an ambulance). His blood samples will also be sent to SGH for mutation studies.
Dr Jerome explained that good mutations has a lower chance of relapse and will be easier to undergo a bone marrow transplant (or may even not need a transplant). Bad mutations will definitely require a bone marrow transplant. All in all mutation studies will be useful in the future as it will help to detract any early signs of relapse with even just 0.01% abnormality in the blood stream.
Min Ser is well. Albeit more tired then usual, uncomfortable muscle ache on his left shoulder and back, and slight blurry vision (dot in the middle) in his right eye. He saw an optomologist yesterday, who says it's not connected to leukemia and probably stress induced. He is prescribed eye drops and vision is expected to recover in a few weeks.
But staying in a shared ward is a different experience altogether. The other patients are all elderly and so we are forced to speak mandarin or BM. The uncles are undergoing chemo as well, and the aunties are their faithful wives who never seem to leave their side. They are really friendly.
A Dr Jerome, who reports to Dr Chang, now oversees Min Ser. Treatment for chemo will only begin next week after a PET + CT Scan is done in Putrajaya Hospital (he will get to ride in an ambulance). His blood samples will also be sent to SGH for mutation studies.
Dr Jerome explained that good mutations has a lower chance of relapse and will be easier to undergo a bone marrow transplant (or may even not need a transplant). Bad mutations will definitely require a bone marrow transplant. All in all mutation studies will be useful in the future as it will help to detract any early signs of relapse with even just 0.01% abnormality in the blood stream.
Min Ser is well. Albeit more tired then usual, uncomfortable muscle ache on his left shoulder and back, and slight blurry vision (dot in the middle) in his right eye. He saw an optomologist yesterday, who says it's not connected to leukemia and probably stress induced. He is prescribed eye drops and vision is expected to recover in a few weeks.
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